Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour in Olympic National Park

As the audio guides play commentary based on your gps location, you can create your own itinerary along the tour route to match your interests and schedule.

Though not officially situated within the national park, Dungeness Spit is something of an oddity and well worth checking out. Extending 5 narrow miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this is the world's longest sandspit and it continues to grow by about 14 feet each year. You can walk the entire length if you wish - your reward is a lighthouse - but it's not necessary to get the idea and novelty of this environment. The spit also acts as a refuge, birdlife is abundant - 90 bird species are known to nest here. And watch for harbor seals, orcas and minke whales in the water. They can be hard to spot, but there's lots of small mammals - especially rodents - and you may also see deer and skunks.

Elwha Valley is a short deviation that is located quite close to Port Angeles. The reward at the end of the road is the gentlest of strolls to Madison Falls. We'll also see the remaining buildings from some early homesteaders that were attracted to this friendly valley. However, this is also an interesting place in terms of nature's restorative powers. After being dammed for a century, Congress ordered 2 dams removed so that the river could run freely to the ocean once again, opening the valley to fertile deposits due to flooding, and allowing access for salmon into the river once again.

An astounding opportunity to walk among giant trees in a unique temperate rainforest. Green, mossy, fern-covered, and every shade of green, the groundcover adds to the storybook feel of the forest. Watch for wildlife including elk and black bears. It's well worth dedicating at least 2 hours of your Olympic National Park time here.

The most easily accessed alpine area in the park is Hurricane Ridge. At the top of this 18-mile drive that leaves right from Port Angeles, we'll find ourselves with superb views and a perfect variety of hiking trails to take us away from the parking area to even more vista points. If you just want a taste of the alpine without a big effort, Meadow Trails is recommended. There's many more strenuous options available too.

It's quite lovely to spend an hour or more driving the loop circuit around Lake Quinault. The lake itself was gouged out by an ancient glacier, and glacial runoff still feeds it today, dammed by the moraine left behind. There's a great choice of hikes on the route, and services available include lodging, restaurants, campgrounds and a small museum.

We'll drive through a lush area of big trees - and find the world's largest Sitka spruce along the way. The rainforest ecosystem is similar to Hoh, often receiving as much as 12 feet of rain in a year.

One of the favorite photos from Olympic National Park is sunset from Rialto Beach. But this is an excellent beach to visit at any time of day - especially if it's warm and sunny. You'll enjoy the rock pillars and with a half mile walk you'll find the Hole-in-the-Wall arch, which will eventually become 2 new pillars - or haystacks. Tidepools along the beach are also excellent.

So easy to visit - parking is accessed right from the highway, and then you'll walk straight onto the beach. Abbey Island sits as a giant sandstone block in the water, but at low tide you can walk right to it - just be sure to make your way back before the tide rises too high again. Will you find actual rubies? Well, you won't - but you should hunt for almandite, a type of garnet that's pretty but not precious!

Another terrific side trip that takes us off Highway 101 and into one of Olympic's scenic valleys. If we are fortunate to visit during spawning season, we'll see salmon battling their way up the Sol Duc River. One of the very best waterfalls is reached from the end of the road, the triple-tier Sol Duc Falls is less than a mile from the car park. And finish your visit with a soak in a relaxing hot mineral pool at the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort.