Planning for 2017

After a fantastic 2016, I am very excited for what 2017 will bring. Here are the trips I have in mind for next year, with some of my initial thoughts and reasons behind the timing. Also, since I don't have any pictures of most of these parks yet, I included charts of each park's monthly visitation in 2015 so you can see when the parks are the busiest (and least busiest).

Joshua Tree in 2008

Joshua Tree National Park in April
UPDATE: Spent one night in the back country in early March.

In late April, I will be attending my 10-year college reunion near Los Angeles, California, and I am eager to re-visit a national park that is very near and dear to my heart. When I first visited Joshua Tree, I had recently moved from Illinois to California for college, and I had very little outdoor experience. I had never even heard of REI... When I look back at some of the pictures from my earlier trips, my inappropriate street shoes and obvious lack of awareness make me shudder. For my "homecoming" next year, I will return as a much more seasoned traveler.

Crater Lake National Park in July
UPDATE: Spent one night at Crater Lake Lodge in early July.

The rest of the parks on this list will all be first-time visits for me, and I am extremely excited about them all. Crater Lake was the last park to fill out the year, and I put a lot of thought into this choice. First of all, I love the Pacific Northwest. I visited Olympic near Seattle this year, and I am already thinking about going back for Mt. Rainier and North Cascades. I have great friends in the area, so I have many reasons to visit. And I've seen enough pictures of Crater Lake to know that I need to see that deep blue lagoon for myself.

Glacier National Park in August
UPDATE: Spent four nights camping at Many Glacier Campground in August.

It's finally happening. I'm going to Glacier! I've been waiting for this park for some time. Ever since I heard that Glacier National Park might lose its glaciers in a matter of 2-3 decades, I put it at the top of my list. Glacier is one of the most-visited parks in the country, which is especially impressive because it is located in one of the least-populated states (Montana). This means that people are willing to travel long distances to visit this park, and for good reason. It's a mammoth park with monster hiking, and I need to shape up before I go. July and August are the "hot" months go to this park, but the end of August should be relatively less crowded, once the kids are back in school.

Acadia National Park in October

UPDATE: Dates have been set for October 5-9.

Oh Acadia, you've been calling my name, and I've been calling yours. Year after year, I've thought of you and even penciled you in, only to put you off for one reason or another. Well, your time has come. I will be there when your leaves change colors next autumn, and I will there with my just-as-enthusiastic parents. This year, we visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton for our annual trip, and they are officially on board for more national park adventures. Maine, here we come!

Shades State Park

Shades State Park earned a special place in my heart when I first visited two years ago, but when I visited again last weekend, I fell in love. As a Chicagoan, my options for local outdoor adventures are relatively limited (relative to when I lived in California), but I have come to realize that if you look for them, the adventures are there to be found.

Shades is located about three hours south of Chicago, and it is often skipped over for its more-famous neighbor, Turkey Run State Park (which I wrote this blog post about a few years ago). I have been to both parks, and I think they are both great. If you are planning to stay in the area for at least two days, you could easily see most of both parks. But Turkey Run has a lodge, so if you don't want to camp, then you will have to stay there. I personally prefer the non-electric campsites at Shades.

Typical flat trail covered with autumn leaves

As you can see from the park map, most of the trails are loops, and they all connect with each other. This setup gives you many options for custom-designing your own route, or just going with the flow of the moment - either way, you will likely end up back at the center.

Map from Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Shades has about 10 miles of trails, and in general, they are made up of three general types of terrain:

• The easiest trails are flat, well-marked, and basically just walking on a dirt path.
• The next level up are the stairs. If climbing stairs gets your heart-rate going, and a lot of Midwesterners are easily susceptible to this, then you will want to pay some attention to which direction you take a trail. There are a handful of long, steep flights that you may prefer to go down instead of up, depending on your fears and preferences. 
• The last type, which is my favorite, are the streambeds, which the park maps describe as "rugged" and "very rugged." Note that this means Indiana-rugged, not California-rugged and definitely not Colorado-rugged. You are walking on streambeds, with some water flowing, and it can be slippery. Waterproof shoes are a big help!
• These "rugged" trails also includes the "ladders" that help make this park famous. They are easy to climb up and down, but I've seen small children get really scared of them.

