OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS

Possibly the most rugged mountains in the United States, these mountains rise highest on the eastern half of the Olympic Peninsula across the Puget Sound from Seattle.  There are a huge number of peaks over 7,000 feet rising from lowlands that are near sea level.  The western portion of the peninsula is where you will find the rainforests.  There are many trails that go from low-elevation rainforest to glaciers in a matter of miles.  There is more flora and fauna here than in any ecosystem within the United States (that is actually an unverified educated guess but it is probably true in terms of species count).  In fact there many experts say there is more biomass (definition:  weight of living organisms per square mile) than any other area in the world including the Amazon rainforest.  I would considered these mountains one of the world's  natural wonders if I was to give that title to one area I have seen.  Wildlife is also extremely abundant here especially along the East fork of the Quinalt River.