I'm hoping for some advice from local photographers. I will be visiting the West Coast next year (from England) and for various reasons will be tied to early/mid April. I would like to visit the Olympic National Park, Hoh Rainforest, etc. for some photography. I'm unsure what to expect by way of weather (although I assume it will be wet!). Is there likely to be a problem gaining access to parts of the region at this time of the year? And could anyone suggest locations that might be especially productive then? I photograph anything - trees, forests, insects, flowers, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, etc.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
Many thanks,
Chris Mattison
Posted by Sean Watson on October 3, 2007 at 12:01 PM
April seems a little early so "wet" is a fairly safe bet. We had a really bad storm last November ('07) that washed out lots roads... including the road to the Hoh visitor's center. The park service wasn't able to repair the road until spring (June as I recall) so you won't find many details about Hoh from last year. With luck, we won't see similar conditions this year, but there's no way to know.
I think it's unlikely the snow level will dip down to the Hoh or Sol Duc level that time of year; it'll probably be rain. Rain on the hills means snowmelt, so you'll probably get a good shot at waterfalls. If you're at all interested in that, you should plan to hike to Sol Duc Falls and give some thought to the Sol Duc river along the road to the hot springs. Marymere Falls just south of Crescent Lake should also be on your list.
There will still be snow up the Hurricane Ridge road. The park service does a really good job keeping it plowed but they don't open it every day. You'll want to either make sure you go up there on the weekend or check with the park service. There will be a fairly level snowshoe hike or Nordic ski from the visitor's center (where you can rent skis or snowshoes) out to Hurricane Hill and, weather permitting, some pretty amazing views of the mountains to the south or the straight to the north.
Dungeness Spit is probably worth a visit, though the south side will be closed to give the shorebirds a chance to nest.
The beaches will be a pretty good bet. There is a nice flat 3 mile hike from Lake Ozette to Cape Alava <edit: was "Avala"> that might be really pretty that time of year. It's on a boardwalk most of the way so it won't be too muddy. You can loop down to Sand Point and back to the lake (3 miles on the beach and 3 miles back to the lake) or just walk back the way you came. Other beaches you need to hike to (Shi Shi, Second, and Oil City) are likely to be really muddy messes. Both 2nd and Shi Shi may be worth it; I'd probably pass on Oil City unless you really like the others. You don't really need to hike to get to Ruby or Rialto so those are less muddy options. Ruby Beach is really nice. In my opinion, Rialto is mainly there for the walk up to Hole in the Wall and I'm not sure I'd recommend fording Ellen <edit: I originally called it "Edith"> Creek that time of the year... you can generally scramble across the logs but each storm seems to leave a different configuration. You'll want to ask a ranger about this.
If you get flexibility in your schedule, full or new moon are generally good for tide pools, but they also mean you'll have higher tides to worry about if you hike around heads. (In general, you'll want to mind the tides if you hike on the beach at all.) If you're interested is eagles, you'll want to check when the salmon are running. The elk will probably not have migrated out of the lower valleys (Hoh and Quinault), so that's also an option to keep in mind.
Anyway, that should give you enough to advance the discussion depending on your interests. I haven't talked at all about the east side of the park or the surrounding areas (Grays Harbor/Hoodsport to the south... San Juan Islands to the north.)
Sean
Posted by Bryan Swan on October 3, 2007 at 7:04 PM
Weather wise, you don't have to worry about anything but rain. It rarely ever snows in the Hoh area (certainly not in April), and Sol Duc should be pretty well melted out by April (though the predictions coming in so far are calling for a significantly above average snow year around here - some guessing on par with the record setting season of 98-99). The west slopes of the Olympics, being so close to the ocean, are usually very mild - most of the snow falls in the center and east side of the peninsula, so should the weather turn inclement, I'd suggest staying closer to the coast.
Many thanks to all those that responded. Your advise has been valuable and I will take it on board when discussing our itinerary with my travelling companions.
If anyone else can add anything, please feel free.
Regards,
Chris Mattison
Posted by Bryan Swan on October 5, 2007 at 10:56 PM
Jim, theres a huge logjam across Ellen creek about 100 feet upstream of the high tide mark that enables dry crossings all year.
Discussion
5 repliesI'm hoping for some advice from local photographers. I will be visiting the West Coast next year (from England) and for various reasons will be tied to early/mid April. I would like to visit the Olympic National Park, Hoh Rainforest, etc. for some photography. I'm unsure what to expect by way of weather (although I assume it will be wet!). Is there likely to be a problem gaining access to parts of the region at this time of the year? And could anyone suggest locations that might be especially productive then? I photograph anything - trees, forests, insects, flowers, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, etc.
I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
Many thanks,
Chris Mattison
I think it's unlikely the snow level will dip down to the Hoh or Sol Duc level that time of year; it'll probably be rain. Rain on the hills means snowmelt, so you'll probably get a good shot at waterfalls. If you're at all interested in that, you should plan to hike to Sol Duc Falls and give some thought to the Sol Duc river along the road to the hot springs. Marymere Falls just south of Crescent Lake should also be on your list.
There will still be snow up the Hurricane Ridge road. The park service does a really good job keeping it plowed but they don't open it every day. You'll want to either make sure you go up there on the weekend or check with the park service. There will be a fairly level snowshoe hike or Nordic ski from the visitor's center (where you can rent skis or snowshoes) out to Hurricane Hill and, weather permitting, some pretty amazing views of the mountains to the south or the straight to the north.
Dungeness Spit is probably worth a visit, though the south side will be closed to give the shorebirds a chance to nest.
The beaches will be a pretty good bet. There is a nice flat 3 mile hike from Lake Ozette to Cape Alava <edit: was "Avala"> that might be really pretty that time of year. It's on a boardwalk most of the way so it won't be too muddy. You can loop down to Sand Point and back to the lake (3 miles on the beach and 3 miles back to the lake) or just walk back the way you came. Other beaches you need to hike to (Shi Shi, Second, and Oil City) are likely to be really muddy messes. Both 2nd and Shi Shi may be worth it; I'd probably pass on Oil City unless you really like the others. You don't really need to hike to get to Ruby or Rialto so those are less muddy options. Ruby Beach is really nice. In my opinion, Rialto is mainly there for the walk up to Hole in the Wall and I'm not sure I'd recommend fording Ellen <edit: I originally called it "Edith"> Creek that time of the year... you can generally scramble across the logs but each storm seems to leave a different configuration. You'll want to ask a ranger about this.
If you get flexibility in your schedule, full or new moon are generally good for tide pools, but they also mean you'll have higher tides to worry about if you hike around heads. (In general, you'll want to mind the tides if you hike on the beach at all.) If you're interested is eagles, you'll want to check when the salmon are running. The elk will probably not have migrated out of the lower valleys (Hoh and Quinault), so that's also an option to keep in mind.
Anyway, that should give you enough to advance the discussion depending on your interests. I haven't talked at all about the east side of the park or the surrounding areas (Grays Harbor/Hoodsport to the south... San Juan Islands to the north.)
Sean
If anyone else can add anything, please feel free.
Regards,
Chris Mattison