Olympic National Park
By Miss Tosches, Mrs. Krass, and Mr. Gogen
About Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States in the state of Washington. Visitors will discover three diverse landscapes within the park. The glacier covered mountains are peaked by Mt. Olympus at 7,980 feet. On average they receive 200 inches of yearly precipitation with most falling as snow. It is the 3rd largest glacial system in the contiguous United States. The Hoh Rainforest is a lush landscape that covers every shade of green imaginable. The coastal beaches provide a stark contrast to the land to the east. In the year 2013 Olympic National Park is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
intro by mgoguen
The Olympic Mountains
Mountains may form as a single peak such as a volcano or they can also be part of a range. A group of mountain ranges form a mountain system. Mountains can form in the ocean or on land. Most islands are actually mountain peaks that rise up from the ocean floor.
Mountains are often formed when large sheets of rock called plates rub against each other. The pressure that occurs when two plates meet sometimes causes an upward fold of sedimentary and lava rock. These folds are hills and mountains.
It is possible that large glaciers will carve the mountains over thousands of years leaving the land with unique features such as lakes and valleys.
Olympic National Park Mountain Formation by Deerfield School
Interesting Facts
- The Hoh rainforest is temperate not tropical.
- In some locations, the forest canopy is so thick that falling snow is caught in the trees and never reaches the ground.
- 57 miles of Pacific coastline are part of the park.
- The shoreline looks very much the same as it did thousands of years ago when native Americans built their first villages.
- The Olympic Mountains cast a rain shadow that cause the town of Sequim to receive only 17 inches a year.
- Several plants and animals are unique to the Olympic Mts.