Waterfalls (Sol Duc and Marymere) in the Olympic National Park

We drive from Port Angeles on the Strait of San Juan de Fuca (separating Washington State from Vancouver Island, British Columbia) into the Olympic National Forest to visit two waterfalls.  The first, Sol Duc Falls is 14 miles (23 km) off US Highway 101, the primary road through the park.  The waterfall splits into as many as four channels as it cascades 48 feet (15 meters) into a narrow, rocky canyon.

Trailhead parking lot

Along the trail

Reaching the falls

The trail back

Our next stop is Marymere Falls, near the shores of Lake Crescent.  The trail forms a loop, offering two spectacular viewpoints of the 90 foot (27 meter) high waterfall, one looking down on the falls as they plunge through a notch in the cliff; the other looking up from the base of the falls.

Trail and bridges to the falls

First glimpse of the falls

Views at the falls

We finish the loop around the two viewing sites and return to the shores of Lake Crescent, a deep lake located entirely within the Olympic National Park.  With an official maximum depth of 624 feet (190 meters), Lake Crescent is the second-deepest lake in Washington and is known for brilliant blue waters and exception clarity enabled by the low levels of nitrogen in the water that inhibit the growth of algae.

Lake Crescent

After our hikes up to the two falls, we return to Port Angeles to track down dinner.