Hello, my friend! Are you ready to plan an adventurous trip to Olympic National Park?! This park has ocean, mountain, and rainforest views around every turn! You are sure to find something here that everyone in your group will LOVE.
Olympic is a place you will never forget — and likely somewhere you will talk about for years to come. Gorgeous beaches, peaceful waterfalls, and dramatic mountain peaks are yours to explore. This incredible place will leave you speechless!
There is so much to do. You may have already looked at a map and been a little overwhelmed — and eager — to make sure that you don’t miss the best sights.
I’m a former park ranger, and I’ll help you plan your vacation down to the details. I’ve extensively explored Olympic and am here to help! Whether this is your first time to Olympic National Park, or if you are returning after many years and would like to be reintroduced to the park, this list of 10 things is for you.
What You Need to Know About Olympic National Park
- Don’t miss out on anything during your trip! For the best experience, get an early start to your day and have a solid plan — like this detailed itinerary.
- A variety of lodging is available within Olympic National Park. You can find more information about your options here. The outside communities of Port Angeles and Forks also offer numerous lodging and dining options.
- Camping in Olympic is a pretty big deal, which is why there are 14 front-country campgrounds in the park! Most sites are first-come, first-served and you can learn more about them here. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, beach camping is allowed with a valid permit.
- This park is unique in that it encompasses many different ecosystems. Because of that, it’s important to be prepared for any type of weather. Rain, sun, fog, snow, wind, cold, etc., are all possibilities during your visit!
- Numerous hiking trails converge and overlap in this park, so you don’t want to be caught hiking without a map. This is the map I use and recommend for Olympic National Park.
Traffic and crowding in Olympic can be terrible.
Did you know that it’s common to sit in traffic for an hour or more in this park?
Are you hoping to see the best sights without getting stuck in traffic, circling parking lots, or being surrounded by people?
Stay ahead of the crowds with this Olympic Itinerary. You will see all of the can’t-miss spots, plus get lodging and dining guides, driving directions, and insider tips!
I’ll make sure that you don’t miss the sights that make this park so famous, but I also want to provide a few treasures that are off the beaten path as well. Let the adventure begin!
Click NEXT to see this awesome list of 10 things you can’t miss on your first visit to Olympic National Park!
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Hi! Can you make custom itineraries if I send you my parameters? I would like a Seattle, Olympic, Mount Rainer and North Cascades itinerary .
I don’t offer any custom itineraries at this time!
I really enjoy your videos. I will be driving up front NorCal and.my sister will either be with me already or fly into Seattle. We plan on June, but I now wonder if July would be better. we have about 3 weeks total in Wa.
I thought of doing in this order Olympic peninsula, Mt. Rainier, San Juan Island for the orcas, North Cascades. should we move the orcas up or even do that first in June? Should we move everything to July so we have to worry less about snow around Mt Rainier and N Cascades? We will stay at hotels, day hikes only no camping.
Thank you, we would very much value your input.
June is too early for hiking in Rainier and North Cascades. If you don’t plan on doing much hiking and don’t mind the snow, then June is ok. But otherwise, I wouldn’t go any earlier than mid-July. Have fun!
I am SO glad I stumbled upon your website! SO helpful! We are doing an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle next late June/early July. We would like to explore either Olympic National Park or Mt Rainier before or after our cruise. Any recommendations as to which would be best? Maybe some scenery we won’t see on our Alaskan cruise? Can’t decide if we should purchase your Olympia or Mt Rainier itenerary! We’ll probably only have 2 days so maybe Mt Rainier would be best?
Rainier will still be really snowy that time of year, so I’d go to Olympic if you want to do something other than driving through the park :)
I found your itineraries to be EXCEPTIONAL!! No stone was left unturned relative to detail. Additionally it was extremely well presented and laid out. I look forward to using your itineraries for future trips. Thank you for your efforts in putting together an invaluable resource.
Well thank you Bruce! I really appreciate that, and am so grateful for your kindness and support. I look forward to hearing about your future national park adventures!
I just purchased the Olympic itinerary. We are fortunate in that we’ll have over 4 days in June. However, planning when to be in certain areas was overwhelming. When I found your website our trip planning became much easier. The itinerary is well worth the money! We want to be adventurers – not sitting in traffic, I listened to your podcast where you mentioned that your first trip to Olympic was “underwhelming”. I believe that with the itinerary in hand, we’ll avoid that.
Thanks so much Lisa! And yes, your trip shouldn’t be underwhelming if you have the itinerary in hand and if you’ve listened to the podcast episodes. That’s all the stuff we wish we would have known before we visited for the first time. Enjoy Olympic!!
Hi Ash!
I purchased your itinerary for Olympic and have been studying it for our trip in July 2024. My question – you recommend staying in Port Angeles and Forks, but are those more convenient than staying IN the park? We traditionally stay in the parks (and book a year ahead) to save on driving time and have more character/historic lodging. But all I noticed is your tip to stay at the Lake Crescent Lodge if we want to split the difference. We plan on doing your 3-day itinerary just as you advise and staying 3 nights.
Thanks for your advice!
Amber
Hey Amber, please contact me here so that I can better answer your questions!
Hi, We will be visiting our son with 3 days and 2 nights to spend on the Olympia peninsula Dec 28-30 2021. Please advise us on an itinerary and where to stay. I was going to purchase you travel plan but found no way to specify the mid week winter trip. Thanks so much
Hey Alison! My itineraries don’t work during the winter when things close down, but I hope you have an amazing time in the park!
My Wife and I are planning to visit Olympic, Mt. Rainier, and maybe Northern Cascades the last week of May (weather permitting, won’t know till we get there what the snow is like).
Do you think one day is enough time in each park or should we plan some extra time?
Mt. Rainier and North Cascades will be a challenge at that time of year — some of the most popular trails in Rainier don’t melt out until mid-July! Olympic should be mostly accessible, so I’d put more time there. That park is huge and takes a long time to drive between activities. Have a great time!
I am a senior citizen who used your itinerary in Yellowstone and loved it. My son now lives in Seattle and I can’t wait to go back for a visit. I am hoping to convince him and his girlfriend to join me as they are hikers too. I just want to know the best month for me weather wise. I hate the cold but have the layers to endure if I must. But over 80 degrees and my hot flashes and body temp go crazy😆😆 so when should I go.
Haha I’m not a fan of hiking in the heat either :) Temperatures in Olympic don’t usually get hotter than 75 or 80 degrees during the summer, but if you’re worried about that, I’d say aim for June or July. Summer is the dry season in that area, so if you go in Spring, Fall, or Winter, there’s a good chance of getting a lot of precipitation. The beaches usually get really foggy in August. Hope that helps!
Hi! I really enjoy reading your material! My husband and I are thinking of making a trip to Olympic National Park in November (middle 10th-13th). If we pack rain gear, could we still hike at that time?
Many areas of Olympic are accessible year-round, so you should be fine. Hurricane Ridge will be iffy, but the beaches and rainforest should be okay!
Hi Ash! I wonder is middle of May a good time to visit Olympic NP? Thank you!
Yeah it can be great! Just be aware that the higher elevations (like Hurricane Ridge) will likely still be very snowy. And it will probably be too cold to swim in Lake Crescent :) But the rainforests and beaches should be wonderful!
Another great set of suggestions with clear information about each site. We will be there in just a few weeks. Our time is extremely limited, but we will make the most of it, thanks to your guidance.
Thanks Karin! Have fun!