(Photo: Courtesy of National Parks Service )Olympic National Park, Washington
Closest major city: Seattle (84 miles)
Olympic National Park, where Hempton staked out his One Square Inch of Silence, is in his opinion the last great quiet place in the United States. Its three distinct ecosystems — mountains, forests, and coast — make it one of the most sonically diverse environments anywhere, Hempton says. Though the damp weather can be a challenge, every part of the park can be easily accessed from U.S. Highway 101, which wraps around the Olympic Peninsula.
