A Trip to Sol Duc for the Falls and the Swallows!

Posted on July 29, 2023 by

29 Comments

It started out as a trip to Sequim for the Lavender Festival, but we wanted to be there early on the first day. So we booked our lodging in Sequim for the night before and then added a few days at Sol Duc Hot Springs before that just to round it out.

We stayed in a rustic cabin at Sol Duc Resort (I use the term loosely because they do) which served nicely as our base. Accommodations were basic but clean and comfortable and the price of the cabin included free access to the hot springs should we want to.

Our cabin was on the Sol Duc River, which Bob had hoped to fish.

It’s open year-round but unfortunately there was an emergency closure two days before we arrived, due to low water conditions to protect the salmon.

No matter. We found plenty to do in the area, including the hike to Sol Duc Falls, possibly the most photographed in Olympic National Park.

The hike is easy and the reward of the falls at the end is amazing.

You arrive at the footbridge and look down,

to see the three-pronged falls.

Look closely and you’ll see tiny people walking above them.

Here’s what it sounded like –

and this is the view after the falls on the other side of the bridge.

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, there were the swallows, and watching them feed their young was another highlight for me.

The babies sat on the rooftops looking quite adorable

and on the rocks below waiting for mom to bring the goods and she faithfully obliged.

We spent two nights at Sol Duc and still managed to fit in a trip to Rialto Beach – here – if you missed it, and an evening at Lake Crescent down the road where we enjoyed dinner and sunset.

The next day we stopped by Port Angeles where I found these nifty murals,

including this cool map of the Olympic Peninsula.

We did finally make it to Sequim and the Lavender Festival the next day, but I’ll save that for later.

~ Susanne

Category: Birds, National Parks, TravelTags: , , , , ,

29 Comments on “A Trip to Sol Duc for the Falls and the Swallows!”

  1. Looks like a wonderful trip in the making, Susanne! Wow, such gorgeous images of the falls. Love the birds! Now I need to add this to our list of places to visit! It doesn’t look too busy either!

    • Thanks so much, Terri! There’s so much to do on the Olympic Peninsula and we love it all! It’s pretty popular during the summer so we avoid the weekends and that helps. In fact, we wanted to be out of Sequim by Friday afternoon as we knew the crowds would be arriving for the Lavender Festival.

  2. Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing.

  3. Wow, Susanne, I love your photography, so clear and beautiful! Such a beautiful place. ❤️

  4. Including the people in the photo of the falls really put the size of them into perspective. It looks like a lovely place, and I would enjoy watching the Swallows too. 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete.

    • Thanks, Pete. I didn’t notice the people until I looked at the pictures later, and they looked so tiny! The entire Sol Duc valley is beautiful, with the river, falls, hikes, and hot springs. The Swallows were an unexpected bonus. 🙂

  5. Beautiful waterfalls (we missed these – there wasn’t time for everything!) and I love the photos of the baby swallows and feeding parents 😄 Plus, your photo of Lake Crescent brought back good memories of our overnight stay there!

    • There’s so much to see, it really is hard (impossible!) to fit it all in! Sol Duc Falls is one my favorite waterfalls and Lake Crescent one of my favorite lakes. So glad my pictures reminded you of your visit. 🙂

  6. Your photos are so beautiful. What a wonderful place to visit. Looking foreword to the Lavender Festival pictures.

  7. Beautiful photos, and most importantly, it shows what an incredible series of national parks we have – and how important it is to support and protect them! Nature showing off in the best way!

    • Thanks, John! Yes, we’re fortunate to have so many wonderful national parks, and one of my favorites, Olympic National Park, here in Washington!

  9. Great photos of the falls at Sol Duc. Did you take a dip in the hot springs? Baby birds are so demanding. I don’t know how the parents do it!

    • Thanks, Graham. I had planned to go in while Bob fished, but our plans changed when the river closed. Entry was different too after covid, with open sessions interrupted by hour long closures for cleaning, so I passed this time.

  10. Loved getting to revisit the park. I remember it and Sequim well. We visited the park one summer and went through Sequim on the way to Port Angeles for trip to B.C. Great pictures. Thanks.

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