Where Should I Stay While Visiting Olympic?

Olympic National Park is a gorgeous destination, complete with numerous trails that travel to mountains, beaches, rainforests, and waterfalls – it’s an amazing place to take a vacation!

Where should you stay while visiting Olympic? If you want to stay in the park and cut down on your drive times, I suggest staying in a central location, such as the Lake Crescent Lodge or Fairholme Campground. If you’re looking for something outside of the park, base your trip out of Port Angeles and Forks.

My name is Ash, and I used to be a park ranger! I’ve spent a lot of time exploring Olympic National Park, and I’m excited to help you decide where to stay while visiting Olympic. Let’s talk about your options.

Olympic Map, Entrances, and Nearby Towns

First, let’s get the lay of the land around Olympic. This park has twelve official entrances, but three of them are notable and near bigger towns, giving you plenty of options for places to stay while visiting Olympic.

Heart O’ the Hills Entrance (Port Angeles)

If you’re looking for trails that reach from the valleys to the mountaintops, then the Heart O’ the Hills Entrance is where you’ll want to be. This entrance station gives you access to the Hurricane Ridge Road, which is one of the most popular areas of Olympic.

The nearest town is Port Angeles, which is about 15 minutes from the Heart O’ the Hills. You’ll find all the necessary amenities you would need here and more, including antique shops, clothing boutiques, gift shops, art galleries, and sporting equipment stores.

I always spend at least a night or two near this entrance station (either at the campground or in Port Angeles), and I recommend you do the same. Staying near Port Angeles gives you the ability to split time between Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent, but you will be a little further from the park’s beaches.

Hoh Entrance (Forks)

The Hoh Entrance Station is found on the west side of Olympic National Park. It provides access to the Hoh Rain Forest, a temperate rainforest that receives an average of 12 feet of rainfall each year! Because of the massive amounts of rain this area gets, the trees are draped in moss, and everything is a vibrant green.

This entrance is extremely busy — it’s common to wait an hour or two to enter the park here. I’ll show you how to avoid the long lines with this hour-by-hour itinerary.

I suggest staying in the town of Forks for a night or two if you plan on exploring the Hoh Rainforest and the nearby beaches of the Kalaloch area. Forks is smaller than Port Angeles but still has hotels, restaurants, and a grocery store.

This town was made famous by the Twilight book series, so you can also geek out and visit the Twilight Museum and find the spots around town that are mentioned in the books.

Sol Duc Entrance (Lake Crescent)

The Sol Duc area is one of the most magical areas of Olympic! Popular hikes in this area include Sol Duc Falls and The High Divide Loop. If you need a break from hiking, you can soak in the hot springs instead!

You’ll also find Lake Crescent nearby. This lake is a stunning color of blue, and you can swim, kayak, or picnic along its shores.

Both of these areas are the more central part of Olympic National Park. You can stay in either Port Angeles or Forks to access this part of the park. Or, you’ll find several good in-park lodging and camping options in this area, and you can make it your base camp for your whole time at Olympic.

Smaller Olympic Entrances

Twelve entrances is a LOT for a national park. Aside from the main three listed above, you’ll find many other small entrance roads that lead to some lesser-known areas of Olympic — Elwha Valley, Mora, Lake Ozette, Upper Queets, Lower Queets, Quinalt Rain Forest, Staircase, Dosewallips, and Deer Park.

Most of these entrances don’t collect fees, but the roads dead-end within Olympic National Park. I don’t recommend booking your lodging near any of these smaller entrances unless you want to explore that specific area.

If you’re a first-time visitor to the park, I suggest sticking to the three main entrances listed above when making your lodging choices.

If you’d like more information on the best airports and roads around Olympic, including details about getting to each of these entrances, check out How to Get to Olympic National Park.

Staying Inside of Olympic National Park

Olympic is a large and complex national park, with many different roads that travel to the various sections of the park. This is a park where, usually, I don’t actually stay within the park’s boundaries…it’s not really necessary. But if you want to stay in the park, you have some fabulous options!

Hotels and Lodges in Olympic

There are four lodges in the park, so you’ve got a few good options of places to stay while visiting Olympic! Experiencing the park before everyone gets there or after everyone has left is the very best thing about staying in one of these lodges.

National park lodges typically aren’t known for their amenities or comforts, so you’re usually paying for location and ambiance. However, Olympic’s lodges have a couple of options that will provide you with amenities similar to what you would see in a standard hotel room. Some of them even have full kitchens or kitchenettes.

