Taking your Dog to Olympic National Park

I recently had the good fortune of returning to Olympic National Park for the fifth time.  This time I took a dog.  I knew dogs aren't allowed on the vast majority of trails in most national parks, but I didn't have much of a choice and I knew we'd still be able to see a lot from the roads.

Before I get into the specifics of what we did, let me pass on a few pieces of advice for maximizing your experience at a national park with a dog.
1.  Visit the park's website and find their pet policy page.  It is often under "Things to Know Before You Come".  This page will detail the trails, campgrounds, and other places dogs are allowed.  Policies vary and this is a good place to get specifics.  For example, dogs are allowed on the PCT in Rainier NP, on paved trails in Yosemite, and on some beaches in Olympic.  Other parks, like North Cascades, conveniently contain/border National Recreation Areas with much looser pet regulations.
2.  Ask a ranger if they have a pets brochure.
3.  Ask a ranger at a visitor center where dogs are allowed or if they have any recommendations for good hikes with dogs.  Rangers who've been around awhile might also know of great, lesser known, hikes in nearby national forests or state parks.

Olympic National Park

Updated 8/19/2015: I'm going back to Olympic later this month. You can see more photos from other trips I took there (with a dog) at this link.

Pardon the off-topic post, but I just got back from a week at Olympic National Park, where I did lots of day hikes and my third backpack trip in the park.  Most major national parks are known for one or two things; Yosemite - huge, awe-inspiring, light-colored single-slab granite mountains and towering waterfalls, Yellowstone - wildlife and geothermal features, Grand Canyon - a big canyon, Rocky Mountain - mountains, Sequoia and Redwood - huge trees, etc.  In contrast to these places, Olympic National Park is spectacular for its great diversity.  The roughly 1 million acre park contains scenic foggy beaches, temperate rainforests dripping with dozens of species of moss, and high alpine peaks home to gorgeous wildflower-packed meadows and incredible glaciers.  It also has hot springs, amazing waterfalls, and its fair share of wildlife.  The multi-colored pebble and sand beaches are lined with massive logs and some are home to tide pools full of starfish, anemones, and other interesting organisms that can be explored during low tide.

All these features are within an hour or two drive of each other and provide endless opportunities for exploration for all ages as the park has a great balance of short, paved trails and longer more primitive trails. In my opinion, July-September is the best time to visit the park unless you love cold rain and mountains of snow.  Be sure to bring bug spray!

Right now, the Forks area is in a bit of predictable Twilight madness, which can be fun or annoying based on your feelings towards the movies/books.

The map and photos below show some of my favorite places and hikes.

Hole-In-The-Wall - Rialto Beach

Hoh Rainforest

Lake Crescent

Obstruction Point

Obstruction Point

Seven Lakes Basin

Hoh Lake

Tidepool at Rialto Beach

View Olympic National in a larger map

Sequoia/Kings Canyon - National Park of the Week #2

Sequoia and Kings Canyon are actually two national parks, but they share a long border, a website, and are managed together.

Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park
Location: SE California in the High Sierras.  200 mi. N of Los Angeles, 70 mi. east of Fresno
Area: 868,000 acres
Major Attractions: Most massive trees on the planet, Incredible canyons, Beautiful alpine lakes, Mt. Whitney (tallest mountain in the Lower 48), Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail
Miles of Trail:  800+
My Favorite Parts: Rae Lakes, Hell For Sure Pass, Giant Sequoia Trees

Getting There: Roughly two hours east of Fresno on CA-198 or CA-180
Website: http://www.nps.gov/seki

North Cascades National Park and Ross Lake National Recreation Area

North Cascades National Park has an interesting layout, in that the main road through the park, Hwy. 20, is buffered by land designated National Recreation Area, while national park designated lands form the bread of the Ross Lake NRA sandwich.  This design allows for more uses in the most trafficked parts of the park.  On a recent visit I took advantage of these laxer regulations by bringing my dog along for a hike; something that is largely prohibited in most national parks.

This was my first time to the park, so I stopped at the visitor center, which is technically in the NRA.  I was tired of driving and Buddy was tired of riding, so we decided to do the multiple trails that connect the visitor center to the town of Newhalem.  These trails are well-labeled on the maps at the center, but they are not well-signed along the actual trails, so be prepared for some backtracking or extra wandering around if you aren't familiar with them.

Our hike started at the visitor center and went downhill to the River Loop Trail.  After visiting the river, we backtracked and took the To Know A Tree Trail to the Linking Trail to the Trail of the Cedars loop.  After exploring Newhalem, we walked back taking parts of the various trails we'd missed on the way out for a total hike length of about 5 miles.  The only major elevation change was the stretch between the visitor center and the River Loop Trail.  This could be completely avoided for an easy hike by starting at Newhalem or in the campsites and avoiding the visitor center spur.

The scenery here reminded my quite a bit of the rainforest in Olympic, with tall sword and bracken ferns under moss coated alders and evergreens.  I am positive I missed some incredible scenery just another 15 minutes up the road, but I plan on returning soon to try some hikes deeper in the park around Ross Lake and Lake Chelan.  Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Bad Hiking, Camping, and Backpacking Jokes

I love horrible puns and started this piece mostly to exercise my brain. I started this in 2015, but have changed the date so only people who've searched for bad jokes will come across it, thus sparing any regular readers I may have from having to see these.

Here goes.

What is the laziest trail in the United States?
The Pacific Rest Trail
(Very different from the rugged 2,650 mile long trail through the mountains of California, Oregon, and Washington.)


What is the cleanest trail in Arkansas?
The Wash-it-all Trail.
Cleaner, but less scenic than the Ouachita Trail.


Can you float the Buffalo this time of year?
I dunno canoe?


Boyle Park and Burns Park are so hot right now. 

(These are city parks in Little Rock)


"Coming home with medals in scenery, habitat diversity, and precipitation... Olympic National Park everybody!"

That's all for now. More to come, or maybe not!

Fleeing the Heat

August is here and I'm fleeing to Washington to escape the heat.  My family is heading to Olympic National Park, one of the most spectacular parks in the country, for some day-hiking, camping, and maybe backpacking.

I have a policy against hiking in Arkansas (or doing anything outdoors that doesn't involve swimming) in August due to the extreme heat and presence of numerous seed ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes.  If you are looking for ideas for non-miserable outdoor activities this August, you might want to check out these blog entries:

Articles on Swimming Holes
Blanchard Springs Caverns
Floating Articles

Remember, if you do anything outdoors in August, take plenty of water, bug spray, and sunscreen!