The word ‘Queets’, according to Queets and Quinault legend, means ‘out of the dirt of the skin’ and is in reference to the near constant green/blue glacial tint present in the waters of the river throughout the seasons. The Queets River is one of the last truly wild and untouched places in the northern hemisphere to pursue salmon and steelhead, as all but the lower few miles up from the Pacific reside within the Olympic National Park. The river offers robust runs of fall Chinook and Coho salmon starting in September with hatchery fish returning to the Salmon River Facility. Hatchery winter steelhead show early in the season, which also return to the same facility and are usually above average size, but its the wild steelhead that are usually the main event of the winter season here with many large fish encountered by anglers each year. A special permit issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior is required to run guided trips within the park which usually keeps traffic down, unless you count the multiple herds of Elk that roam the area, the Eagles, and countless other woodland creatures that keep you company while drifting down this scenic west end river.