OPN trip report
Jul 30th, 2005, 07:47 AM
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OPN trip report
Back from my trip to Olympic National Park with my pre-teen daughter. Had a great time!
Day 1: We flew into SEA-TAC and then took Kenmore Air to Port Angeles. There was a little problem with the reservation, but they fixed it for me! The small plane (10 seats, including the pilot) flew about a half-mile up, so there was a great view of Washington below. It didn't take long, was very smooth, and pretty inexpensive -- I'm glad we opted for this quick way to get to Pt. Angeles!
We checked into the Downtown Motel -- great for 2 girls on a budget. The room was quiet and clean, staff helpful (even let me use their computer to check emails). Bathrooms in the hall, but sinks in the room.
Walked around the (small) town, saw a movie, ate at the Chinese restaurant next to the theater, and retired for the night.
Day 2: Day trip to Victoria. The ferry was about 2 blocks away. We have tea shops at home, so skipped that. My daughter loved the BC Museum and said we should tell everyone to go there, but her favorite was Miniature World! Kitschy little dioramas, but fun to look at all they put together, especially "the world's smallest working sawmill." We walked through an outdoor crafts fair at Bastion Square and stopped in some of the shops. Had a little time left before getting to the ferry at 5:30, so we went on the last Parliament Building tour of the day -- the place is really beautiful and interesting.
Back at Pt. Angeles we had dinner, walked around the shops again, and back to the room for reading and bed.
Day 3: Hurricane Ridge. Started by walking next door to pick up the car rental -- how convenient is that? We hiked up to Hurricane Ridge. Everywhere you looked, majestic mountains! The weather was so warm and clear that most of the critters were in hiding. The one exception was the deer that stalked us for about 10 minutes, following us down the trail -- what a treat! Went on a ranger walk on the meadow loop and learned a lot about the area. The views were, in her opinion, the clearest they had been since she started there this year. It was fun to see to Victoria (and beyond), where we had been the day before.
Day 4: We drove to Sequim for the lavender festival. Unfortunately, it was raining (from a mist to light rain) --the only day we had that wasn't beautiful, though, so we can't really complain! Because of the rain, we stayed at the street fair, and my daughter completely drenched herself by testing the various lavender products! Then we went to Olympic Park Institute (a five minute walk from Lake Crescent Lodge, at most) for a 3-day family program. We relaxed by the lake, signed in, moved into our rooms, ate dinner (the food was great!) and had attended the evening program. We went on a short hike there, whick had some amazing trees, moss, and a couple of deer. Then to bed.
Day 5: OPI program -- canoe on the Lake, hike to Marymere falls (it's beautiful and not hard to hike), examined some critters in the water, and hiked through the forests to look at the trees, moss, etc. Got back to OPI and spent about an hour in the lab looking at our finds through the microscopes. Hung out at the Lake, ate dinner, campfire, and to bed.
Day 6:Finished the OPI program by tidepooling at Salt Creek. Wonderful stuff -- I found a large sea urchin, the mussels were huge, and my daughter was transfixed by the colonies of hermit crabs! The program was fun, but unfortunately the age range of the kids was too large and therefore a bit young for my daughter. Luckily, there was one other girl her age, and they had a great time together.
We drove to La Push to stay at Ocean Park Resort (they just changed their name, though). It was too early to check in, so we hung out at the beach there. We tried to go to Second or Third Beach, but parking was limited and it was very hot for SF girls -- my daughter couldn't face the hike to the water. But since she loves wave-jumping, First Beach behind Ocean Park was perfect.
We stayed in the Lodge, and I think the adage "you get what you pay for" applies here. The room was large, and there was a kitchenette. Also, a large balcony overlooking the water. But the room was very run-down a a little depressing to me. We were supposed to stay for 2 nights and then go to Lake Quinault, but since we were driving half-way to Lake Q the next day, I decided when we checked in to stay only one night (and they let me cancel my second night at that point without any cancellation fee) and add a night at Lake Q.
Day 7: Go to Hoh Rain Forest after breakfast in Forks. We started out by going on a rafting trip on the Hoh River with Rain Forest Paddlers. Very nice guide! The water was very calm, and only hit 2 Class 1 rapids and 1 Class 2 rapids (though it felt more like a 3rd class 1 to me!). But the water was beautiful and very peaceful. Again, with the beautiful clear, warm, dry weather, not so many critters. After lunch at the Hard Rain cafe (run by the same people as the rafting trip), we got to the visitor center at the rainforest. My daughter had fallen asleep in the car (even though it was only about 5 or 10 minutes from lunch!) so I let her nap. When she woke, we walked through the Hall of Mosses, but I could tell she wasn't into it, and much preferred our water adventures, so we headed out and stopped at Ruby Beach. It was beautiful, with a long, shallow beach and lots of driftwood. Because the waves were smaller, it was as much fun for her as La Push, but she still had a great time there.
