The Olympic Peninsula’s fall colors are among the best in the nation, according to the USA Today “Best Scenic Autumn Drive” online poll.
The Olympic Loop Drive, a route circling the Olympic Mountains, finished fifth among 20 routes selected across the U.S. in the USA Today survey.
In early September, a selection of 20 spectacular autumn color drives were posted with photos and descriptions on the newspaper’s website for the online contest.
Votin closed Monday, with the final results for the top ten announced Friday at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-fallfoliage.
The top draw was M-22 in Michigan, followed by Kancamagus Scenic Byway in New Hampshire, Upper Delaware Scenic Byway in New York and Hocking Hills Scenic Byway in Ohio.
The contest results were released just as the fall foliage viewing season begins.
Peak colors are still a few weeks into the future, but gold and red leaves have begun to make their appearance in the region’s big leaf maple, vine maple and other deciduous trees on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Revitalize role
Revitalize Port Angeles, a community improvement group that has grown up around a Facebook Web page, took the lead again to help push the region into the national spotlight.
The group attempted to kick the Olympic Peninsula Loop Drive up to a higher finish and believes it was able to push the drive from sixth to fifth place before the end of the contest.
“It really is beautiful here in the fall. I would compare it to anywhere,” said Leslie Robertson, founder of Revitalize Port Angeles.
The group is still recovering from its massive effort in Outside magazine’s “Best Town Ever” contest, and the fall foliage contest failed to take hold in the same way, she said.
Revitalize Port Angeles efforts were key in pushing Port Angeles to a second-place finish behind Chattanooga, Tenn., in May.
Circle the Olympics
The Olympic Peninsula Loop Drive circles the Olympic Mountains and can begin at any point on the drive.
The loop follows U.S. Highway 101 north from Olympia through Brinnon, Quilcene, Sequim, Port Angeles and Forks, then curves south to Aberdeen and completes the loop east on U.S. Highway 12 and state Highway 8 back to Olympia.
The USA Today introduction says the 350-mile drive “takes visitors from the lowlands, through forests, past lakes, rivers and the ocean, and up to Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent.
“With so many different backdrops and vantage points, it’s no surprise that leaf-lovers flock to the Olympic Peninsula every fall.”
The drive takes about eight hours — unless one takes one of the featured side trips to locations along the way.
Hurricane Ridge, the Hoh Rain Forest and the Sol Duc River were mentioned as being so attractive that USA Today’s short feature on the Olympic Peninsula Loop Drive recommended taking two or three days.
Robertson specifically noted the S-curve on Highway 101 through the Morse Creek valley as one of the more spectacular locations for fall color viewing.
A new rest stop at the top of the curve near Deer Park Road offers a safe place to pull off the highway to admire the colors.
Other locations on the loop noted for autumn colors are Indian Valley west of Port Angeles, state Highway 20 between Discovery Bay and Port Townsend, and the Mount Walker area south of Quilcene.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
