Sol Duc Hot Springs - Olympic National Park, Washington - Hot Spring Resort

Sol Duc Hot Springs is a resort at the Olympic National Park in Washington and is located approximately one hour from Port Angeles and three and a half hours from Seattle. The resort name is called 'Sol Duc' or land of 'sparkling water' by the Quileute Indians and is 12 miles in to the interior of the Olympic National Park, which is has an area of over 900,000 acres. The park was named a World Heritage Site in 1981 due to its natural beauty and diversity of plants and animals.

It has attracted visitors for more than 100 years, many of whom came to soak for pleasure and their health. A 164 room hotel and resort was built here in 1912 but was destroyed in a fire only four years later. The resort was rebuilt in the 1920s albeit without the large hotel and redeveloped in the 1980s, and still attracts thousands of visitors each year.

The resort has 32 cabins available in two different styles to enable visitors to get away from outside distractions as there are no telephones, televisions or radios. There are duplex style cabins, which include a kitchen, two double beds, bathroom and a shared porch. Alternatively there are stand alone cabins with a private porch overlooking the Sol Duc River and Forest, two queen or double beds, bathroom but no kitchen.

There are 17 RV sites at the resort with water and electric hookups, but there are no public restrooms, community showers or tent camps. Parking here is free for all guests and pets are allowed too. The food and beverage options for visitors include the Springs Restaurant, which offers a breakfast buffet and evening meals, whilst drinks and snacks can be obtained from the Poolside Deli and Espresso Hut.

Sol Duc Hot Springs consists of three mineral hot springs soaking pools, which are cleaned daily and one freshwater pool. The temperatures in the mineral pools vary between approximately 99 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit, but visitors can cool down in the freshwater pool, which has temperatures varying between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit dependant on the time of year. Massages of 30, 60 and 90 minutes are available in this vicinity too, and as with the pools there is charge to visitors for the service.

Many people enjoy hiking in the area with Lover's Loop Lane a favorite, but there are many trails through the old forests. Fishing is also very popular in the Sol Duc River, with opportunities to catch salmon, steelhead, rainbow trout amongst others, but visitors must bring their own fishing gear as the resort does not provide this. Souvenirs can be purchased at the resort's gift shop, which sells items such as local wine, snacks, postcards and local artwork.

The resort is in the mountains, so visitors need to be wary that there can be cool temperatures and rain throughout the year. In the summer months temperatures can reach 70 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but can often drop dramatically at night. Snow in the area is most likely to fall any time from December through March.