• Olympic: Three Parks in One

    Olympic

    National Park Washington

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Olympic Hot Springs Road Closed

    The Elwha Valley's Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed to public entry beyond the Altair Campground during removal of the Glines Canyon Dam. Olympic Hot Springs is not accessible from the Elwha.

  • Elwha River Closures

    Boating is prohibited on the Elwha River between Upper Lake Mills Trail to Altair Campground.

  • Changes to Visitor Services Due to Sequestration

    Due to mandatory, across the board budget cuts, some visitor services at Olympic National Park have changed. See the Plan Your Visit section for more information.

Douglas Squirrel

Douglas squirrel finds food on the forest floor.

A Douglas squirrel finds food on the forest floor.

Douglas squirrel – Tamiasciurus douglasii

Identification:
Active on the ground and in the trees, Douglas squirrels, also called “chickarees,” are common throughout Olympic's forests. Though usually gray with orangish chests in the spring and summer, they are often a browner color in the winter with grayer chests.

Habitat:
Their chatter, often mistaken for that of a bird, resonates through the forests. When sensing an intrusion, these little creatures are easily both seen and heard. Rustles in the brush often signify the presence of a Douglas squirrel digging up hoarded fir cones buried at an earlier time. They are preyed upon by cougars, owls, martens, and other carnivorous mammals in the forest.

Diet:
Douglas squirrels feed on seeds of Douglas fir and Sitka Spruce, acorns, and berries present in the forest.

Conservation status:
Not threatened

Douglas squirrel fact sheet

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Did You Know?

rocky beach

Olympic National Park protects 73 miles of wild Pacific coast.  Tidepools, sandy beaches and rocky cliffs can all be found here.