This Pacific Northwest national park is one of the country’s most Instagrammed

The Pacific Northwest is home to a lot of Instgrammable spots – lakes, bookstores, vacation destinations – and now, one of the top 10 most Instagrammed national parks.

We get a lot of pitches like this and assumed that this was about Crater Lake (again) – but it was not.

Olympic National Park in Washington is the No. 10 most ‘Instagrammable’ park in the country, with 597,802 tags on Instagram.

These 2 national parks in Washington state are ranked among the best in the country

The ranking was put together by a website called DeerHuntingGuide. We hope no one is hunting deer in any of these protected areas, for what it’s worth.

Islands off the Washington coast are seen through a driftwood log at Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

DeerHuntingGuide compiled the list by looking at the number of times each national park was tagged on Instgram. The No. 1 most Instagrammable national park was Yosemite in California, with 1,616,744 tags.

Here’s what the site had to say about Olympic National Park in a press release: “From its rugged Pacific coastline and lush temperate rainforests to its towering snow-capped peaks and pristine alpine lakes, Olympic National Park offers a diverse range of landscapes to explore and photograph. Be awed by the dramatic seascapes along the rugged coastline or take a long hike through the park’s old-growth forests to experience the unparalleled beauty and tranquility of this amazing park.”

Backpacking the Olympic coast — Sea stacks and tide pools stand along the shore in the coastal wilderness of Olympic National Park. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The Oregonian’s travel reporter Jamie Hale paid a visit to Olympic National Park in 2021, paying a rainy fall visit to the park. Here’s what he had to say about visiting in the fall:

“Those who stay away for fear of rain may be missing out on one of the Pacific Northwest’s greatest natural wonders at a spectacular time of year. With smaller crowds and a vast area, fall offers an opportunity to feel a sense of true isolation in Olympic National Park. And visiting during the wet season allows you to see the famed rain forests in their element, the mountains capped with snow and the ocean churning with energy along the coast.”

Hale also put together a backpacking guide to the 73 miles of Washington coast contained within the park.