Olympic National Park - General Park Information

Here you will find Pacific Ocean beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a stunning variety of plants and animals. Roads provide access to the outer edges of the park, but the heart of Olympic is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike.

The Olympic Wilderness is one of the wildest places left in the Lower Forty-Eight states! This year, nearly 40,000 people will camp in the Olympic Wilderness and several hundred thousand people will take day hikes and walks. Olympic is fragile. But if we care for Olympic, we can preserve its wildness and grandeur for future generations.

Wilderness travel can be challenging and often risky. To maximize your safety, we hope you will take the time to learn about some of the risks and hazards that exist throughout the Olympic Wilderness.

In 1988, Congress designated 95% of Olympic National Park as Wilderness. Find out more about other nearby wilderness areas, wilderness designation and the Wilderness Act.

When you visit the Olympic Wilderness, whether to clamber along the roaring beaches of the wilderness coast, to immerse yourself in the freshness and healing of the old-growth forests, or to push yourself up onto the peaks and ridges of the high country, keep in mind that this remnant of wild America is fragile.

In early 2008, 18 fishers were released into the forests of Olympic National Park, marking their return to Washington State after a decades-long absence.

Restoring fishers to Washington and Olympic National Park is a cooperative effort between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Park Service and many other partners.

Influenced by mountains and sea, Olympic has a wide range of climate conditions. About twelve feet of rain falls each year on the west-facing valleys, sustaining the temperate rain forest. The east side of the mountains lie in a "rain shadow", with only 25 inches of annual rainfall and much dryer conditions.