Olympic Peninsula
Large peninsula in Western Washington with Olympic National Park.
The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington, lying across Puget Sound from Seattle and containing Olympic National Park. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north, and Hood Canal to the east. Comprising about 3,600 square miles (9,300 km2), it contained many of the last unexplored places in the contiguous United States and remained largely unmapped until Arthur Dodwell and Theodore Rixon mapped most of its topography and timber resources between 1898 and 1900.
- Area
- about 3,600 square miles (9,300 km2)
- Location
- Western Washington, bounded by Pacific Ocean, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Hood C
- Highest peak
- Mt. Olympus
- Major counties
- Clallam, Jefferson, northern Grays Harbor and Mason
- Westernmost point
- Cape Alava
- Northwesternmost point
- Cape Flattery
- Climate
- Oceanic (Cfb) and warm-summer Mediterranean (Csb)
Lore & Background
The Olympic Peninsula is home to temperate rain forests, including the Hoh, Queets Rain Forest, and Quinault. Rain forest vegetation is concentrated primarily in the western part of the peninsula, as the interior mountains create a rain shadow effect in areas to the northeast, resulting in a much drier climate in those locales. Major salmon-bearing rivers include, clockwise from the southwest, the Humptulips, the Quinault, the Queets, the Quillayute, Bogachiel, the Sol Duc, the Lyre, the Elwha (see Elwha Ecosystem Restoration), the Dungeness, the Dosewallips, the Hamma Hamma, the Skokomish, and the Wynoochee River. Natural lakes on the peninsula include Lake Crescent, Lake Ozette, Lake Sutherland, Lake Quinault, and Lake Pleasant. Two dammed rivers form the reservoirs of Lake Cushman and Wynoochee Lake; two previous reservoirs, destroyed in the Elwha Ecosystem Restoration, were Lake Aldwell (behind the former Elwha Dam) and Lake Mills (behind the former Glines Canyon Dam).
Reader's Guide
The Olympic Peninsula's significance lies in its status as one of the last unmapped regions in the contiguous United States, with its topography and timber resources first systematically mapped by Arthur Dodwell and Theodore Rixon between 1898 and 1900. It contains Olympic National Park, Olympic National Forest, and numerous state parks including Anderson Lake, Bogachiel, Dosewallips, Fort Flagler, Fort Worden, Lake Cushman, Mystery Bay, Old Fort Townsend, Potlatch, Sequim Bay, Shine Tidelands, and Triton Cove state parks. Within the Olympic National Forest, there are five designated wilderness areas: The Brothers, Buckhorn, Colonel Bob, Mt. Skokomish, and Wonder Mountain. Just off the west coast is the Washington Islands Wilderness. A major effort called the Wild Olympics campaign is under way to protect additional wilderness areas on the Olympic Peninsula, protect salmon streams under the Wild and Scenic River Act, and provide a means for Olympic National Park to offer to buy land adjacent to the Park from willing sellers. Politically, the peninsula is represented in the U.S. House by Democrat Emily Randall, and in the Washington State Legislature by Democratic state senator Kevin Van De Wege and Democratic state representatives Mike Chapman and Steve Tharinger.
Did You Know?
- Cape Alava is the westernmost point in the contiguous United States, and Cape Flattery is the northwesternmost point, both on the Olympic Peninsula.
- The Olympic Peninsula remained largely unmapped until Arthur Dodwell and Theodore Rixon mapped most of its topography and timber resources between 1898 and 1900.
- The Kitsap Peninsula, bounded by Hood Canal and Puget Sound, is an entirely separate peninsula and is not connected to the Olympic Peninsula.
- The Olympic mountain range sits in the center of the peninsula and is the second largest range in Washington State.
- Two former reservoirs, Lake Aldwell and Lake Mills, were destroyed in the Elwha Ecosystem Restoration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Olympic Peninsula?
Olympic Peninsula is a roughly 3,600-square-mile landmass in Western Washington that sits directly across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is home to Olympic National Park and stretches between the Pacific Ocean, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Hood Canal.
What are Olympic Peninsula's powers/role?
It shelters some of the last truly wild and unmapped terrain in the lower 48 states, anchoring the Olympic Mountains with its highest point, Mt. Olympus. Its westernmost tip, Cape Alava, and northwesternmost point, Cape Flattery, mark key coastal landmarks for the Pacific Northwest.
How does Olympic Peninsula's story end?
Its long era of being largely uncharted came to a close around 1900, when surveyors Arthur Dodwell and Theodore Rixon completed systematic mapping of its topography and timber resources. Since then it has remained a protected, well-documented region rather than an unknown frontier.
Why is Olympic Peninsula important?
It preserves a vast stretch of old-growth and temperate rainforest within Olympic National Park, making it one of the most ecologically significant areas in the contiguous United States. Its counties—Clallam, Jefferson, and parts of Grays Harbor and Mason—also support a distinct Pacific Northwest culture.
Where does Olympic Peninsula sit on the map?
It occupies the northwestern corner of Washington State, bordered by the Pacific to the west, the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north, and Hood Canal to the east. Cape Flattery at its northwestern tip marks the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States.
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