Jackie Steffan Olympic National Park was the second stop on our tour of Washington’s National Parks. Olympic National Park is on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. There is so much variety in scenery, from beaches to mountains to rainforests, Olympic truly has it all! Most of the parks we have visited in the past have an entrance station, and once you’re in, you stay in the park all day. Much of the park is spread out across the peninsula, making Olympic a bit different than other parks we have visited. There are sections you will need to pass through a pay station and other sections you can visit for free (beaches, Lake Crescent, and others). Another thing that was unique about Olympic National Park is that there are sections of the Park right next to town. This was convenient for early starts, but also doesn’t feel as remote.
We spent 3 days in Olympic; one night in Forks, on the western side and two nights in Port Angeles, on the northern side. Forks was pretty small and the dining options close pretty early, so make sure to keep that in mind! Forks is closer to the beaches and rainforests if those are on the top of your list to see. Port Angeles has a lot more dining and lodging options. It’s right on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and you can see Canada from the shoreline. If you’re lucky enough to go in the fall, the orcas come pretty close to shore! There are a couple different ways to get to Olympic, car and ferry. We drove, but on the way out we took the ferry to Whidbey Island, which was beautiful!
For the sake of brevity, this post won’t give you step by step details on each hike. Washington Trails Association is an excellent resource and will give you all the details on hikes across the state.
https://www.wta.org/go-outside/hikes
Day One
When people talk about Olympic National Park, they like to mention the beaches and rainforests, so it was only appropriate we would spend our first day experiencing them.
- Quinault Rainforest
- Quinault Rainforest is technically outside the national park and in the national forest. We took a 0.5 mile loop through the rainforest and saw lots of tall trees and ferns. It’s much less crowded than Hoh, so if you don’t want to wait in line, check it out!
- Hoh Rainforest
- Hoh Rainforest is one of the most popular sections of the park. They have limited parking and once it’s full, the ranger at the entrance will only allow one car in for every car that leaves. This leads to backups that can sometimes be over 2 hours, so try to get there early.
- When you look up pictures, Hoh is extremely lush and emerald green. This is due to the record amount of rainfall they receive in this area. When we went (late Aug 2022), they were 2 months behind the average rainfall for the year. This meant the mosses went into their dormant phase and were more of an olive green. It was a bit disappointing for me, so make sure you check rainfalls and level your expectations accordingly.
- There are 2 main trails- The Hall of Mosses (0.8 mi) and the Spruce Nature Tail (1.2 mi) both will give you lots of views of mosses, ferns, and huge trees. We liked the Spruce Nature Trail a bit more because it leads out close to the river for a quick change of scenery. Luckily, they are so short and very flat that it’s easy to do both!
- You can also take the Hoh River Trail from here (18 mi). There are a variety of places you can turn around to make a shorter trip if you can’t get enough of the rainforest.
- Hoh Rainforest is also registered as one of the quietest places on earth. If you get a second when you aren’t surrounded by the other tourists, take in the quiet, you’ll likely only hear the sound of the wind and the birds. It’s unlike anything we’ve experienced.
- Rialto Beach
- From Rialto Beach, we hiked North to Hole in the Wall (4 mi roundtrip). Make sure you check the tide charts. I recommend going during low tide, since there were tons of tidal pools with hundreds of anemones, clams, crabs, and we even saw a starfish! Since you’re walking on the beach, this is an easy hike.
- Rialto Beach is right next to Quillayute River, so the convergence of the two bodies of water can make this area pretty foggy at times. If you’re lucky enough to go on a clear day there is the potential to see whales, seals, and eagles.
- Second Beach
- As a kid, I remember telling my older sister “first is the worst, second is the best”. This also applies to Second Beach (not the first is the worst part, I’m sure First Beach is great). To get to Second Beach, you have to hike through the woods and down some stairs (2 mi roundtrip), but it is so worth it! Second Beach is absolutely beautiful. It was much clearer than Rialto when we went and the sea stacks were incredible!
Day Two
For our second day, we headed north towards Lake Crescent. It was about an hour from where we stayed in Forks, but we got to experience that iconic Pacific Northwest fog! We spent the following 2 nights in Port Angeles. Olympic National Park has quite a few popular waterfalls, we saw two on our second day!
- Sol Duc Falls
- We were warned this was a popular trail and that parking fills up quickly. We got to the trailhead around 8am and there were maybe three other cars there. The parking area is fairly large, so I don’t think you need to get there as early as we were told.
- The hike from the trailhead at the end of the parking lot is 2 miles round trip. You walk through tall trees with lots of ferns and moss, it felt more like a rainforest than Hoh did! The waterfall is powerful and beautiful! Unlike most waterfall hikes, you view the waterfall from the top rather than the bottom. This provides a unique view of the multiple chutes of water.
- Marymere Falls
- The parking area for Marymere Falls and Mount Storm King is the same, near Lake Crescent. This parking area was smaller and much more crowded than Sol Duc Falls, so try to get there early.
- To get to Marymere Falls, you’ll have to take the tunnel under the road, but from there it is pretty clear and easy until you get close to the falls (1 mile roundtrip). The falls are about 90 ft tall and is a thinner waterfall, but still impressive. There is a second viewpoint higher up, but I think the view from the bottom is better.
- Mount Storm King
- This was definitely the hardest hike we did in Olympic, potentially the hardest hike we have ever done! The hike is 4.4 miles and is very steep. The majority of the hike is switchbacks. When you get to the top, you’ll reach a section that the park service does not maintain, proceed at your own risk. From here, there is a series of ropes to take you to the top of Mount Storm King. There is a pile of gloves at the bottom of the ropes, I’d recommend taking at least one. Be careful, take your time, and let the people coming down the ropes finish before you start going up. You’ll be rewarded with some of the most incredible views of Lake Crescent!
- Devil’s Punchbowl
- Devil’s Punchbowl is a picturesque inlet of Lake Crescent with a pretty bridge leading across. To get there you’ll take the Spruce Railroad trail and will take the unpaved trail to the left of the tunnel when you get there.
- This is a very popular swimming destination in the summer. I was unable to get the pictures I wanted due to all the people in the water, but if you’re looking for a good place to swim, this is it!
Day Three
Our last day was all about the mountains! Now I love nature, but mountains have my whole heart. Hurricane Ridge has some spectacular views, even just the views from the visitors center were some of my favorite in Olympic National Park. This day was a bit slower for us, I got stung by a bee on Mount Storm King, so I spent most of the day trying not to scratch my leg. I was rewarded with fabulous views and an iced coffee when we headed back into town earlier than planned.
- Hurricane Ridge
- From the parking area, we hiked through the meadows to Sunrise Point via the Cirque Rim Trail. From here, we hiked to the Klahhane Ridge. We had originally planned to hike Mount Angeles, but decided to continue on instead. Klahhane Ridge isn’t very well marked, but once you hit the switchbacks you are there! The entire hike provided us with great views of the Olympic Range, the strait, and Canada.
- Unfortunately, we were unable to hike Hurricane Hill due to mountain goat management efforts. That just means we will have to come back when it’s not closed!
Food
- Pacific Pizza, Forks
- Nextdoor Gastropub, Port Angeles
- We made friends with some locals at the bar, they told us the gastropub is the best restaurant in town. They also told us to steer clear of Kokopelli’s and the Spruce (unless you want food poisoning).
- The Blackbird Coffeehouse, Port Angeles
- Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream, Port Angeles
- Never had I heard of New Zealand style ice cream, and now I can’t stop thinking about it!
Related Posts
If interested in a Washington National Park road trip, see our three day itineraries in Mount Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park.
