Ranger Tales
A Warm Heart Beating

A Warm Heart Beating

The story

The Sol Duc Valley contains natural hot springs, where groundwater percolates deep underground, is heated geothermally, and rises to the surface as warm, mineral-rich water. Long used by Indigenous people and later developed into a resort, the springs are a defining feature of the valley and a popular destination at the upper end of the Sol Duc Road.

Heading back out, think about what's still going on under your tires. Water is forever trickling down through the rock, getting warmed deep below, and rising back up to feed those hot springs you passed. It never stops. Long after the resort closes for the night, the earth keeps heating that water and sending it up. A warm heart, beating quietly under all this cold green forest. Carry on down.

Photo: Niagara66 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Good to know
Where is A Warm Heart Beating?
A Warm Heart Beating. The Sol Duc Valley contains natural hot springs, where groundwater percolates deep underground, is heated geothermally, and rises to the surface as warm, mineral-rich water. Long used by Indigenous people and later deve…
Is there an audio tour of A Warm Heart Beating?
Yes — A Warm Heart Beating is a stop on the Olympic National Park self-guided audio tour. The story plays automatically by GPS as you explore there, and works offline. Get the Ranger Tales app on the App Store.
🎧 Get the tour

Hear A Warm Heart Beating's story on the drive

Download the tour, leave your phone in your pocket, and let it play itself as you go. Works offline.

Book the self-guided tour, or get it in the app.