Olympic National Park 2016

Please visit us in 2017!  

Click on the links below for details about our private and custom tours:  

Birding and Nature Walks     Hiking    Overnight Backpacking     Snowshoeing and Skiing

I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of the winter season. Here in Port Angeles and Olympic National Park, summer was so busy and wonderful, that I am now just sorting through all the great photos.  This past year was our busiest year on record and we have big plans for 2017.    We will be offering more tours and also offering guided fly-fishing for both day tours and over-night trips. We will have more info about fishing in January.  I have hundreds of great photos from 2016, I want to share a few to tell the story of outdoor activities for the past year on the Olympic Peninsula.  We met so many great people and had so much fun, we can't wait to see everyone again next year.  

Please email me at Info@KaiyoteTours.com or call me at 970-556-6103 for questions and to make reservations for Olympic National Park.

Click on the links at the start of the page for more info about all the different types of tours we offer in Olympic National Park.

Pictured to the right is your hiking guide and tour leader, Kaiyote Snow. The photo was taken hiking through the Seven Lakes Basin area in Olympic National Park in August.  This trail makes a great 20 mile loop through some very beautiful terrain in the Sol Duc Valley and High Divide areas.  We usually backpack this loop in 3 - 4 days, because we like to take our time to see it all, but the loop can be done in 2 days.  

The west side of the Olympic Peninsula is part of the largest temperate rainforest in the world.  The Hoh Rainforest within Olympic National Park receives 140 - 180 inches of rain a year on average.  Some of the largest trees in the world are still growing larger in the park. Summers can be dry and warm.  The best time to see the rainforest is during the rainy seasons of winter and spring when the ferns and mosses are green and shinny with fresh rain.  The rain is usually a soft misty drizzle and often the trees catch most of the precipitation.  The sounds of the dripping rainforest are wonderful!

The east side of the Olympic Peninsula is on the rain shadow side of the Olympic Mountains.  Port Angeles receives only 26 inches of rain a year and so we have lots of sunny days and with mild winter temperatures that rarely dip below freezing, there is great birding, hiking and backpacking year round.  Just a 20 minute drive from Port Angeles is the start of Little River trail which meanders through many habitats as it ascends through the lowland forest of ferns and mossy trees up to the alpine world of Hurricane Ridge. This beautiful eight mile trail delights as it passes waterfalls and cascades. We often see black bear and black-tailed deer in the upper basin of the Little River.  

Pictured above is a Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata).  These beautiful birds,weighing up to 2 pounds, with a wing span of 25 inches, reside only in the north Pacific. Puffins can live 20 - 30 years. They feed on small fish and can dive down 80 feet or more to feed.  They mate for life and nest in burrows, up to 5 feet deep, that are located at the edges of sea cliffs. The female lays one egg a year. There is a nesting colony of Tufted Puffins and Rhinoceros Auklets on Protection Island, just off the coast in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina): Females give birth to one pup a year, which is born on land and can weigh up to 35 pounds. The pups are weaned at 4 - 6 weeks. Harbor seals are very common in the Port Angeles waterfront area. We always use the spotting scope to get a good view of the seals when they are out of the water and resting on the harbor logs. 

Pictured above is 2nd beach located along the Pacific coast of Olympic National Park. This stretch of beach has great tide-pooling when low tide exposes amazing life in the inter-tidal zone. It is a great place for a day hike any time of year. The trail starts near the town of La Push and it is a one mile walk through the coastal forest to the beach.  

Deer Park Road, in Olympic National Park, is closed in the winter and makes for great hiking, snowshoeing and stunning views.  The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center averages 20 - 30 feet of snow each year and offers great snowshoeing and cross-country skiing for both beginners and experienced outdoor adventurers who love snow.    Here on the Olympic Peninsula it is possible to spend the morning snowshoeing on 20 feet of snow and then drive down to the rainforest for a snow free picnic lunch surrounded by beautiful green ferns and big moss covered trees in the old growth forest of Lake Crescent. 

Pictured below is a Surf Scoter, Melanitta perspicillata; these sea ducks breed on fresh water lakes and tundra in northern Canada and Alaska. Many Surf Scoters of the , winter in the waters just off the Olympic Peninsula along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  They feed by diving for invertebrates in shallow waters. Scoters are a common winter visitor. 

Winter birding is excellent in the Port Angeles area as thousands of birds head south out of Alaska and Canada for the winter.  Many birds winter along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and shoreline of the north coast of Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula.  The Olympic Peninsula has very mild winter temperatures, which makes for great winter birding.

Pictured above is the start of the 9 mile Ozette Coastal Loop with beautiful falls colors. 

Although the lower elevations and coastal areas of Olympic National Park receive very little snow and sometimes none at all, the highest mountains in the park, might receive as much as 50 feet of snow and it sometimes takes until mid July for most of the snow to melt. On a warm July day, we are often hiking on wonderful snow!

Pictured to the left is the Blue Glacier and Mount Olympus.  Getting to this spectacular place can be a five to six day backpacking trip.  Starting in the Hoh Rainforest Valley, it is 20 miles to the top of the glacial moraine and overlook ridge. 

Pictured above is a Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus: The males are unique in that they "drum" by beating their feathers against the air to create a low frequency "drum" sound. This drumming serves as both a mating and territorial statement.  After hatching, the chicks can walk and feed themselves within 24 hours. (Photo by Ron Wheeler)

Pictured on the left, we are on our way to the alpine zone of the Blue Glacier. An evening campfire at the Martin Creek site, including hot cocoa and s’mores, it is always a pleasure to have a fire at night.  We also see a lot of stars at night!

Pictured to the right:  A campfire and a card game along the Hoh River after a long day of hiking. Whenever possible in Olympic National Park, we have campfires and it is always enjoyable and comforting as well.

Picture above: Backpacking the Seven Lakes Basin, including Appleton Pass, in August

Sea Stars and Anemone are predatory animals which have adapted to the ever changing tidal conditions.  Olympic National Park has nearly 70 miles of Pacific coastline and the tide-pooling is excellent. From shore we have seen whales, sea otters and sea lions.

Pictured to the left is the southern edge of Point of Arches near Shi Shi beach.  Great hiking, tide-pooling and birding at this location.  With beautiful rocky sea stacks this beach has some of the best sunsets too!   

Pictured above is the hiking trail leading to the High Divide with great views of the snow-capped summit and glaciers of Mount Olympus.  This is one of our favorite places!

Pictured above, winter camping along the Pacific Coast.  Winter often brings wind and big waves along the coast and we love being there for the excitement of a winter storm.

Olympic National Park has over 600 miles of hiking trails many of which follow along beautiful rolling rivers and waterfalls. From easy nature trails to steep and rugged mountain terrain, there is a lot to see and do and we look forward to more adventures.

The end of a great day: camping at the Happy Four site along the Hoh River in April.  It is always a good night's sleep while listening to the sounds of the river all night.

Thank you for a great and memorable year!