Located on the Olympic Peninsula in the northwest corner of Washington, Olympic National Forest encompasses more than 2 million acres and surrounds much of Olympic National Park. Within the national forest’s borders lies a striking diversity of landscapes, ranging from the rugged peaks of the Olympic Mountains to temperate rainforests, lowland river valleys, and the brackish waters of Hood Canal. The Olympic also contains some of the largest remaining stands of old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest.
Although many visitors associate the region with Olympic National Park, the national forest predates the park by several decades. The area was originally established as the Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897 and redesignated as Olympic National Forest in 1907. In 1909, a portion of the forest was set aside as Mount Olympus National Monument. That protected area was later expanded and redesignated as Olympic National Park in 1938, while the surrounding lands remained under Forest Service management.
With about 270 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, including 87 miles within the Forest’s five designated wilderness areas, recreation is a large draw. Rivers such as the Dosewallips and Quinault offer prime fishing, while the mountains, forests, and waterways provide a beautiful setting for camping, wildlife viewing, hunting, boating, and more.
The Olympic landscapes stewarded by the Forest Service are also the ancestral homelands of indigenous peoples who have lived on and cared for these lands for millenia. Through a series of treaties signed in 1854-55, local tribes reserved rights to hunt, fish, gather, and conduct cultural and spiritual practices on these lands.
Today, the Forest Service consults with 12 tribes with unique relationships to the Olympic Peninsula: Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Hoh Indian Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Makah Nation, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Quileute Tribe, Quinault Indian Nation, Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, Skokomish Tribal Nation, Squaxin Island Tribe, and Suquamish Tribe.