Ladder

I started at the west end of the map, where the campground is located, and hiked trails 8, 7, 4, 5, 1, and 2 in that order (west to east). I'm going to be honest, I was pretty tired by the end of it, and my feet hurt, and I was not too happy about having to walk all the way back to camp in my tired state. The next time I go, I will probably do it in reverse so I am closer to camp at the end of the day.

I liked all the trails, and I would do all of them again. But if I had to cut down on time, I would just do half of Trail 4 and half of Trail 5, instead of snaking through all four halves. I would choose the right half of Trail 4 (streambeds and ladders) and the right half of Trail 5 (more streambeds and ladders). The halves I would skip are the easier (less interesting) ones. But if your main objective is to get down to Sugar Creek, then there's no reason not to take the easier routes.

Typical streambed trail. Just follow the water.

Now, about Trail 1. See where the bottom half of the loop has a parallel trail just under it? Definitely do the lower trail. In fact, you will want to start Trail 1 in a clockwise direction and take the spur trail when you get to it. Right after the spur trail begins, there is a long flight of stairs down into the canyon, and you will probably want to take this flight going down rather than up (unless you want to challenge yourself). There are of course stairs leading up and out of the canyon at the end of the trail, but these flights are split up and more easily managed.

Trail 2 is a must. I believe it is the only trail marked "Very Rugged" as opposed to "Rugged," so you know it's good. The longest, steepest flight of stairs is also on Trail 2. If you want to go down these stairs instead of up, do the loop in a clockwise direction. After you go down the long flight of stairs, you will spend the rest of the hike climbing back up a long streambed. It is awesome.

Water running over leaves on a streambed trail

Camping in late October was a little chilly, but not too bad. The last time I came, I camped in late September, and it was a lot more pleasant in terms of temperature. Although, the foliage and the fallen leaves all over the trails and streambeds were a sight to see this time of year. I would have a hard time choosing between September and October in the future. But I am already thinking about going back again.

Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park sits just to the south of Yellowstone National Park in northwest Wyoming. The parks are adjacent, which is why I find three things surprising:

• First, the parks are very different from each other. While Yellowstone, with its thermal activity and crazy hot springs, feels like a different planet, Grand Teton offers more "classic" alpine views, complete with a striking mountain range and several alpine lakes. 
• Second, the areas were established as national parks nearly 60 years apart (Yellowstone in 1872 and Grand Teton in 1929). 
• Third, the number of visitors for each park are not identical (Yellowstone saw over 4 million visitors in 2015, while Grand Teton only saw just over 3 million visitors). Obviously, each park is amazing enough to warrant separate visits, but still...

Admittedly, I only saw the "surface" of Grand Teton National Park, and it was clear that there was much more to see beneath the surface. I did not do any serious hiking, and I did not go backpacking. But the surface alone was incredible and worth seeing. The majesty of the Grand Tetons cannot be over-hyped or over-photographed. I spent more than a full day staring at the Grand Tetons from different angles, and I did not tire of them. That being said, I will write about the route I took, the stops I made, and what I would have done differently.

From Yellowstone, we drove south to Jackson Lake Lodge in the afternoon. There are several turnouts and overlooks between Yellowstone and the north-most developed areas of Grand Teton National Park. Definitely stop at the Jackson Lake Overlook.

We also stopped at Colter Bay Village before heading to Jackson Lake Lodge for the night, and had we known that the best grocery store in the park was at Colter Bay, we would have dropped in to pick up some supplies. From there, we continued south to Jackson Lake Lodge. The lodge was really nice. I think it is the most full-service lodge in the park (pretty expensive).

The next day, we woke up bright and early to make our way around the park. We decided to drive around the park loop in a clockwise direction. We began by stopping at every overlook along highway 191:

• Willow Flats Overlook
• Oxbow Bend Turnout
• Elk Ranch Flats Turnout
• Cunningham Cabin
• Snake River Overlook
• Teton Point Turnout
• Schwabacher Road
• Glacier View Turnout
• Blacktail Ponds Overlook

Oxbow Bend

Schwabacher's Landing

Snake River Overlook

The three most famous of these overlooks are Oxbow Bend, Snake River, and Schwabacher Road. But I enjoyed going to all of them. I thought stopping by every turnout would become tedious, but each turnout featured different informative signs that explained something about the geology of what we were seeing, so it became a fun fact-collecting mission of sorts. After we reached Moose, we made the turn onto Teton Park Road and headed back north, making longer stops at several places of interest:

