My first trip to Olympic National Park only lasted four days, but we loved the area so much that we decided to move here. Now that I’ve been several more times, I can confidently say I’ve narrowed down the best places on the peninsula!
One thing to note, the olympic peninsula is the rainiest area in the lower 48. If you want the lowest chances of rain, you should go in July, August, or September. If you would prefer the dark and moody weather, completely disregard that and go during winter!
Lake Crescent
Lake Crescent was the first part of Olympic National Park that I got to see, and it blew me away. Even if you don’t stop at Lake Crescent, your drive to the rainforest or the coast will take you along highway 101 right beside the water.
If you do have time to stop, I definitely recommend it! The lodge at Lake Crescent has a great restaurant with seating out by the water, so it’s a great area to eat and take in the views. There are also several areas to swim or hike right beside the lake, like Marymere Falls.
The Hoh Rainforest
If you ask anyone what you should do in Olympic, the Hoh rainforest will be on their list. And I would agree, this is a must see! If you’re visiting during busy season, you’ll want to get there as early as possible. We stayed in Port Angeles, so we had a little over a two hour drive to get there, and decided to wake up at 5 am to be there before 8 am! Even with getting there so early, the parking lot was packed.
The most popular trail in the Hoh Rainforest is a 0.75 mile loop trail named Hall of Mosses. The trail is pretty busy, but still a great experience. Other options are the Spruce Nature trail (1.2 mile loop) or the Hoh River Trail (18 miles one way).
Sol Duc Falls
Sol Duc Falls was the last stop on our trip, and a hike I would definitely do again! This trail is 1.6 miles roundtrip with 200 feet of elevation gain. Our group had 3 babies that were in carriers and 1 toddler for this hike, and it was still pretty easy to do! Sol Duc also has a lodge, and if you stay there you can take a dip in the natural hot springs.
Hurricane Ridge
Unfortunately, due to wildfires, the Hurricane Ridge visitors center burned down in 2023. However, it is still a great place to visit with some of the best views of the olympic mountains.
The drive up to Hurricane Ridge is 17 miles from Port Angeles and has beautiful views the whole way up. Even if you’re not big on hiking, I would make the drive just to see the mountain range from that high up. If you are interested in hiking, you could try Cirque Rim (0.5 mile one way), High Ridge (0.5 mile loop), or Hurricane Hill (1.6 miles one way).
The Beaches
People debate what the best beaches are, but we personally went to La Push (or First Beach). Other options are Rialto Beach if you want to see the hole in the wall, Kalaloch Beach for the tree of life, Ruby Beach, Second Beach, or Third Beach. I honestly don’t think you can go wrong here, all of the beaches are beautiful!
If You’ve Never Been to Olympic National Park
A couple of random things we learned while visiting Olympic National Park for the first time**
Deciding where to stay was a challenge for two reasons. One, it’s nearly impossible to find a campground available last minute during busy season. And two, the park is so big that no matter where you choose to stay you will have a drive to some of the best spots.
Since we booked our trip last minute, we had trouble finding an airbnb in the area we wanted. Wherever you stay, you will be a decent drive away from several spots you might want to see. Olympic is a super diverse park with beaches, rainforest, mountains, and lakes. If you stay near the coast, you’ll be pretty close to the rainforest. But you will also be about a two hour trip from Lake Crescent, Hurricane Ridge, and Port Angeles. If you stay in that area, keep in mind that the only grocery store will be in Forks. However, if you stay near Port Angeles, you will have a pretty far drive from the coast and rainforest, so you might have to wake up really early to see the rainforest.
If you’re flying in, the closest airport is in Seattle. From the Seattle-Tacoma airport, Port Angeles is about 2 1/2 hours away.
3 Day Itinerary For Olympic National Park
I would recommend staying in Port Angeles and having three full days in the park. There’s so much driving to get to and from the park, keep those as travel days unless you’re on a time constraint.
Normally I would say you should go to the Hoh Rainforest on the first day, but the road is unusable for now. If it’s reopened by the time you’re reading this, I would go there first thing in the morning for Hall of Mosses. If not, you could go to the Quinault Rainforest instead or hike to Hole in the Wall at Rialto Beach. While you’re over by the coast, you should also stop in Forks and eat at Longhouse Cafe (they have really good frybread).
For day two, I would say visit Hurricane Ridge in the morning, and do a hike. Then, head back down to Port Angeles and visit some of the small stores there. I recommend going into Odyssey Bookshop and Brown’s Outdoor! If you’re wanting to fit something else in, I would end the day by grabbing some food at the Lake Crescent Lodge and eating it outside by the water. If the water’s not too cold for you, you could also take this opportunity to swim!
On Day three, finish off your trip with the hike to Sol Duc Falls. If you’re feeling up for another hike, head over to Lake Crescent and do the hike to Marymere Falls too. If you’re traveling with kids or just wanted to spend more time relaxing, you could just go sit at a scenic part of the lake or simply hang out wherever you’re staying!
Enjoy Your Stay in Olympic National Park!
If you want more information on the park, visit the National Park Service website. Always remember to check and make sure the roads you’ll be driving on are open before heading out! Enjoy your stay, I know you’ll love it!
