5 Spots Of Unrivalled Natural Beauty In The USA
#5 Olympic National Forest, WA
The Olympic National Park in Washington is one of the most beautiful displays of nature you could ever imagine. A mix of rainforest and coastline, mountains and valleys, Washington is a wonderland of amazing landscapes and foggy tree lines.
Making our way south through the state, the fall colours exploded from the rows of cedars that line every road and hug every corner. The lakes were glassy and the air was crisp from fresh rain. We picked up a blanket from the local trading post as the temperature dipped a degree with every mile we drove.
One of the wettest places on earth, Hoh Rainforest is full of natural giants like Maple and Spitka trees, with thick, velvety carpets of moss reaching well into the distance. We followed the short but sweet ‘Hall of Mosses’ trail. Every inch of the forest floor was home to its own tiny ecosystem of bursting ferns and fallen maple leaves.
Ruby Beach, located in the Pacific Northwest, is both gloomy and majestic, with a relentless, mist over the pebbled shore. It lies at the northern-most point of a string of beaches in the Olympic National Park along Washington Highway 101. As we marvelled, the rain, yet again, began. A bald eagle flew overhead and into the distance of the raging Pacific.
(All images: Tegan Butler & Andrew Noel)
