When talk builds around some of the best small towns in America when it comes to putting down roots, you're bound to come upon a handful or so of national park gateway towns. And the folks at Liveability.com have made it official with their list of the Top 100 Best Small Towns."
Concerns over the numbers of Hoh River Chinook salmon has prompted an emergency fishing closure of the Hoh River, South Fork Hoh River, and all tributaries, as well as the mouth of the Hoh River at Olympic National Park in Washington state.
An area popular with hikers in Olympic National Park has also turned popular with some black bears, leading park officials to halt camping in the Enchanted Valley area.
Though Olympic National Park has charismatic megafauna such as Roosevelt elk, black bears, and mountain goats, look closely next time you're hiking in the Hoh Rain Forest and you just might spy the Northwestern salamander that lurks there.
While spring is showing up a bit earlier than usual at Olympic National Park, visitors trying to get a jump on the high season need to be aware of a few things out in the park.
While cranes and other heavy equipment were the most visible tools used to dismantle dams holding back Olympic National Park's Elwha River, nature itself has proved to be a mighty force in aiding the restoration of the rivershed from mountains to ocean.
2014 was a record-setting year for attendance in the National Park System, where nearly 293 million visitors spent time, a jump of more than 5 million from the record year of 1999, according to official figures. While most of the "name brand" parks were packed, there were still some sites in the system where you could find some solitude.