• Park Headquarters
• Menors Ferry Historic District (Chapel of the Transfiguration)
• Windy Point Turnout (really windy!)
• Teton Glacier Turnout
• Cascade Cascade Canyon Turnout

Chapel of the Transfiguration

Unfortunately, the Jenny Lake Visitor Center was under construction and heavily congested. We ended up missing one of the park's most popular hikes to Inspiration Falls.  We passed up the Jenny Lake Visitor Center and continued north, turning into into Jenny Lake Junction (one way road):

• Cathedral Group Turnout
• Jenny Lake Overlook

Jenny Lake Overlook

Jenny Lake Overlook is a must do, especially if you are not planning to see the lake in any other way (via a hike). Unfortunately, the parking lot is tiny, so you may have to wait for a spot. We were lucky to get in and out and on our way. We continued north back towards Jackson Lake:

• Mount Moran Turnout
• Potholes Turnout
• Jackson Lake Dam

We did not drive up Signal Mountain. However, we stopped by Willow Flats Overlook again, and about 10 hours after we had seen it that morning, it was a completely different view.

By the time we got back to Jackson Lake Lodge, we were exhausted. It was the last night of our trip, and we had run out of food, so we went to dinner at the Pioneer Grill at Jackson Lake Lodge. There was a nicer option, the Mural Room, but we would have had to make a reservation in advance, and we were hungry!

The next morning, we left before sunrise to get to the airport. This was something I would plan differently next time. I would not plan to be driving in the dark. There were deer EVERYWHERE, and I drove below the nighttime speed limit (which is already slower than the daytime limit) to be safe.

I could easily see why photographers and the Grand Tetons have been tied together throughout history; this place is a landscape and/or wildlife photographer's heaven. But I also learned that there are miles and miles (of hiking and exploring) beneath the surface.

Yellowstone National Park

Needless to say, Yellowstone National Park is a bucket list destination for many people, regardless of whether they are hikers or national park enthusiasts or even Americans. It contains some of the most iconic landmarks in the world, and it carries the torch for our national park system as the first national park, anywhere.

After dreaming about a visit for a long time, I started planning my trip at the beginning of this year, when I felt like I had accumulated enough national park "experience" to do it right. I decided to invite my parents to join me because first of all, I knew they would never visit the park if I didn't take them, and second of all, I had a feeling that we would experience something really special.

Inviting my parents meant that I wouldn't be doing a lot of hiking. So, unlike most of my other trips, this became a driving tour. And Yellowstone is a great park for driving around. It is a very big park, and if you want to see all of the famous attractions, then driving is the way to go.

nps.gov

The park roads are laid-out in a figure-eight (one big loop made of two small loops), and it would take about two hours to drive from the north end of the park to the sound end, without any stops or wildlife-related traffic (which is certainly a thing here). While it is possible to drive the entire loop and see most of the major attractions in one day, it is not recommended. That being said, that's exactly what we did. Following, I will explain what worked and what I would have done differently.

First, a note about timing. I specifically planned my trip for the first week of September, just after Labor Day. I wanted to go after school started to avoid the summer crowds, but I didn't want winter weather either. And at an elevation of over 7,000 feet, Yellowstone starts getting snow in early October. We even saw frost on our first morning in the park, and we were glad to have brought out winter hats and gloves.

Also, I had been planning this trip for almost six months when I started hearing about the forest fires in the park. These were natural forest fires, started by lightening, and the fire regulators were letting the fires burn out as naturally as possible, as long as they didn't become destructive or dangerous. About one week before we were scheduled to leave, the main road to Yellowstone's south entrance was shut down due to fire activity, and my hour-by-hour itinerary, which had us entering through that entrance, needed a back-up plan. The detour through West Yellowstone would add two hours to our drive each way. By the time of our trip, however, the road had opened back up, and we were back to our original plan. I just wanted to mention this story as an FYI.

After we flew into Jackson Hole (nicest airport workers ever!), we drove two hours north to Grant Village in Yellowstone National Park. This drive took us through Grand Teton National Park, but we didn't make any stops because we would be doing that on our way back down. 

Next, a note about lodging. I booked our September lodging in March, and some of the more famous lodges were already booked up at that point. Book early! If I could plan the trip again, I would try to stay at the Canyon Lodge in Canyon Village. It is the most central lodge in the park (right in the middle of the figure-eight), and it would give us access to either half of the figure-eight. Staying in Grant Village, which is at the south end of the park, forces you to drive the full loop in one day.

