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Listen to new audio files each week.
Audio files dropped weekly through July. Listen anytime for book and location inspiration!
Play or download each week’s sound files to hear about an amazing North Olympic Peninsula location paired with the perfect book to read there. Find more information below, including links to the mobility-accessible alternative location.
Location Entry
Some locations require entry passes. Locations within Olympic National Park require a National Park Pass; locations within Washington State Parks require a Discover Pass.
Check Out a Free Pass from the Library
Purchase a Pass
Accessible Alternative Locations
Share Your Experience
The Easy Life in Kamusari by Shion Miura Download the audio file
The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan Download the audio file
Bluff Loop Trail, Miller Peninsula State Park Download the audio file
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri Download the audio file
Striped Peak to The Cove at Salt Creek Download the audio file
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner Download the audio file
Hurricane Hill Download the audio file
Closure: Hurricane Hill is closed through July 22 for mountain goat management. Check for park alerts and plan your visit.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab Download the audio file
Third Beach Download the audio file
Aldwell Lakebed (Elwha Project Lands) Directions
Option 1. For a 2-mile roundtrip hike along Lower Dam Road and a scurry down a 10-foot slope with rope assist:
From Port Angeles, take US 101 west to the junction with Highway 112. Follow 112 about one-half mile to the sign for the Elwha Dam RV Park and turn left onto Lower Dam Road. There is a parking lot just before the entrance to the trail.
Option 2. For immediate access to the lake bed and a 1.5 mile hike to spots along the riverbank:
From Port Angeles, take US 101 about 7 miles west until just past the Elwha River. Turn right onto Lake Aldwell Road. There is an unpaved parking lot at the end of the road.
Hurricane Hill Directions
Directions:
From Port Angeles, follow Race Street south; bear right as Race becomes Hurricane Ridge Road. Follow for 19 miles (you will need to purchase or show your park pass to enter Olympic National Park). Continue through the parking lot at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, past additional marked trailheads and picnic areas, to the Hurricane Hill Trailhead paved parking area at the end of the road.
Third Beach Directions
Directions:
Take US 101 to the junction for Highway 110, about 1.5 miles north of Forks. Take Highway 110 west about 10 miles to the Third Beach trailhead. A parking area on the right side of the road has space for about 20 cars.
Striped Peak Directions
Directions:
From Port Angeles, take US 101 west about 5 miles to Highway 112. Follow Highway 112 about 7 miles. Turn right on Camp Hayden Road and follow for 3.5 miles. Stay right at the curve to enter Salt Creek county park. The parking area for the Striped Peak trail is on the right just past the entrance booth, well up the hill from the rest of the park.
Bluff Loop Directions
Option 1. West Trailhead, to follow the Manzanita Trail to Bluff Trail: From Sequim, take US 101 east about 9 miles. Just past the Longhouse Market, turn left on Blyn Crossing (across from Woods Road) and immediately turn right on Old Blyn Highway. Follow for a little more than half a mile, then veer left onto East Sequim Bay Road. Follow for three miles to the Miller Peninsula State Park West Trailhead.
Option 2. Diamond Point Trailhead, to follow Fireweed Road to Bluff Trail: From Sequim, take US 101 east about 12 miles. Turn left on Diamond Point Road and follow about two miles to a marked parking area.
Please Note: Many intersecting trails make this a very customizable hike, but they can also be confusing. Look for trail markers carefully, or consult a trail map.
Spruce Railroad Trail Directions
Directions:
From Port Angeles, take US 101 west about 17 miles. Turn right on East Beach Road and follow for about three miles. Watch for signs for Spruce Railroad Trailhead. You can also access the West Trailhead by following US 101 along the southern shore of Lake Crescent, then turning right onto Camp David Jr. Road; follow for 3 miles, past Fairholme Campground and Camp David Jr. to the North Shore Picnic area and Pyramid Peak Trailhead.
Photographs courtesy of volunteer Toni Harms: Lake Crescent from Spruce Railroad Trail and McAfee Tunnel as seen from North
Accessible Alternative Location - Pillar Point County Park
Pass Required: None
Accessibility features: Parking area, vault toilets, covered picnic tables
Length: 0, or more at your discretion
Elevation gain: Minimal, with wooden stairs leading to beach.
Directions:
From Port Angeles, take US 101 west to the junction with Highway 112. Follow 112 for approximately 30 miles. Turn right onto Pillar Point Road. There is a parking area after the road enters Pillar Point County Park.
Accessibility site information:
This 4.3-acre park includes interpretive panels documenting the role played by forestry. Views of the cove are available directly from parking area, and the beach with an extensive tidal flat can be accessed with a very short walk. Bring your binoculars and look for shore birds living in the Pysht River estuary. Check tide tables if you plan to walk the flats or take advantage of year-round clam, mussel, and oyster harvesting.
