There's Something for Everyone at Olympic National Park

There's Something for Everyone at Olympic National Park

This week in our national parks journey, we explore a vast area with mountains, beaches, forests, and glaciers². The area’s huge range in both rainfall and elevation³ make it one of the most diverse parks in America.

Welcome to Olympic National Park!

The park is located in the western state of Washington. It is on the Olympic Peninsula, in the northwest part of the state.

The park covers more than 400,000 hectares. It has several different ecosystems⁵. Visitors will find temperate⁶ rainforests, glacier¹-covered mountains, and almost 120 kilometers of wild coastline.

History

The Olympic Peninsula has seen travelers from many countries throughout history, including Mexico, Spain, France, Russia, and England. Many travelers from these countries arrived in the late 1700s. They were searching for the Northwest Passage. The sea route connects the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by way of the Arctic Ocean.

These explorers all claimed to discover different parts of what is now Olympic National Park.

In 1792, English Captain George Vancouver explored the peninsula in great detail by boat. He named many of the natural features in the area.

Later, people began moving west across North America to search for gold. This era was known as the “Gold Rush.” Many people came to the western United States in search of gold.

At the time, the Olympic Peninsula was not very developed, and did not have roads. People had to travel by boat or horse to explore the peninsula.

Early settlers reached the Olympic peninsula in the mid-1800s. At first, people built homes on the coast. This area was easier to access, and had good land for farming.

Life on the Olympic Peninsula was difficult, however. People lived far from large cities and resources. They cut trees to build cabins. They also hunted and fished for food.

Later, people started making expeditions into the center of the peninsula. They explored its forests and mountains. These areas never became very populated, however.

To protect the nature of the area, President Grover Cleveland declared the Olympic Peninsula's forests as the Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897. And in 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the bill that established the Olympic National Park.

People

Eight Native American tribes are closely connected to the area.

One tribe, the Makah, has a long history of whaling. The U.S. bans whaling, but the Makah tribe is permitted to continue practicing this tradition in small amounts. American courts also gave Native American tribes the right to continue their traditional fishing practices in the area.

Protecting fish resources is important to the Native Americans living on the Olympic Peninsula. They work with the National Park Service to protect the area’s natural resources.

Places to go

Olympic National Park has meadows and lakes. It has glacier-fed rivers and mountain peaks that rise more than 2,300 meters. Each area of the park offers visitors something special.

Elwha Valley

The Elwha Valley is in the central part of the park. It is the Olympic Peninsula's largest watershed⁷. A watershed is an area of land that separates waters that flow to different rivers or seas.

Long ago, the rivers in this area held the most salmon⁸ outside of Alaska. The area also was home to bears, eagles, cougars⁹, and the Klallam Native Americans.

In the 1920s, a growing community of settlers built two hydroelectric dams to provide energy for the local economy. The dams created many problems for the river. They decreased the water in the rivers, which caused the fish population in the area to decrease. This affected¹⁰ the other animals that depended on fish for food.

The community later decided¹¹ to fix these problems. In 1992, Congress passed the Elwha River Ecosystem⁴ and Fisheries Restoration Act. Both dams have been removed, and the National Park Service is using fish hatcheries to increase the salmon population.

Today, the Elwha River is the site of one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects in National Park Service history.

Hoh River Valley

The Hoh River is on the west side of the park. The river is formed from melted glacial ice on top of Mount Olympus. The river is 80 kilometers long. It empties into the Pacific Ocean.

The area receives about 400 centimeters of rain each year. It is a temperate rainforest. Because of the amount of rain, many different types of plants grow in the Hoh rainforest, from mosses¹² and ferns to huge Sitka spruce trees.

The Hoh River Valley is protected from any logging or development.

Hurricane Ridge¹³

Hurricane Ridge is a mountain area in the northern part of the park. It is easy to enter, and provides incredible views of the Olympic Mountains.

The ridge has many hiking paths. In winter, people come here to ski. They also come here to take part in other fun winter activities, like sledding and snowboarding.

Hurricane Ridge usually has snow from December through the end of March. Visitors must be prepared for icy roads and severe weather.

The Coast

The westernmost part of the park is Pacific coastline. Olympic National Park has many breathtaking beaches.

Rialto Beach is known for its tall seastacks. These formations are tall towers of rock standing¹⁴ in the sea.

North of Rialto Beach is Hole-in-the-Wall. It is a natural arch that has been carved by the powerful sea.

Kalaloch Beach is known for its white sand. It also has three national wildlife refuges, which protect the area’s bird and fish species.

The coastline areas offer hiking and camping. They are some of the most popular places in the park.

A place for everyone

Olympic National Park offers difficult mountain hikes. It offers relaxing beaches, and exciting walks through lush rainforests.

There truly is something for everyone at Olympic National Park.

I'm Dorothy Gundy.

And I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

diverse - adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other?.

expedition - n. a journey especially by a group of people for a specific purpose .

elevation - n. the height of a place?.

glacier - n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land?.

hatchery - n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land?.

hydroelectric - adj. of or relating to the production of electricity by using machines that are powered by moving water?.

interior - adj. located on the inside of something?.

peninsula - n. a piece of land that is almost entirely¹⁵ surrounded by water and is attached to a larger land area?.

populated - adj. to be a heavily populated.

seastacks - n. a column of rock standing in the sea?.

thorough - adj. including every possible part or detail?.

whaling - v. the job or business of hunting whales?.

lush - adj. covered with healthy green plants

1 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

2 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

3 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

4 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

5 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

6 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

7 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

8 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

9 cougars   

n.美洲狮( cougar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cougars can kill animals eight times their size. 美洲狮可以杀死八倍于自身体积的动物。 来自互联网

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 mosses   

n. 藓类, 苔藓植物 名词moss的复数形式

参考例句：

• Ferns, mosses and fungi spread by means of spores. 蕨类植物、苔藓和真菌通过孢子传播蔓生。
• The only plants to be found in Antarctica are algae, mosses, and lichens. 在南极洲所发现的植物只有藻类、苔藓和地衣。

13 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

14 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

15 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。