On our first day, we drove the entire big loop in a counter-clockwise direction. Here are the stops we made:

0. Departed from Grant Village (S)
1. Drove past Lake Yellowstone (SE)
2. Drove past Hayden Valley (E)
3. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (E)
4. Tower Fall (NE) 
5. Mammoth Spring (NW)
6. Norris Geyser Basin (W)
7. Gibbon Falls (W)
8. Midway Geyser Basin (SW)
9. Back to Grant Village 

We left early in the morning, and there was a lot of fog. In fact, it was still very foggy by the time we got to Artists Point in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and we couldn't see a thing. So we decided to come back the next day.

Bison in Hayden Valley

Tower Fall is a park-and-view stop, unless you want to walk about a mile to the bottom of the falls.

In Mammoth Spring, we walked the lower terrace of the hot springs after finding parking off the upper terrace drive. You pass the lower terrace parking lots on your way out of town, and if they are full, then you could either wait for a spot to open up or continue onto the upper terrace drive, which has a few smaller lots.

Mammoth Hot Springs

In the Norris Geyser Basin, we elected to walk around the Porcelain Basin instead of the larger Back Basin, but we liked it a lot. If you choose to do the same, make sure you walk out to the overlook, which is a spur path off of the main loop. This was the best view of the basin.

Porcelain Basin in the Norris Geyser Basin

Gibbon Falls is another park-and-view stop.

Gibbon Falls

The Midway Geyser Basin is where the Grand Prismatic Spring is, and it is very popular. This was one of the places where we had to wait for a parking spot, but we didn't wait for more than five minutes. You will know when it is coming up because you will see cars parked along the side of the road.

Grand Prismatic Spring

After the Grand Prismatic Spring, we decided to skip Old Faithful and save it for the next day. We technically had enough time, but we were tired and hungry. Speaking of hungry, I don't think we would have been able to fit in so much in one day if my mom hadn't packed food for us to eat on the road. Another thing about traveling with my parents... they like to eat Korean food as much as possible, so we bring a rice cooker with us, haha. We brought 25 cups of uncooked rice, and we ate it all!

Anyway, our second day was designated for anything that we missed the first day, and we ended up reversing our direction and driving clockwise around the lower loop of the figure-eight. Here are the stops we made:

0. Departed from Grant Village (S)
1. West Thumb Basin (S)
2. Old Faithful (SW)
3. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (E)
4. Onto Grand Teton National Park

We had another early start, and it was worth it. The West Thumb Basin is just next door to Grant Village, and it is a sight to see. There are a bunch of hot springs right alongside Lake Yellowstone, an alpine lake, and the contrast is very interesting. There were also a lot of deer there in the morning.

Deer in West Thumb Basin

Our next stop was the big kahuna - Old Faithful. Arguably the most famous attraction in Yellowstone, the Old Faithful geyser is famous for erupting about every hour or so. But everyone I talked to about my trip told me that Old Faithful would be my biggest disappointment, so my expectations had been tempered. Even so, the anticipation started building again when I arrived to Old Faithful village. They had "countdown" signs posted everywhere, indicating when the next eruption was expected, and they had built a huge viewing area around the geyser. Honestly, it reminded me of a worship area, and it was just one step shy of creepy.

The next eruption was going to be in about an hour, and people had already started staking their seats. It was like general admission at an outdoor concert. Thankfully, my parents had brought blankets, so we stayed warm while just sitting and waiting.

By the time the 20-minute eruption "window" arrived, it was standing room only. And of course, the geyser waited until the very end of the window to go off. And when it did, well... people ooh-ed and ahh-ed. I thought it was kind of cool. Not as tall as I expected. My parents were big fans, though. I was reminded of post-purchase rationalization, which is a phenomena studied by psychologists and behavioral economists, where people tend to believe they made the right choice after they've made it. :)

Old Faithful

After Old Faithful, we made the choice to drive all the way back to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which we had mistimed the day before. And we were very happy about our decision to give it a second chance. We got a clear view of the Yellowstone Fall, the Yellowstone River, and the beautiful canyon walls.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

From there, we headed back down to the south entrance to make our way out of the park and into Grand Teton National Park.