Book Notes
Pillar Point County Park, with its history of logging, is matched to A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. In this short novel, readers see glimpses of the toll taken by industrialization. The story is set in a future in which humanity has finally prioritized clean energy, slower living, and respect for nature. Pillar Point County Park is an ideal location to sit and read (or listen to) this hopeful, reflective story.
Accessible Alternative Location - Madison Falls Trail
Madison Falls Trail
Pass Required: None
Accessibility features: Parking area; paved trail, wheel chair accessible; bench and railings at lookout point, picnic benches by parking area.
Length: 0.2 miles round trip
Elevation gain: 46 feet
Directions:
From Port Angeles, take US 101 west about 8 miles. Turn left onto Olympic Hot Springs Road, immediately before 101 crosses the Elwha. Follow Olympic Hot Springs Road about 2 miles. A paved and gravel parking area is at the end of the road.
Accessibility site information:
Madison Creek drops 45 feet at Madison Falls, just across the road from where the creek feeds into the Elwha River.
Book Notes:
Read (or listen to) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, perfectly paired with Madison Falls for their shared dramatic atmosphere. Addie finds out what happens when you get just what you wished for—in this case, the cost of total freedom. A magical story perfect for fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife, this dramatic, romantic tale is perfect to read against the timeless roar of the falls and the ageless trees.
Accessible Alternative Location - Big Meadow and Cirque Rim Loop
Big Meadow and Cirque Rim Loop
Pass Required: Olympic National Park Pass
Accessibility features: Parking area, asphalt-paved paths, bench seating at visitor’s center and Cirque Rim, toilets in visitor’s center.
Length: 400-1,670 feet, at your discretion
Elevation gain: Less than 50 feet
Directions:
From Port Angeles, follow Race Street south; bear right as Race becomes Hurricane Ridge Road. Follow for 19 miles (you will need to purchase or show your park pass to enter Olympic National Park).
Accessibility site information:
Interconnected trails offer incredible views of and from the Olympic Mountains. View the Olympic Mountains to the south directly from the parking area. The Big Meadow, full of wildflowers and frequently visited by wildlife, can also be viewed directly from the parking area. Watch for blacktail deer, rabbits, mountain beaver, and birds. The trail with the least grade and widest tread begins in the center of the parking area. Climb a short path for sweeping views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island, the San Juan Islands, Port Angeles, and the mouth of the Elwha River. Take a virtual tour or access webcams for armchair traveling.
Book Notes
The alpine wilderness of Olympic National Park is the perfect pairing for The Nature of Fragile Things. The park’s fragile wildflower meadows is the ideal spot to start (or continue, or finish) this historical fiction story. Sophie, who responded to a mail-order ad seeking a wife and stepmother, finds that the 1906 San Francisco earthquake is not her biggest problem, and the house that fell and then burned is not the only thing destroyed.
Accessible Alternative Location - Mini Rainforest Trail
Pass Required: Olympic National Park Pass
Accessibility features: Parking area, compact gravel path, trailside benches; Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center.
Length: 800 feet
Elevation gain: Negligible, uneven tree roots in one place and two bridges to cross.
Directions:
Use the address 18113 Upper Hoh Road, Forks, WA 98331 for the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. From Forks, take US 101 south about 13 miles. Turn left on Upper Hoh Road and follow for about 18 miles. The paved parking area with parking spaces for five vans and picnic area with restrooms is at the end of the road, at the visitor center.
Accessibility site information:
Experience a bite-sized snippet of the Hoh Rain Forest. This short trail loops through lush forests, complete with the rainforest’s trademark ferns and mosses.
Book Notes:
The Hoh Rain Forest is the solitary temperate rainforest in the U.S., and it’s also the quietest place in the country. The very quietest spot is only a few short miles from the Mini Rainforest Trail, so this secluded location is the perfect place to read (or listen to) Whereabouts, a short novel in which the unnamed narrator roams an unidentified city, quietly contemplating her solitary life. Breathe, be quiet, and listen.
Accessible Alternative Location - Robin Hill Farm County Park
Pass Required: None
Accessibility features: Parking area with at least one ADA parking space at both trailheads, sanikans at both trailheads, maintained firm dirt trails throughout; beware equestrian users on intersecting trails and scattered muddy patches.
Length: 0-3.4 miles, at your discretion
Elevation gain: Up to 147 feet
Directions:
Option 1. Dryke Road entry for immediate forest access: From Port Angeles, take US 101 east about 8 miles. Turn left on Dryke Road and follow a quarter mile to a paved parking lot on the right.
Option 2. Pinnell Road entry for ODT access and meadow views: From Port Angeles, take US 101 east about 4 miles to the junction with Old Olympic Highway. Follow Old Olympic Highway for about 4.5 miles. Turn right onto Vautier Road and follow for half a mile. Turn right on Pinnell Road; a paved parking area is on the left.
