Featuring six National Park entities in Washington State. All are considered by the National Park Service as National Parks, though only two are so named. Each location is unique, with special qualities that require a personal visit to fully appreciate the beauty, impact and worth of each. A few hours drive from Seattle, WA, Olympic National Park is filled with sea stacked beaches, massive piles of driftwood and tide pools, 3rd rainiest place in the contiguous United States, dripping temperate rain forests, and majestic peaks, waterfalls and hiking trails.
San Juan Island National Historical Park is a look back in history at the "Oregon Territory" and a brief dispute that almost, again, brought us to war with Great Britain. Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve preserves a rural lifestyle of farming and fishing. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is a legacy of exploration and modern warriors. Whitman Mission National Historic Site is a moment in time of "Americas move west" preserved for generations to come. North Cascades National Park Service Complex includes Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. A hikers paradise with waterfalls, glaciers, and majestic peaks, most of which is accessed via the only road through the North Cascades.
REVIEW: Video Librarian
The splendors of Washington state’s Olympic National Park are on full display in this new entry from Jim and Kelly Watt’s high-def filmed Discoveries…America National Parks series. ... the park offers a wide array of hiking trails designed for every visitor, including wheelchair-accessible paths. Rivers full of migrating salmon, ... and a general tone of magic help to make this park a genuine perennial lure for nature lovers.
Viewers will also visit Hurricane Ridge (elevation: 5,000 feet), which offers incredible views of mountains and glaciers, and take in the wonders of the San Juan Island National Historical Park and Whidbey Island’s Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, the latter featuring 22 square miles set aside for fishing and farming. Whidbey Island’s charming town of Coupeville has successfully fended off developers in order to remain a small historic site, and it offers visitors a day trip to Fort Ebey State Park. Other notable stops include Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Whitman Mission National Historic Site near Walla Walla, and the North Cascade National Park. A beautifully-lensed travelogue capturing the verdant sights of the “other” Washington, this is highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)
REVIEW: The Midwest Book Review
Part of the Discoveries... America National Parks DVD series, Olympic National Park Washington State is a high-definition DVD showcasing six national parks.
The places surveyed are:
- Olympic National Park, a place of temperate rain forests, waterfalls, and hiking trails
- San Juan Island National Historical Park, a preserved slice of what "Oregon Territory" used to be like
- Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, where rural farming and fishing are still practiced
- Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, a place that beckons explorers and modern-day warriors
- Whitman Mission National Historic Site, which commemorates the turning point of westward expansion in America's history
- North Cascades National Park Service Complex, a breathtaking hiker's paradise filled with waterfalls, glaciers, and mountain peaks.