So, now that's I've been to Yellowstone National Park, would I want to go back? Of course! Maybe not for a few years, though. Everything I saw was so beautiful and amazing, but I also thought it was kind of crazy, like very unstable and unsettling. When I got home to super-flat Chicagoland, I felt a new found appreciation for its boring geology. There is a certain comfort of not living right on top of a super-volcano.

Virgin Islands National Park

Virgin Islands National Park. That name, for me, now envokes images of pristine coastlines, tropical forests, and near-mystical underwater scenes and eco-systems. But just one week ago, I had no idea what to expect. I just got back from my trip to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and I am excited to write about this unique national park.

VINP is not one of the "darlings" of the U.S. National Park System, not one of the Top 10 most-visited parks (like the Great Smoky Mountains or the Grand Canyon) or one of the oldest (like Yellowstone or Yosemite) . In fact, it doesn't even make the Top 40 (out of 59). But VINP is like no other park in the NPS, and it is well worth a trip to the Caribbean.

As the only U.S. national park in the Caribbean Sea, VINP encompasses over half of the island of St. John. But half of the park isn't even *on* the island - it is around it, under the water, in the form of coral reef and the natural eco-system that follows. There is even an underwater snorkeling "trail" complete with information markers that describe the nearby sights and sealife. Intrigued yet?

We stayed on the island of St. Thomas, and we took a day trip to St. John. We rode an early morning ferry (about 20 minutes) and arrived to Cruz Bay, St. John around 8:30a. We rented a Jeep and headed to the VINP Visitors Center to start our day.

First time I saw an NPS boat!

The driving took some getting used to because cars are driven on the left side of the road. Also, there are lots of steep climbs around hairpin turns that require back-to-back breaking and accelerating and driving in second gear. The driving could be easier, but there is no rush and no need to worry. Definitely try to stop by the pull-outs on your way into the park because they are on the left and the overlooks are great.

We got tips and recommendations from the Visitors Center, and then we hiked the Lind Point Trail to Honeymoon Bay. This hike left from the same parking lot as the Visitors Center. The hike was well-shaded, which meant that we were safe from the sun but missed out on some views (except for the Lind Point Overlook). And Honeymoon Bay was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. At this point in the day (around 9a), the beach was empty aside from a couple of snorkelers in the water.

View of Cruz Bay from Lind Point Overlook

After we got back to the parking lot, we rented some snorkeling gear from a vendor across the street ($10 for the day). Then we headed straight for Trunk Bay, the most popular beach in the park, and supposedly one of the best beaches in the world.

As a native Chicagoan and only part-time Californian, I don't know that much about world-class beaches. But when I was told that Trunk Bay was about as good as they got, then I believed it. The sand was white and soft, and the water was clear and blue. Nestled in an inlet and surrounded by lush tropical forest, and the whole scene was a little hard to believe.

Trunk Bay

Trunk Bay is where the underwater snorkeling trail is, making it one of the most popular snorkeling spots in the park (you can also rent snorkeling gear there, if that's the only place you want to snorkel). There was a bit of traffic in terms of snorkelers (around 11a), but it wasn't too bad. This was my first time snorkeling, so I was pretty excited. And I wasn't disappointed! The underwater trail was simple but very cool to follow, and I saw so much interesting sealife for the first time.

My friends wanted to lay out for awhile, but I stayed in the water. I was living my dream of pretending to be a little mermaid and finding Nemo. But this is how I got sunburn around my butt (since the butt faces the sun while snorkeling). I was wearing a rashguard (MVP of my trip) that protected my back and shoulders, thankfully, but I would also recommend boardshorts to avoid a butt burn.

After Trunk Bay, we headed further into the park without specific plans. We ended up seeing the Anneberg sugar mill ruins and also the ruins near Cinnamon Bay. The ruins were pretty cool, actually, and there were lots of informative markers to describe the history of the area.

Anneberg Ruins

We also went snorkeling at Francis Bay because we were told that there would be sea turtles, but we didn't find any. We may have been looking in the wrong areas because the next day, we learned that they would probably be found near the patches of underwater grass, where they fed.

At the end of the day, we stopped by Cinnamon Bay to use the showers (there are also showers at Trunk Bay), and then we headed back into town for dinner. We got dinner at The Longboard, a casual place that reminded me a of a restaurant I might find in Santa Monica, California. It had a boardwalk vibe with open air seating. And tacos!

