The Queets River is one of several large, deep, and fast rivers that drain the rainforests on the west side of the Olympic Mountains. It is tinted blue with glacial rock flour in the summer. It is also the only one of these major rivers to be almost entirely protected in National Park lands, and as such is a haven for enormous trees and much wildlife, including elk, deer, bears, otters, ospreys, and eagles. There are several Class II-III rapids and numerous gravel bars, islands, and tributary streams, as well as occasional views of Mt Olympus, whose glaciers are a primary source of the river. The best channels are rearranged yearly, so the hazards encountered and the route shown here will almost certainly change from year to year.