Memorial Donation to Olympic National Park: Honor a Loved One

When someone you love has spent a lifetime on Olympic’s trails and beaches, a memorial donation for Olympic National Park can feel like the right way to say goodbye. You can give in their memory to Friends of Olympic National Park by check or by arranging it with us by email, give a membership in their name, or support the park in other ways. This guide walks through each option gently and plainly, along with what the park allows for ashes and memorials.

There’s no right or wrong choice here. What matters is that the gift feels like them.

Ways to honor someone who loved the park

People give in memory for many reasons. Some families ask for gifts “in lieu of flowers.” Others want to mark a birthday, an anniversary or a last hike together. A tribute gift can also honor someone who is very much alive, like a retiring ranger or a friend who taught you every wildflower on the ridge.

Memorial and honor gift options compared

Option	How it works	Good to know
Gift in memory to FONP	Mail a check with a note naming the person	Any amount; email us to arrange
Gift in honor to FONP	Same as above, for someone living	Suits retirements and birthdays
Gift membership	A year of FONP membership in their name	$15, $25 or $30
Volunteer in their name	Join a work day and dedicate it quietly	Costs nothing but time
Gift to the park or its official partner	Give directly to the park, or to Washington’s National Park Fund	See the park’s donation page

How to donate in memory to Friends of Olympic National Park

We’re a small, volunteer-led group, so our process is simple and personal. We don’t have an online payment form at the moment, and gifts come to us by mail or by email arrangement.

1. Choose an amount. Our suggested gifts are $25, $50, $75, $100 or $250, but any amount is welcome, once or yearly.
2. Write a check to Friends of Olympic National Park.
3. Add a short note with the honoree’s name and whether the gift is in memory or in honor.
4. Mail it to Friends of Olympic National Park, P.O. Box 3238, Port Angeles, WA 98362.

If you’d rather talk it through first, or you’re collecting gifts from family and friends, email us at fonp2020@gmail.com and we’ll work out the details together. FONP is a registered 501(c)(3), Tax ID 02-0619892, so your gift may be tax deductible as the law allows.

What to write in the note

Keep it short and clear, so nothing gets lost. A few lines on a card or a slip of paper are plenty.

• The honoree’s full name, and “in memory of” or “in honor of.”
• Your name and how to reach you.
• If you’d like the family to know about the gift, their name and address.
• Anything you’d like to share about their love of the park, if you wish.

A simple example might read: in memory of Jane Doe, who hiked the Olympic high country every summer for forty years, from her friends at the Tuesday walking group. Plain, heartfelt words like these are all a note needs.

If you hope for something specific, such as a letter to the family, please ask when you email us. We’d rather tell you honestly what our volunteers can do than promise something we can’t.

Giving a membership in someone’s name

A gift membership is a lovely way to honor someone living, or to pass a loved one’s connection to the park on to a grandchild or friend. Memberships are $15 for students, charter members and current armed services, $25 for an individual and $30 for a family. Members receive our decal, the friends-only newsletter, invitations to annual events and volunteer opportunities.

You can give an Olympic National Park membership by mail with the form on our join page. Some people also choose to volunteer at Olympic National Park in a loved one’s name, perhaps at one of our beach cleanups in Olympic National Park on a stretch of coast they loved.

Scattering ashes and memorials in Olympic National Park

Many families want to return a loved one to a favourite place in the park. Olympic allows this with a permit, and the park’s special use permit page for scattering ashes explains how to apply. Applications go to the park’s permit office by email, at least a month ahead and up to a year in advance.

The park’s conditions are worth reading before you plan the day:

• Ashes must be fully dispersed, and not within 200 feet of water, trails, roadsides or developed areas.
• No containers, urns, flowers or memorial markers may be left in the park.
• No remains may be spread at Hurricane Ridge or the surrounding area.
• Ceremonies can’t close areas or reserve parking, and shouldn’t disturb other visitors.

Plaques, benches and other permanent tributes are a different matter. Federal park rules in 36 CFR 2.62 on memorialization prohibit installing a memorial in a park without authorization from the NPS Director. We can.t promise a plaque or a named bench in return for a gift, so a donation, a membership or a quiet visit is often the most lasting way to remember someone here.

Where a memorial gift goes

Gifts to FONP support our seven projects, from the Heart O’ the Forest Trail adopt-a-trail crew and guided nature walks to the Children’s Discovery Room and National Junior Ranger Day. It’s a fitting tribute for someone who loved to share the park with others.

We also honor people while they’re with us. Our Most Inspirational awards recognize a friend of the park and a park employee each year, and the friend award carries the name of Willie McCool, whose story and connection to Olympic we’re proud to tell. If you’d simply like to make a gift to support Olympic National Park, our donate page has every option in one place.

Frequently asked questions