Highway 101 Beaches ~ Olympic National Park

​Flickr album link: Highway 101 Beaches

Highway 101 is a famous Pacific coast touring route that parallels the beaches through most of Oregon and Washington. North of the Columbia River Highway 101 meanders inland till it reaches Olympic National Park, but there are alternate travel routes that provide access to the southern half of the Washington coastline. Queets is where Highway 101 starts to hug the beaches through the park and this certainly is a popular place to be during the summer season.

Overcrowding can be a problem on busy weekends, but there are two scenarios that have a natural way of limiting traffic. Very few visitors tour the Olympic National Park Pacific beaches during the early morning hours and even fewer are willing to do the tour if rain is in the forecast, which is predicted quite often in these parts. By the time the bright sunlight starts to burn off the morning misty fog, the Highway 101 beaches become a haven for fun in the sun and finding an empty parking spot quickly becomes an issue. For this reason, once a spot is landed, it is best to plan on staying onsite for an extended time.

The early morning views of the Olympic National Park Pacific coastline certainly are dramatic to see. Camping nearby is the best way to get a head start on the day if capturing images of completely vacant beaches is what is in mind. The driftwood and timbers deposited along the high tide line add to the visual effect, while the strands of the rain forest that butt up agains the beach enhance the views in a mystical way. Experiencing dawn along the beaches certainly is a landscape artist's dream come true, so be sure the timing is right when planning a tour of Olympic National Park!