The Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington juts into the Pacific Ocean, just south of Canada's Vancouver Island. Dominating the Peninsula is the 922,000-acre Olympic National Park, accessed through the visitor center at Port Angeles. Almost 95 percent of the park has a wilderness designation, and eight kinds of plants and 15 kinds of animals exist here and nowhere else on earth. Temperate rain forests, ice-covered mountains and rugged coastlines characterize the region, where whale watching excursions, fishing charters, kayak adventures and mountain bike tours simplify the exploration process. Port Angeles is home to the Fiero Marine Life Center, a public aquarium, educational facility and meeting ground for marine-related groups. From Neah Bay and Port Townsend in the north to Queets and Forks in the south, visitors find true adventure in a land of beauty far beyond the imagination.