This weekend, Lake Quinault Lodge, a historic hotel on the western edge of Olympic National Park, will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a free program for guests. The celebration will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will focus on the hotel’s history, its connection to the Quinault forests and the surrounding landscape. Throughout the day, the Grand Ballroom will host a historical exhibit prepared in collaboration with the museums of Taholah, Quinault and Polson. The program will also include canoe races, a parade featuring the Hoquiam High School band, a salmon barbecue and a classic-car display.
Guests can attend talks about the Valley of Giants natural area and mushrooms, a celebratory champagne sabering toast, and performances by Indigenous representatives featuring songs, dances and an evening campfire story. The hotel’s history began in the 1880s with a small inn called the Log Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1924. The new building was designed by architect Robert Reamer, also known for designing the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park; it was built in just 53 days and opened to guests in August 1926. Over the past century, Lake Quinault Lodge has evolved from a place for travelers to spend the night into a major attraction and a destination for those who want to see one of the wettest corners of the Pacific Northwest, where about 4.6 meters of precipitation falls each year.
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