Got to Lake Q Lodge, and another mixup about reservations, but I can't blame them since it was my last-minute change that caused the problem. We had to split the two nights between two rooms, with one night being in a nicer room than I had originally booked. The difference in price between the Lodge room and the Lakeside room was less than $10, and worth it! The Lodge room was nice, though a little small. It looked out onto the lawn and over to the Lake. But the Lakeside room was about twice as large with a larger and nicer bath, a balcony that overlooked the Lake through trees (so you don't see any people!) and a TV -- which is a plus or a minus, depending on your perspective!
Anyway, that night we were too late to get a reservation at the Lodge for dinner so we went across the street to the snack bar for sandwiches and artichoke-spinach dip. Obviously not fancy -- more like a beach shack place to eat - but suited us well. We then went swimming in the Lodge indoor pool and went to bed.
Day 8: Started out at the Lodge restaurant for a late breakfast overlooking the Lake -- good food, beautiful view! We went out on the lawn for a pathetic attempt at horseshoes, and then spent a little while watching the bunnies that have somehow ended up there. We went for a short hike through the rain forest, but again, my daughter wasn't too into it. So we went back to the lodge and took a pedalboat onto the Lake.
Another evening in the pool, reading by the Lake, and to bed.
Day 9: Last day! We woke up late, had a big breakfast, walked around part of the Lake (in the water), made boats to float in the Lake, then back to SeaTac and home. A great trip -- maybe we'll do it again!
Day 1: We flew into SEA-TAC and then took Kenmore Air to Port Angeles. There was a little problem with the reservation, but they fixed it for me! The small plane (10 seats, including the pilot) flew about a half-mile up, so there was a great view of Washington below. It didn't take long, was very smooth, and pretty inexpensive -- I'm glad we opted for this quick way to get to Pt. Angeles!
We checked into the Downtown Motel -- great for 2 girls on a budget. The room was quiet and clean, staff helpful (even let me use their computer to check emails). Bathrooms in the hall, but sinks in the room.
Walked around the (small) town, saw a movie, ate at the Chinese restaurant next to the theater, and retired for the night.
Day 2: Day trip to Victoria. The ferry was about 2 blocks away. We have tea shops at home, so skipped that. My daughter loved the BC Museum and said we should tell everyone to go there, but her favorite was Miniature World! Kitschy little dioramas, but fun to look at all they put together, especially "the world's smallest working sawmill." We walked through an outdoor crafts fair at Bastion Square and stopped in some of the shops. Had a little time left before getting to the ferry at 5:30, so we went on the last Parliament Building tour of the day -- the place is really beautiful and interesting.
Back at Pt. Angeles we had dinner, walked around the shops again, and back to the room for reading and bed.
Day 3: Hurricane Ridge. Started by walking next door to pick up the car rental -- how convenient is that? We hiked up to Hurricane Ridge. Everywhere you looked, majestic mountains! The weather was so warm and clear that most of the critters were in hiding. The one exception was the deer that stalked us for about 10 minutes, following us down the trail -- what a treat! Went on a ranger walk on the meadow loop and learned a lot about the area. The views were, in her opinion, the clearest they had been since she started there this year. It was fun to see to Victoria (and beyond), where we had been the day before.
Day 4: We drove to Sequim for the lavender festival. Unfortunately, it was raining (from a mist to light rain) --the only day we had that wasn't beautiful, though, so we can't really complain! Because of the rain, we stayed at the street fair, and my daughter completely drenched herself by testing the various lavender products! Then we went to Olympic Park Institute (a five minute walk from Lake Crescent Lodge, at most) for a 3-day family program. We relaxed by the lake, signed in, moved into our rooms, ate dinner (the food was great!) and had attended the evening program. We went on a short hike there, whick had some amazing trees, moss, and a couple of deer. Then to bed.
Day 5: OPI program -- canoe on the Lake, hike to Marymere falls (it's beautiful and not hard to hike), examined some critters in the water, and hiked through the forests to look at the trees, moss, etc. Got back to OPI and spent about an hour in the lab looking at our finds through the microscopes. Hung out at the Lake, ate dinner, campfire, and to bed.
Day 6:Finished the OPI program by tidepooling at Salt Creek. Wonderful stuff -- I found a large sea urchin, the mussels were huge, and my daughter was transfixed by the colonies of hermit crabs! The program was fun, but unfortunately the age range of the kids was too large and therefore a bit young for my daughter. Luckily, there was one other girl her age, and they had a great time together.
We drove to La Push to stay at Ocean Park Resort (they just changed their name, though). It was too early to check in, so we hung out at the beach there. We tried to go to Second or Third Beach, but parking was limited and it was very hot for SF girls -- my daughter couldn't face the hike to the water. But since she loves wave-jumping, First Beach behind Ocean Park was perfect.
We stayed in the Lodge, and I think the adage "you get what you pay for" applies here. The room was large, and there was a kitchenette. Also, a large balcony overlooking the water. But the room was very run-down a a little depressing to me. We were supposed to stay for 2 nights and then go to Lake Quinault, but since we were driving half-way to Lake Q the next day, I decided when we checked in to stay only one night (and they let me cancel my second night at that point without any cancellation fee) and add a night at Lake Q.
