Olympic National Park’s quiet stems from lacking roads and air tourism

Evidence

Olympic National Park was chosen for One Square Inch because it has a diverse natural soundscape combined with substantial periods of natural quiet. Unlike other national parks, such as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, or Hawaii Volcanoes, where noise debates are long standing, air tourism at Olympic is still in its infancy. It has no through roads, no scenic drive to its highest peak. To reach its backcountry, you must go on foot. Because there are few noise intrusions in this wilderness, noise sources are easier to identify than at other parks. — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 59

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the earlier finding that environmental noise sources are identifiable when few, and to the broader noise-pollution holdings. — connects to: Olympic Park was chosen for its quiet because air tourism there is still nascent; Cloud cover and rain protect Olympic Park from noise by discouraging scenic flights; Olympic is the quietest unit in the National Park Service’s 84 million acres — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 70 (+2 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 59

Broader Connections

• Overcast skies protect Olympic Park’s quiet by deterring scenic flights #qualifies (0.60) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 70