Overall, I think I could have easily spent another full day in the park, and maybe even a third day. Will I ever make it back to Virgin Islands National Park? I would definitely be up for it, and I will be sure to bring boardshorts next time.

Cinnamon Bay

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park is located in the very northwest corner of the lower 48 states, just west of Seattle, Washington. It is the eighth most-visited U.S. National Park, and it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With nearly one million acres, the park encompasses three major ecosystems - rugged coastlines, lush rain forests, and glacial mountains.

I had the great pleasure of exploring the park over two full days with two of my best friends and college roommates. My friend, Emily, impressively did all the driving around the park, which totaled over 500 miles. My first piece of advice would be to enter the park with the expectation that you will be driving a LOT (unless you are backpacking, that is). Luckily, almost all of the driving is very scenic.

Our route and itinerary were primarily determined by lodging options. For our mid-July trip, I booked accommodations in early May, and the lodges were already filling up at that point. Book early!

My friends picked me from SeaTac airport, and we drove into the southern portion of the park via Olympia. Our first destination was the Quinault area, which has rainforests, a lake, and a small town, where our lodge was located. After checking into the Lake Quinalt Lodge, we had a picnic lunch by the lake, and for our first hike of the trip, we hiked an easy four-mile loop connecting the Lakeshore Trail, the Rain Forest Nature Trail, the Cedar Bog Trail, and the Falls Creek Loop.

Rainforest Nature Trail

We decided to drive out to the coast for dinner, and we called Kalaloch Lodge to make a reservation. When we arrived to the lodge, the restaurant was mostly empty, but our reservation had guaranteed us a table with a view of the ocean.

After dinner, we drove north to Beach 4 and then to Ruby Beach. Both were beautiful, but Ruby Beach had a slight edge in scenery, aside from being busier. After breathing in the ocean air and climbing around the driftwood, we elected to drive back to Lake Quinalt Lodge before sunset. This was the end of our first half-day in the park.

Ruby Beach

The next morning, we drove north from Lake Quinalt to the Hoh Rain Forest. After stopping by the NPS Visitor Center to get recommendations, we hiked the Spruce Nature Trail and the Hall of Mosses Trail, which added up to only about two miles of hiking. Our other option was to hike partway up the Hoh River Trail (13 miles long), but we were told that the scenery of the first part of that trail was pretty much the same as the Spruce Nature Trail. So after a picnic lunch, we headed to our next stop in the park.

Spruce Nature Trail

Next, we went to Rialto Beach and hiked 1.5 miles to the Hole in the Wall arch. It was a grueling beach walk (like quick sand), but it was worth it. We explored the tide pools as the tide was going out, and we saw so many little sea creatures. My favorites were the starfish, of course.

Tide Pools at Hole in the Wall

After we had our fill of tidepools, we made the trek back to Rialto Beach, and we drove to our next destination, Lake Crescent. Here, we checked into Lake Crescent Lodge, and we stayed in one of the picturesque lakefront cabins. Instead of having dinner at the lodge, my friend found a local diner called Granny's, and I would highly recommended it, especially for their famous soft serve ice cream.

We had some daylight hours left after dinner, and we enjoyed them on the porch of our cabin, drinking wine and admiring the sunset. This was the end of our second full day in the park.

Lake Crescent

On our third and last day, we work up early to hike to Marymere Falls, which was about 1.5 miles away from the lodge. After the short and easy hike to a 90-foot waterfall, we packed up our things and headed to our last stop in the park.

Marymere Falls

Hurricane Ridge is a 45 minute drive up into the mountains from Port Angeles, and it is well worth it. Most people stop at the NPS Visitors Center and do the shorter hikes there, but if you are up for a moderate hike with a 700 ft. elevation gain in 1.5 miles, definitely do the Hurricane Hill Trail, which begins off a parking lot just past the Visitors Center. The views throughout the hike and from the top of the hill were fantastic. But there were mosquitoes, so apply bug spray.

View from Hurricane Hill

After the hardest hike of our trip, we drove back down to Port Angeles and stopped by the largest Visitors Center in Olympic Park (still not that big). We got lunch at Turnip the Beet, a no-frills lunch spot with salads, wraps, and pita sandwiches. and then we headed for the Kingston ferry, which would take us into Seattle. Pro-tip: visit Mora Ice Cream near the ferry port. Yum!