Washington: Olympic National Park
You won’t find many walking tours of Olympic National Park—and that’s exactly what makes this unique naturalists’ adventure so special. Without the crowds, you’re free to explore this diverse landscape in serene tranquility, walking through temperate rainforests, verdant valleys, and along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Your experienced local guides are experts in the region—regaling you with tales of local sustainability efforts in the rainforest and along the salmon-rich Elwha River. Learn about the local Quinault people from Harvest Moon, a community elder and storyteller who entertains you with enchanting fireside tales. Along the way, you’ll stay in rustic waterfront lodges with charming lakes and the shores of the Pacific Ocean right out your door. Here, you’ll enjoy the region’s warm hospitality, exceptional farm-to-table cuisine, and clear, starlit nights.
Highlights
- Gain a fascinating perspective on Native American culture as a Quinault elder shares her stories and legends with you over a glass of wine.
- Explore the enigmatic Mima Mounds Natural Preserve as your guide shares theories on the creation of this vast prairie of six-foot-high earthen hummocks.
- Marvel at majestic Sol Duc Falls, then descend to Sol Duc Hot Spring Resort for a relaxing soak followed by a cold beverage.
Positive Impact
Country Walkers is proud to support The Center for Whale Research with a donation on behalf of each guest on this tour. The Center for Whale Research is the leading institution for study, research, and health assessments of killer (orca) whales in the Pacific Northwest. Since 1976, the center has conducted an annual photo-identification study of their local killer whales. Because of this, more is known about this population of orcas than any other in the world. Each guest on tour visits a salmon habitat crucial to the survival of killer whales.
Accommodations
A wonderful domestic experience. The Olympic Peninsula is a throwback to what visiting National Parks used to be. Not very crowded and magnificent scenery. This tour was expertly crafted by the two best, most knowledgeable guides we have ever had. The fact that they are also very considerate and nice people makes them unrivaled in any guided tour we have ever taken. Eric and Heather are the quintessential team for this tour. Great lodgings, great food, great wines, but mostly, great hiking.
Washington: Olympic Peninsula
Such a beautiful and enjoyable trip. Guides Heather and Eric were extremely knowledgeable about the area; shared hiking techniques to help navigate the trails; and were highly organized. And the food and lodging were fantastic. This trip is recommended for a novice or an experienced hiker.
Washington: Olympic Peninsula
Expert Local Guides
Experience your destination like an insider with people who call it home.
Maribeth Crandell
Maribeth Crandell has been a naturalist, educator and trail guide in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years. From her homebase in Whidbey Island, Maribeth enjoys exploring the region’s waterways, islands, and mountains-as well as learning about its rich history. Her work has taken her from the Columbia River Gorge to Southeast Alaska. Before guiding Country Walkers adventures, Maribeth was a whale watching guide, a ship’s naturalist and an environmental educator. In 2006 she hiked the Appalachian Trail and later wrote her book: Flip Flop on the Appalachian Trail. In 2019 she published a local trail guide, Hiking Close to Home on Whidbey, Fidalgo and Guemes Islands.
Erin Reading
Born and rooted in WA, Erin fell in love with the Cascades and Olympics while studying philosophy and geology in college. During her graduate school years in CA, Erin returned home each summer to work as a wilderness ranger, deepening her relationship with the mountains. She now lives in the woods on the Olympic Peninsula and is passionate about wilderness adventures, community weaving, and continually connecting with and learning from the natural world.
Eric Kessler
Eric Kessler studied the natural history of the Olympic Peninsula in college and has explored its jagged peaks and forested valleys as a wilderness traveler ever since. Eric has guided worldwide and pursues his parallel photography career documenting the planet’s native peoples and ecosystems, including a writing/photo project on the Olympic Peninsula’s Elwha River, which was part of the largest dam removal and watershed restoration project in US history. Eric often guides in our National Parks with his partner and co-guide Heather Harding.
Heather Harding
Heather Harding has been guiding for decades on both Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where she lives in the summer, and in the canyons and plateaus of the Southwest, where she earned college degrees in biology and Southwest Studies, and where she continues to explore from her winter residence in Kanab, Utah. Heather brings a world-wide background of whale research and Waldorf teaching to her guiding. When she isn’t guiding, she enjoys life to the fullest with her partner and frequent co-guide Eric Kessler, and she shares her knowledge by training guides and naturalists for the Jefferson Land Trust and the National Association for Interpretation.