Day 7: Go to Hoh Rain Forest after breakfast in Forks. We started out by going on a rafting trip on the Hoh River with Rain Forest Paddlers. Very nice guide! The water was very calm, and only hit 2 Class 1 rapids and 1 Class 2 rapids (though it felt more like a 3rd class 1 to me!). But the water was beautiful and very peaceful. Again, with the beautiful clear, warm, dry weather, not so many critters. After lunch at the Hard Rain cafe (run by the same people as the rafting trip), we got to the visitor center at the rainforest. My daughter had fallen asleep in the car (even though it was only about 5 or 10 minutes from lunch!) so I let her nap. When she woke, we walked through the Hall of Mosses, but I could tell she wasn't into it, and much preferred our water adventures, so we headed out and stopped at Ruby Beach. It was beautiful, with a long, shallow beach and lots of driftwood. Because the waves were smaller, it was as much fun for her as La Push, but she still had a great time there.
Got to Lake Q Lodge, and another mixup about reservations, but I can't blame them since it was my last-minute change that caused the problem. We had to split the two nights between two rooms, with one night being in a nicer room than I had originally booked. The difference in price between the Lodge room and the Lakeside room was less than $10, and worth it! The Lodge room was nice, though a little small. It looked out onto the lawn and over to the Lake. But the Lakeside room was about twice as large with a larger and nicer bath, a balcony that overlooked the Lake through trees (so you don't see any people!) and a TV -- which is a plus or a minus, depending on your perspective!
Anyway, that night we were too late to get a reservation at the Lodge for dinner so we went across the street to the snack bar for sandwiches and artichoke-spinach dip. Obviously not fancy -- more like a beach shack place to eat - but suited us well. We then went swimming in the Lodge indoor pool and went to bed.
Day 8: Started out at the Lodge restaurant for a late breakfast overlooking the Lake -- good food, beautiful view! We went out on the lawn for a pathetic attempt at horseshoes, and then spent a little while watching the bunnies that have somehow ended up there. We went for a short hike through the rain forest, but again, my daughter wasn't too into it. So we went back to the lodge and took a pedalboat onto the Lake.
Another evening in the pool, reading by the Lake, and to bed.
Day 9: Last day! We woke up late, had a big breakfast, walked around part of the Lake (in the water), made boats to float in the Lake, then back to SeaTac and home. A great trip -- maybe we'll do it again!
Jul 30th, 2005, 10:25 AM
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Thank you for your trip report. Am glad you had really good weather (except in Sequim, which is the place that brags about all-year-round sun).
Did you ever have dinner at the Lodge? I'm curious how you liked it, as the last time we stayed there we were disappointed, but maybe they've improved?
Did you ever have dinner at the Lodge? I'm curious how you liked it, as the last time we stayed there we were disappointed, but maybe they've improved?
Aug 1st, 2005, 04:26 AM
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Thanks for posting a great, detailed report. We also recently returned from that area, so it brought back the experience for us, plus I know in the future, it will be helpful to those going there.
We had lunch at Crescent Lodge one rainy day and wondered about the programs at OPI. Do they have programs for all ages?
We had lunch at Crescent Lodge one rainy day and wondered about the programs at OPI. Do they have programs for all ages?
Aug 2nd, 2005, 06:07 AM
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Sounds like some interest in OPI! Their programs are listed at http://www.yni.org/opi/seminars.html. While we were there, there was also a geology seminar for adults. The people I talked to raved about it - the instructor was a professor from the east coast, I believe, but they learned a lot about the ONP area. Some were teachers, some not, but only positive replies. So yes, it should be great for adults.
If you go, think about the type of housing you like. The standard is in a building with 4 rooms (2 bunk bed in each, but I don't think the adults were put with roommates) and a wide hallway/common area. There's a bathhouse steps away. For an extra fee -- I don't know how much -- you can upgrade to a "historical cabin." These are stand-alone buildings (so a little quieter) and the one I saw had a separate living room and bath -- rustic but nice.
As for the Lodge, we didn't go to Lake Crescent Lodge, but some friends said it was very nice. At Lake Quinault, we only ate breakfast at the Lodge -- it was a little too upscale to go to with my daughter for dinner. But our breakfasts were tasty, filling, and served by a friendly staff.
If you go, think about the type of housing you like. The standard is in a building with 4 rooms (2 bunk bed in each, but I don't think the adults were put with roommates) and a wide hallway/common area. There's a bathhouse steps away. For an extra fee -- I don't know how much -- you can upgrade to a "historical cabin." These are stand-alone buildings (so a little quieter) and the one I saw had a separate living room and bath -- rustic but nice.
As for the Lodge, we didn't go to Lake Crescent Lodge, but some friends said it was very nice. At Lake Quinault, we only ate breakfast at the Lodge -- it was a little too upscale to go to with my daughter for dinner. But our breakfasts were tasty, filling, and served by a friendly staff.
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