Hood Canal Galleria

Peter Kun Frary | Photographer

Along the eastern side of the he Olympic Peninsula lies a sheltered and narrow waterway known as the Hood Canal. It really isn't a canal but a fjord and basin of the Puget Sound. US Route 101 (Pacific Coast Highway) snakes along the canal and is among the most scenic routes in the Pacific Northwest. With the Olympic Mountains as a backdrop, parks, rustic villages and wild rivers adorn the shoreline (plus a few "tight" Native American casinos). This section of US Route 101 isn't on the Pacific Coast. The mighty 101 earns its "Pacific Coast" moniker on the opposite side of the Olympic Peninsula. Follow 101 a few hours either direction and you'll be within spiting distance of the Pacific Ocean. If you continue south, you can drive the many fabled 101 all the way to San Diego.