Olympic

National Park Washington

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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 from Upper Lake Mills Trail downstream to the Highway 112 bridge, except for the stretch between Altair Campground and the Highway 101 bridge.

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.

Olympic Marmot Monitoring

We are now taking applications for the 2013 field season.

Citizen Science
In a program launched in 2010, teams of volunteers hike to locations within Olympic National Park to record up-to-date information about the declining number of Olympic marmots within the park.

This is timely information that is vital to our understanding of this endemic mammal and its future. Most of the sites would not be visited without the help of volunteers. Last year, more than 90 volunteers recorded the status of marmot populations throughout the park.

We will conduct volunteer research again this summer to learn what is happening to the marmot populations from year to year. This program is supported by donations through Washington's National Park Fund.

Volunteer for 2013
If you'd like to sign up for this year's program, click here to get started. Investigate what a marmot monitor does and figure out if this is a task that is right for you. Identify which area of the park you'd like to survey. Download the application form here. A 10-minute video about the project and the training can be found by clicking here.

Information for Enrolled Volunteers
Visit this page for more answers to your many questions. What to know before you come, what to bring, how to get here, how to use your GPS device, training summary and more.

Research, Articles and Links
This page serves as a clearinghouse for all things Marmot. Peruse a
variety of scholarly articles on the Olympic marmot as well as external links to pages of interest and information on related species.

Washington's National Park Fund has provided generous financial support for the Olympic marmot monitoring program, as well as many other important projects within the park.