The Olympic Peninsula is known for its wild and rugged wilderness, with one of the country's largest national parks at its heart. Olympic National Park is a well known and immensely popular destination for visitors seeking the tranquility and wonders of nature. In addition to the mountainous areas that surround Mount Olympus, the park has a large amount of ocean shoreline. What many are unaware of is that as soon as you dip your toes into the Pacific Ocean you have entered the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Spanning 3,188 square miles of marine waters, the sanctuary is a spectacular area with a highly productive and diverse ecosystem.
If you look carefully you will find many treasures in the numerous tide pools that that can be found on the coast. Just be careful not to touch or disturb them!
In order to celebrate this tremendous resource, and also to raise awareness of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, we encourage you to join us for Get Into Your Sanctuary Day on August 4th. All you need to do is visit the sanctuary, which spans from northern Grays Harbor County to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
If you're interested in an educational hike, a Makah Musem guide will lead a small group to the Ozette Archaeological Site. Space is limited, so please contact Jacqueline.Laverdure@noaa.gov or call 360-406-2084 to make a reservation.
Another cool and fun part of Get Into Your Sanctuary Day is the annual photo contest. Get our there and capture the natural beauty in an image and share it with all the world to see! Click here for contest rules. See you at the beach!