I went hiking in ONP last weekend and had a amazing experience. I grew up in Sequim, WA and the Olympic mountains have been in my backyard my entire life and I'm still impressed by them. As a current Seattle resident, we have one of the most beautiful National Parks in the country so close, yet seems like the majority of people in Seattle haven't been there. I highly recommend it!

We went on one of the best weekends of the year, a mid-September trip in the northwest is always a good bet.  We hiked the high divide trail which is a great 20 mile loop that takes you up and over a ridge that parallels both Mount Olympus and Blue Glacier. There are stunning views of the Hoh rainforest valley and 7 lakes basin. We ate fresh blueberries and huckleberries, dove in fresh alpine lakes, drank from glacial springs, and watched a herd of moose and a family of black bears.

Most do the hike in 2 days with 1 night of camping, but there is a significant elevation change which can make the hike up a...let's just say it's a hike. I'm 23 and in decent shape and my legs have been sore the last few days.

You are required to get a backpacking permit and reserve a campsite which you can do easily at the Wilderness Information Center at 360-565-3100