With a few days of unseasonably warm weather and clear blue skies in the forecast, we made plans to head out for a weekday adventure. Since we were smack-dab in the middle of leaf-peeping season, we decided to drive the Lake Quinault Loop road, a favorite scenic route of ours that weaves through several stretches of gorgeous old big-leaf maple trees.

Exiting Highway 101, we started our trip along the North Shore Road, entering into the Olympic National Park soon after. We decided to stop for a hike at the Kestner Homestead trailhead. The trail overlapped with the Maple Glade nature trail, and just steps from the parking lot we found ourselves in a magical fall wonderland of towering old-growth maples, bubbling streams, and a bright golden carpet of crunchy fallen leaves.

We explored the 1980s-era homestead and its numerous outbuildings, along with a neat old rusty truck, and enjoyed our picnic lunch in a sunny field before heading back to the trailhead. The loop back to the parking lot was just as stunning, and we found ourselves pausing often to enjoy the fleeting beauty of the scenery around us. I’ve visited the Quinault rain forest in all seasons, but the autumn leaf color is perhaps the most spectacular of them all.

Back at the truck, we continued along the road, stopping at the Lake Quinault Lodge to warm up with a cup of coffee. We enjoyed our drinks, lounging in cushy leather chairs in front of the lobby’s crackling wood-burning fireplace. Since it was a weekday, we had the entire place to ourselves, and the quiet, cozy atmosphere was the perfect end to the day.