Golden Gate Photo - Olympic National Park Gallery

Golden Gate Photo - Olympic National Park Gallery
Fine Art Photography from Olympic National Park, Washington.

Olympic National Park forms the core of the Olympic Peninsula. From west to east, it includes the beach, the western rainforests, and glaciated peaks. The highest peak is Mount Olympus at 7,954 feet above sea level. The Olympic Mountains were formed as the North American Plate collided with the Pacific Plate from about 35 million to 11 million years ago. In this collision, the sea floor of the Pacific Plate was forced (subducted) beneath the continental mass of the North American Plate. But ocean floor pillow basalt and deep sea sediments from the Pacific Plate were scraped off the plate during the subduction and accreted to the continental mass as slivers thrust upward and to the east. These slivers of consolidated sea floor scrapings comprise the mass of the mountains. During the Pleistocene ice ages (1.8 million to 11,000 years ago), glaciers carved the tops of the mountains into jagged peaks. Today, the remnants of over 200 glaciers still mantle the high terrain. The abundant westward flow of Pacific moisture is forced up the western slope of the range, resulting in the most rainfall of anywhere in the continental United States with 140 to 160 inches/year falling in the rainforests on the western slopes, and up to 200 inches/year (mostly as snow) falling in the high peaks. East of the park, a rain shadow is formed as less than 20 inches/year fall in many areas. National park status for the 922,651-acre area was granted in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The park is 95% designated wilderness. On infrared satellite photographs of the Olympic Peninsula, the outline of the national park is clearly definable by the edge of clear-cut logging.

	Under the Canopy, Sol Duc Valley Located in the north-central portion of the park, this is a view of the old growth forest between the Sol Duc Hot Springs resort and Sol Duc Falls. A tributary to the Sol Duc River meanders through douglas fir and western hemlock, ferns, moss, and lichens. Print No. A99NW-9-11 For a limited time, available for 1/2 price.
	Maidenhair Fern, Hoh Rainforest Northern maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) is a deciduous fern named for the fine, dark hairs of its roots. It is found along the wet, rocky stream banks in the Hoh Rainforest. Ferns were among the first land plants, with fossils dating between 350 and 400 million years ago. Print No. A99NW-9-5
	Hoh River The Hoh River begins as meltwater from the glaciers on the north side of Mount Olympus. The meltwater carries abundant rock flour, fine sediment in suspension, from the scouring action of the glaciers as they pass over the bedrock around Mount Olympus. This rock flour gives the river a milky, or opaque sky-blue color. Print No. A99NW-8-3
	Pattered Western Hemlock, Queets Rainforest Western hemlock is known for its broad fan-shaped branches. Set together, the branches merge into a seemingly repeating pattern. Print No. A99NW-7-5
	Regrowth, Quinault Rainforest This view is from the nature walk near the U.S. Forest Service Quinault Station at the southwestern edge of the national park boundary. It is apparent that logging of old growth stands have occurred here in the past. Print No. A99NW-6-1
	Coat of Moss, Quinault Rainforest This view is also from the nature walk near the U.S. Forest Service Quinault Station. Symbiosis is the rule in the rainforest as the moss is nurtured by the host tree and in turn acts as a protective coat. Print No. A99NW-6-4
	Hurricane Ridge Viewpoint Looking southwest from mile-high Hurricane Ridge, you get a close glimpse of Mount Olympus, the highest point in the Olympic Peninsula. The west peak of Mount Olympus, usually shrouded in clouds, rises up 7,965 feet (2,428 meters) above sea level. The glaciers mantling Mount Olympus, headwaters of the Hoh River, lie in the u-shaped valleys carved by the flowing ice. Print No. A99NW-11-1

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