Day 5 – July 1, 2009

Today was a low key day for us. We started off our day by stopping by the Quinault Mercantile across the street from the lodge. The Mercantile is a combination of a store and a quick serve restaurant. I chose the pancakes for breakfast, and Billy opted for a breakfast sandwich. They were fairly busy since they are one of the only games in the area. We noticed a sign that said the business was for sale. Hopefully, somebody will pick the opportunity to keep this place in business.

We relaxed on the hill outside the lodge with views of the lake during the morning. We then got in the car to go around the lake and take a walk through the Quinault Rainforest. This area is a lot more secluded than Hoh Rainforest; there were only a few other families at the rainforest when we were there. The walk is a great one for someone who has a minor injury due to the groomed trail and the lack of elevation change.

On our way back to the lodge, we stopped by the largest cedar tree. This hike is fairly short and simple, but definitely more difficult than the rainforest walk. It does include a slight elevation change with groomed trail and some stairs. There are few offshoots that people have worn in a new trail, but you can always find the actual trail. When you think you see a big tree, keep going because that is not it. The largest cedar tree is just a little further.

Once we got back to the lodge, we decided to rent a canoe. We spent about an hour on the lake. We thought we could make it to the other side, but it is a lot further than it looks. More relaxing was in store after canoeing.

For dinner, we went to the Salmon House because there were tons of choices in the Lake Quinault area (dripping with sarcasm). It ended up being a great choice for dinner. The décor was straight out of the 80s and brought back more childhood memories for the both of us. The food was surprisingly good – I had the garlic prawns and Billy dined on the blackened salmon. One drawback for us was the sun was in the process of setting so it was rather warm even with the shades pulled down.

After trip back in time, we returned back the lodge and got ice cream from the Quinault Mercantile. We called it an evening and relaxed in the lodge.

Daily Reviews

Quinault Mercantile – 5 stars

Pros: food cost less than food at the lodge, quick, food is tasty

Cons: not a lot of options in the store area

Quinault Rainforest – 5 stars

Pros: Not too many other people, accessible from Lake Quinault Lodge, restrooms on site, easy walk/hike

Cons: Ranger station not open

Salmon House – 4 stars

Pros: cheaper than the lodge, 80s flashback, decent food

Cons: frozen vegetables, heat from sunset