News

On June 29th, 1938, Olympic National Park was officially designated as a National Park by President Franklin Roosevelt, forever changing the landscape of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. For the past 82 years, Olympic National Park has been captivating the hearts and imaginations of wilderness explorers of all ages, enticing a deeper connection with the great outdoors. Today, we get to wish it a very Happy Birthday. 

UPDATE: MANY NATIONAL PARKS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Please check your local park before heading out.

While many National Parks are closing campgrounds, visitor centers and other areas where social distancing is not an easy thing to do, there is some good news from the Department of Interior. During the Covid-19 outbreak, the National Park Service will be temporarily suspending park entrance fees starting on March 18, 2020. How long they will be free to enter remains an unknown. 

Olympic National Park has released a statement about the status of the park during the Covid-19 pandemic. In brief, all visitor centers are closed and Hurricane Ridge has suspended all winter operations. Not mentioned in the following press release is that the Makah Tribe has restricted access to Shi Shi Beach, as the trail is accessed through tribal lands. The following was sent by Olympic National Park on March 17th, 2020. 

An update I sent out a couple days ago to all our trail racers. If you’d like to stay informed and get some irregular updates on our trail races Wild Kaiser, Little Backyard Adventure, and Rock Candy Mountain Run sign up here. Thank you!

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Let me begin by making the assumption that no one who’s reading this lives under a rock (although that would be a pretty safe place to be at right now). We’ve all been glued to the news. Things are crazy and everything is changing by the hour.
Many of the popular early season races are being cancelled here in the PNW and worldwide and the global COVID-19 pandemic will have an effect on our races too.

We can “bearly” contain our happiness with this news! The first official grizzly bear sighting of 2020 has occurred in Yellowstone National Park! Despite a ton of snow and ridiculously frigid temperatures, the inevitable return to warmer weather is showing signs of occurring. We are a ways from wildflowers and open roads, but the bears are “waking up.”

Happy 148th Birthday to the first National Park!

On March 1st, Yellowstone National Park turned 148 years old! While the land has been around for millions of years, the region now known as Yellowstone National Park was formally protected by the United States Government in 1872. Signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, the Act of Dedication helped create the world’s first National Park and helped inspire a love and protection of Public Lands around the nation. 

One of Olympic National Park’s most popular trails, the Spruce Railroad Trail, will be closed until fall of 2020. As one of the only dog and bike friendly trails in Olympic National Park, the popular path along the beautiful shoreline of Lake Crescent is seeing some much needed TLC. From early March until November, the five mile route will be closed to all visitors. Here is what you need to know, according to Olympic National Park officials: 

UPDATE: Mount Rainier reopened on February 24th, 2020

You have probably heard the reports- Mount Rainier National Park is closed. The news of the mudslides, flooding and washouts have been gracing the pages of local news and outdoor recreation publications for the past few days. Because of the reports, there is a lot of worry about the impact of the closures and what it means for visitation, the park and the communities around the region. 

There is nothing quite like exploring Olympic National Park’s backcountry. From Staircase to Seven Lakes Basin, out to Quinault and Shi Shi Beach, the wilds of Olympic offer unrivaled beauty for those lucky enough to backpack out there. Whether you are a fan of the seven most stunning trips into Olympic’s Backcountry, or prefer to find somewhere else to pitch a tent for the night or seven, one thing is for sure- everyone needs to have an Olympic backpacking experience. That is why we are sharing an important press release from Olympic National Park to make sure you get the campsite you desire.

Once January rolls around, we here at the Outdoor Society like to compile a list of the most-visited National Parks around the country. For the author of this post, this day is a holiday, giving me reason to spend hours pouring over stats that few people care about.  Every year, aside from a few jumps and dives, not much changes. However, these lists can help you know which parks are popular and which ones are seeing a drop in visitation, giving you more of a chance to find silence and solitude on the trails you love.