Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort
Three warm/hot spa pools and a large swimming pool. Deck chairs and facilities. Out of sight in the bottom left on the picture is the outdoor patio and the restaurant – we had dinner there our last night and Cedar was allowed to join us on the patio.
Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort is located 12 miles into the heart of Olympic National Park. Just off the main highway is an info kiosk, then a few more miles along is the entrance gate to the National Park. The Sol Duc river meanders beside the road all the way and there are stops at a few hiking trails through the rain forest and where you can view some cascades and falls. The resort offers camping, cabins, and a resort hotel with a restaurant and store. To use the pools you have to reserve ahead for a time slot – they limit the number of patrons in order to manage overcrowding, and maintain the temperature in the pools. In between each time slot they leave a 30 minute window to do cleaning. On our first visit we were not terribly impressed as the staff had not maintained the pool temperatures very well and we had a lukewarm soak. The next day was a little better, but still not hot enough by my standards.
The campground has two loops with sites fairly close together. The sites are small and the camp road is narrow so not recommended for bigger RV’s. In peak times, it would be a busy, noisy place. A trail leads to Sol Duc Falls or you can drive to the end of the road to see the falls and the trail also loops around to the other side of the river and back to the resort – campground visitors can walk a short 15 minutes to the resort to enjoy the amenities and Hot springs. It’s a nice soothing walk along the shallow river with fast flowing water that gurgles over the river rocks.
The drive back to Port Angeles was quick and picturesque driving by Lake Crescent, a popular cottage destination.
On the way home Cedar decided he liked the bouncy ride at the back of the van.
