The Olympic Peninsula supports a substantial black bear population. Bears forage on berries such as huckleberry and salmonberry in late summer and on spawning salmon along the rivers, ranging from the lowland forests to subalpine meadows. They are generally shy of people; the park advises observing them from a distance and storing food securely to keep bears wild.
Keep an eye on the berry thickets and the road edges through here, because this is black bear country. The Olympics hold a healthy population of them, and in late summer they're out working the huckleberry and salmonberry patches, fattening up for winter, and down along the rivers when the salmon are running. They're shy, more interested in fruit than in you, and a glimpse is usually a black shape melting back into the brush. If you do spot one, stay in the car and let it be. This is its pantry, and you're passing through.
Photo: Thomas Fuhrmann · CC BY-SA 4.0
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