OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — This is an ideal time for nature watchers to get a close-up view of salmon migrating back to the North Olympic Peninsula streams of their birth to spawn.
There are salmon in rivers from the Hoh, Bogachiel and Queets in the West End to the Dungeness River below the salmon hatchery to the Lower Quilcene in Jefferson County.
One of the best places to get a front-row seat to see a salmon run is at the Salmon Cascades in the Sol Duc River within Olympic National Park.
Salmon leap
A collection of boulders and small shoots at the Cascades gives viewers the chance to see the coho leaping through the water.
There are no guarantees. The run of coho, also known as silver salmon, can be hit or miss at times.
But chances are good that this weekend and through the next two weeks (especially after a rain, which entices the fish to move upstream; low-flows halt the migration), you’ll see dozens of coho cruising the pools below the Cascades and jumping through the swirling waters to move upstream.
This unique population of wild summer coho primarily spawns in the park.
How to get there
The Salmon Cascades are 28 miles west of Port Angeles.
Head south off U.S. Highway 101 at Milepost 219 and drive into the national park on Sol Duc Hot Springs Road.
Park admission is $15 per vehicle (and good for seven days). Annual passes are $30, and lifetime Senior Passes for those 62 and over are $10. Passes admit the pass owner, driver and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle.
Six miles down the road, you’ll find the well-marked parking area for the Cascades.
A short stroll takes you to a viewing platform above the Cascades. It is wheelchair-accessible.
Or you can walk slightly downstream. You usually can spot salmon milling in the pools below, waiting to plunge through the thunderous waters.
Bring your camera — but not your fishing rod.
The Salmon Cascades are closed to fishing.
