O is for Olympic National Park

 I’m in the middle of the A-Z challenge, listing bucket lists of places that I’ve not been, but would I’d like to visit in my life.  I doubt I will be able to make every one of these trips, but can always dream.

We’re at the letter O.  I could continue on my world tour and head to Oslo, but I don’t get too excited about cities.  Instead, I’ll stick to the states and head to another national park that I’ve yet to see.  Olympic National Park is located between the coast of Washington State and the metropolis of Seattle.  I’ve been to Seattle, but haven’t explored any outside of the city. 

Olympus National Park would be an incredible place to backpack as there are a number of unique eco-zones within the park as one travels from the coastline to 7000 plus mountain peaks with receding glaciers.  The coast side of the mountains are wet and lush, while the backside is a bit drier.  In the higher alpine areas are lakes and meadows.  A backcountry trip in the park could provide me with a number of different experiences.  Another good thing about the park is that nearly 95 percent of the land is maintained as a wilderness area. If you want to really explore the park, you have to get off the road and hike.   And then there are hot springs, the perfect place to end a hike.   Photos "lifted" from www.nps.gov/olym