Prior to the automobile, Lake Quinault was a remote area mainly populated by the Quinault tribe and a few Anglo-Americans who carved homesteads out of a dense rainforest. But once Highway 101 was extended to Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula in 1931, the area gradually grew as a tourist destination (Becker, 2005).
Then, in 1938, the Quinault Valley became part of a new Olympic National Park (2025) in the wake of a visit by President Franklin D. Roosevelt the previous year. Quinault has functioned as the gateway to the western side of the park.
A rainforest that has attracted international attention
The Quinault area has unique qualities, such as some of the largest trees in the world (DNR, 2025). That apparently contributed to the area being declared a World Heritage site — which began to attract international tourists. If you hang out in the lobby of the Quinault Lodge, you are likely hear a variety of languages spoken (although Trump’s trade wars could put a damper on things this summer).
Despite the area’s greater visibility in recent decades, it has such a small year-round population that there aren’t any traffic lights — let alone banks, fast-food joints or bars. Even where Highway 101 runs through the hamlet of Amanda Park, nights are enshrouded with a quietness only occasionally punctuated by the hoot of an owl or the rumble of a lone logging truck.
The Quinault Valley has an unusual system of governance. This is partly because it is split between two large counties and has no incorporated cities. Even more importantly, the National Park Service controls land surrounding one part of the lake, the US Forest Service another part and the Quinault tribe — which is a sovereign nation — a third portion.
You can nevertheless see glimmers of local culture even on federal lands. An example from a few years ago was graffiti scrawled on an old-growth tree that fell during hurricane-level winds.
Quinault can get an average of 131 inches of rain per year, which may make it the wettest corner of the continental United States (Wikipedia, 2023; Cabrera, 2000). And that can result in roads getting washed out or trees falling on them. This helps explain why locals often drive trucks and keep on board a chain saw.
There’s lots to do, particularly if you have a car
The weather during summer can usually be sunny enough that Quinault attracts campers, cyclists, kayakers and backpackers. At least prior to the Trump administration’s recent budget cuts, both the Forest Service and the National Park Service have had local offices that assisted visitors.
The area has numerous trails, a partially restored homestead and Roosevelt elk that make cameo appearances. However, the star of the show is arguably the lake.
You could get to Quinault by riding your bike or using bus service from the nearest city. However, the automobile is what has put this place on the map. One could argue that this has been mostly a good thing. For example, tourism has helped to build the local economy.
Even so, Quinault’s economy continues to be fragile, so I try to spend some tourist dollars here when I can. This is such a lovely area that I can understand why people have struggled mightily to continue living here even when the economics of doing so have been as daunting as the winter storms.
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RE:SOURCES
- Becker, Paula; 2005. “Celebration marking the completion of the Olympic Loop Highway (U.S. 101) begins on August 26, 1931.” Historylink.org. Posted Jan. 18.
- Cabrera, Luis; 2000. “Northwest Peninsula Sets Olympic Record for Rainfall.” Los Angeles Times. Posted March 5.
- DNR; 2025. “Lake Quinault: What is it and why visit?” Accessed March 30.
- Olympic National Park; 2025. “Park History.” Accessed March 30.
- Wikipedia; 2023. “Lake Quinault.” Page last edited Sept. 13.
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