Bending southwest along the banks of the Sol Duc River, US-101 passes through miles of green forests under ever-gray skies to reach Forks (pop. 3,120), the commercial center of the northwestern Olympic Peninsula. Named for its location astride the Sol Duc and Bogachiel Rivers, Forks is a die-hard lumber town grappling with the inevitable change to more ecologically sustainable alternatives, mainly tourism. Visitors come to fish for steelhead during the late-summer runs, to beachcomb along the rugged coast, or to visit the remarkable rainforests of Olympic National Park to the southeast. The main attraction in Forks proper is the quirky Timber Museum (daily; donations; 360/374-9663), on US-101 on the south edge of town, packed with handsaws, chainsaws, and other logging gear as well as antique cooking stoves and displays telling the town’s characterful history. There’s also a forest-fire lookout tower perched outside the upper floor gallery.
With four gas stations and four motels, Forks is not a metropolis by any stretch of the imagination, but it does offer the best range of services between Port Angeles and Aberdeen. Sully’s at 220 N. Forks Avenue is a good burger stand on US-101 at the north end of town, and there are also two Chinese and two Mexican places, plus the great smoked salmon sandwiches at the Smoke House Restaurant. Stay at the Forks Motel ($50–90; 360/374-6243), at 351 S. Forks Avenue, or a more peaceful B&B, the Miller Tree Inn ($75–175; 360/374-6806), which sits on 30 acres at 654 E. Division Street, five blocks east of Forks’s solitary stoplight.
South of Forks along US-101, Bogachiel State Park has over 100 forested acres of very nice campsites (with showers!) along the Bogachiel River. Sites are first-come, first-served, and cost around $10 for tents, $15 for RV hookups (360/374-6356).
For more-complete information, contact the Forks visitors center (800/443-6757), next to the Timber Museum.
