About Salmon Cascades
The Salmon Cascades is a short almost-roadside stop along the scenic Sol Duc Hot Springs Road.
As much as I was tempted to drive to our next destination, it was almost as if this well-signed nature trail wanted to keep us in Olympic National Park a little while longer.
Anyways, the Salmon Cascades appeared to be a short 15-20ft waterfall where it was possible to see steelhead trout and Coho salmon attempt to jump their way past this obstacle to continue their exhausting, altruistic spawning run further upriver.
On my late June 2021 visit, I wasn’t fortunate enough to see this happen.
Apparently, I should have timed my visit for September and October for the Coho salmon or late March through May for the steelhead trout.
As for experiencing the Salmon Cascades, it was just a short jaunt from the parking lot (see directions below) to the signed lookout, which yielded a profile view of the waterfall.
I noticed that there was an informal (perhaps unsanctioned) trail-of-use that followed the Sol Duc River a little further downstream, which led to an area where I was able to get a more direct look at the waterfall.
I pretty much spent less than 15 minutes here, but I’d imagine if the steelheads or Coho salmon were present, then one can easily stick around for much longer to watch the spectacle.
Authorities
The Salmon Cascades reside in Olympic National Park between Forks and Port Angeles in Clallam County, Washington. It is administered by the National Park Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.
The parking area for the Salmon Cascades is on the same road that leads to Sol Duc Falls.
It is about 7 miles on the Sol Duc Hot Springs Road from the US101 turnoff, or about 6.6 miles before the end of the road at the trailhead for Sol Duc Falls.
There is an entrance fee station along Sol Duc Hot Springs Road.
The turnoff for Sol Duc Hot Springs Road is about a little over 8 miles west of the Storm King Visitor Center turnoff along the US101.
It was pretty much just west of where Lake Crescent ended.
It’s also about 28 miles west of Port Angeles or 28 miles east of Forks along the same highway.
For context, Port Angeles was about 57 miles (over an hour drive) northeast of Forks and 82 miles (or 2.5 hours drive including a ferry ride [so it would take more time than this]) from Seattle.
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