Many of us have visited national parks while on vacation, awed by their grandeur and natural beauty. But have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up to such a breathtaking landscape every day?
You never tire of it, says Leslie Bergman, who along with her husband, Ron, owns Spring Lakes Farm near Olympic National Park.
“The experience of living here is something much larger than ourselves, and we always wake with a sense of wonder and awe, which has never diminished,” she said. “It’s irresistible to live out here and not be outside, even standing on our front porch. We’re in a glacial carved valley, and we’re completely ringed by mountains. Just to stand out there with a cup of coffee, it’s really transformative. It’s transformative for your coffee as well.”
People who live near national parks are treated each day to natural wonders that can include majestic mountains, sparkling lakes, arid deserts, lush forests and an array of wildlife.
Listing
Olympic National Park
237477 W. Highway 101
Port Angeles, WA, 98363
Price: $1,499,000 — price per square foot: $525
Square footage: 2,856 Lot size: 184 acres; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Features: The original deed to Spring Lakes Farm was granted to homesteader Charles Wood in 1894. The 1922 farmhouse has wood beam ceilings and a stone fireplace. The property also includes a two-bedroom, two-bathroom manufactured home, a historic cedar barn, a garage and a greenhouse. The working farm has beef cattle, free-range chickens and fresh vegetables. The property includes forest, pastureland, wetlands, ponds and a stream with deeded water rights.
Agent: Sue Eller, Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty.
“That’s one of the best things about living out here: Every landscape is devastatingly beautiful,” Bergman said. “Olympic National Park is unique in that way. It’s not just mountains. It’s wild rivers with salmon, it’s rapids, it’s waterfalls, it’s glacial peaks, it’s wild mountains and wild beaches.”
She and her husband have been visiting Olympic National Park their entire lives, but they bought Spring Lakes Farm a little more than a decade ago when they were looking to buy a farm in the area.
Their farm was homesteaded in 1894. Through most of its existence, it has been a working farm. The couple practice sustainable farming techniques, raising free-range chickens and beef cattle and growing vegetables in ways that protect the environment. They purposefully built their pastures to create byways for a herd of Roosevelt elk that regularly traverse their property.
“This year we’ve had a large herd come through, 50 animals, lots of cows with nursing calves,” Bergman said. “After they are done nursing, they race around and skip around. It’s really fun to watch. We’ve really had this great access to a lot of natural phenomenon that a lot of folks don’t have.”
“We expect to keep coming back no matter where we live,” she said.