Accessibility site information:
With 3.4 miles of trails running through 195 acres of forest, meadow, and wetland, Robin Hill Farm County Park packs a wide variety of experiences into a small area. You can stroll among the trees, past ponds, and through open areas. Use the Pinnell Road access to sight-see and bird-watch; there is a grassy area with a bench 100 steps from the parking lot at the paved intersection with the Olympic Discovery Trail; a wall of mature trees borders the grassy area, with additional farm land to the east, providing beautiful views and nature experience even if you never step foot on the trail. A 0.7 mile walk along generally flat, mixed paved and packed gravel paths takes you through mature trees with vibrant undergrowth to the north end of the meadow.
Use the parking area off Dryke Road to immediately enter trails under trees. This path to the south end of the meadow is shorter (0.2 miles) but with steeper hills. The Dryke Road trailhead also leads more directly to the hiking paths along the west of the park, which have scattered interpretive signs identifying plants and trees. Olympic National Park leases 5 acres, used for the Matt Albright Native Plant Center which propagates native plants for use in the Park. The Matt Albright Native Plant Center, 323 Pinnell Road, is open for drop-in visits Mondays and Wednesdays, 9am-4pm.
Book Notes:
The titular unpublished manuscript in The Lost Manuscript takes a meandering journey through the hands of many readers and contributors as it—both the book and the manuscript—tells the stories of interconnected lives. Wander among the interconnected and meandering trails of Robin Hill Farm County Park, discovering new connections around every bend and consider how small turns and chance meetings can change so much. Readers (and listeners) will be as delighted with this novel as the manuscript’s many readers were. (Be sure to take a trail map from either trailhead and watch for numbered posts at trail intersections.)
Accessible Alternative Location - Ancient Groves Nature Trail Loop
Pass Required: Olympic National Park Pass
Accessibility features: Boardwalk (Note: roadside parking, no dedicated parking lot.)
Length: 0.5 miles
Elevation gain: 52 feet
Directions:
From Port Angeles, take US 101 west for about 32 miles. Turn left onto Sol Duc Hot Springs Road. Continue about 9 miles to a pull-off parking area by the roadside on the right.
Accessibility site information:
Observe old-growth lowland forests on this short loop. Spot Douglas fir, western hemlock, and mosses in and around wetlands. As little as 5% of original lowland forests remains. Enjoy views of the Sol Duc River filtered through the trees.
Book Notes:
The Easy Life in Kamusari follows a young man enrolled in a forestry training program. While the primary location for this book, the Spruce Railroad Trail, has its own history with the logging industry, Ancient Grove Nature Trail is the perfect counter point, containing some of the last old-growth forests. As Yuki, the main character, is immersed in and discovering for the first time the natural wonders of the forest, readers (and listeners) will be awed by this piece of wilderness.
Aldwell Lakebed (Elwha Project Lands) - Additional Resources
Return of the River (DVD). Available for checkout at NOLS.
https://catalog.nols.org/Record/587495
Chenowth, J., S.A. Acker, and M.L. McHenry. 2011. Revegetation and Restoration Plan for Lake Mills and Lake Aldwell. Olympic National Park and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Port Angeles, WA. Available online at https://www.nps.gov/olym/naturescience/elwha-restoration-docs.htm
Hurricane Hill - Additional Resources
Additional Resources: In this week’s Hurricane Hill Trail audio file, Toni gives a tip to check weather conditions by viewing the Hurricane Ridge webcam prior to heading out to the hike.
Toni also refers to Leave No Trace principles. Learn how you can help protect fragile lands at LNT.org.
Third Beach - Additional Resources
Additional Resources: Access the First Beach webcam for armchair traveling.
Camp Hayden - Additional Resources
Historic photos of Camp Hayden during World War II are available through the Bert Kellogg Collection, hosted on the Washington Rural Heritage website. https://washingtonruralheritage.org/digital/collection/nols/search/searchterm/hayden
Additional Resources
In this week’s Bluff Loop Trail audio file, Toni Harms suggests AuraTrees.com to learn the difference between Manzanita and Madrone trees. https://auratrees.com/manzanita-and-madrone-difference/
Find out more about the Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, including the tufted puffin, rhinoceros auklet, Great Horned Owl, and other protected birds and mammals, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/protection-island/species
Photograph courtesy of USFWS, Copalis National Wildlife Refuge: Tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) swimming
Spruce Railroad Trail - Additional Resources
In this week’s Spruce Railroad audio file, Toni Harms suggests this history of the Spruce Railroad Division, created by Andrew Craig Magnuson.
Toni also mentions Ovington’s Resort on Lake Crescent. The Kellogg Collection includes a number of photos of the resort buildings, select activities, and some early advertisements. View them here.