I recommend trying to stay in the middle of the park if you’d like to be in the same lodge for your entire trip — the Lake Crescent Lodge is best for that. This historic lodge was built in 1915, and though most rooms are basic, you will definitely feel like you’re on a summer retreat.  

If you don’t mind moving around a little, I recommend spending a few days in the eastern part of the park and then a few days along the coast. Lodges near Lake Crescent (Lake Crescent Lodge, Log Cabin Resort, and Sol Duc Hot Springs) can be paired with a night or two in the Kalaloch Lodge to dramatically cut down on your drive time between sights.

I recommend making your in-park lodging reservations a year in advance if you are planning on a summer visit to Olympic.

Olympic Campgrounds

Olympic has fifteen different campgrounds to choose from – some are located in popular areas, and some are more off-the-beaten-path. You’ll find a mix of amenities at the campgrounds. Some have flush toilets and running water, but none of them have showers.

The Fairholme Campground is an ideal location if you want to stay in one central spot. It’s located along the western shore of Lake Crescent, providing easy access to the Port Angeles or Forks areas of the park. You will have access to drinking water and flush toilets, as well as a boat ramp, camp store, picnic area, and swimming beach.

If you don’t mind moving around a little, I recommend spending a night or two on the Port Angeles side of the park and then moving over to the Forks area for a night or two. Campgrounds near Port Angeles or along Highway 101 near Lake Crescent (Heart O’ the Hills, Fairholme, Log Cabin RV Resort, Sol Duc) can be paired with the campgrounds near the beaches (Mora, Kalaloch, South Beach, Hoh) to cut down on your drive time between the sights.

Most campsites in Olympic, whether reservable or first-come, first-served, are competitive. If a reservable site is available, I suggest snagging it immediately! If you plan on trying for a non-reservable site, be aware that most campgrounds fill in the early mornings.

To learn more about your camping options and how to snag a site, read all about camping in Olympic.

Staying Outside of Olympic National Park

Because Olympic has so many different entrances to the park, it’s easy to stay close to the park without actually being in the park. I recommend staying outside of Olympic if you want nicer amenities, cheaper prices, or more dining and activity options.

But be aware that not all towns are created equal! If you stay outside of the park, be sure to pick a town that won’t add a ton of driving to your day. You’ll already be driving a lot to see the sights in Olympic, so it’s best not to add more driving just to get to the park entrances.

Staying in Port Angeles and Forks

So that being said, Port Angeles and Forks are hands-down my favorite places to stay outside of the park. Both of these towns are situated nicely for exploring all of the main can’t-miss spots in Olympic, such as Hurricane Ridge, Sol Duc Falls, the Hoh Rain Forest, and the beautiful beaches.

Port Angeles is the most popular place to stay while visiting Olympic. It is the largest town in the area, so you’ll find many lodging and restaurant options. You’ll also be close to Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent, but you’ll have to drive a little while to explore the park’s beaches.

Click here to see lodging options in Port Angeles.

Forks is located on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula. Staying here keeps you central to the Hoh Rain Forest and the many amazing beaches. If exploring coastal scenery is more your speed, then I recommend staying here.

Forks was made by the popular Twilight book series, so as you stay in this area, you might notice some references to vampires and werewolves as you drive around town!

Click here to see lodging options in Forks.

If you have more than a couple of days to visit Olympic, I recommend splitting your time between Port Angeles and Forks — I’d book one to two nights in each town. This allows you to explore Olympic without spending most of your time in the car.

Staying in Kalaloch or Lake Quinalt

Staying in Kalaloch or Lake Quinault can be great options if you are looking for solitude at the end of a busy day of exploring. However, you won’t find as many lodging options or plentiful amenities as you will in Forks or Port Angeles. You will also have to drive much further to get to the Hurricane Ridge and Sol Duc areas.

My personal recommendation if you want to stay in one of these areas? You can replace your nights in Forks with nights at the Kalaloch Lodge and explore the main parts of the coast from there…that’s an easy substitution.

If you have your heart set on staying at the Lake Quinault Lodge, I would add that on in addition to your main sightseeing days. The Quinault area is beautiful, but it’s so far removed from most of the main activities in Olympic (we’re talking hours of driving), so I wouldn’t make it your main lodging choice unless you plan on spending most of your time in the Quinalt area.

I hope you find the perfect place to stay while visiting Olympic National Park. Safe travels!

This post may contain affiliate links. Dirt In My Shoes gets paid a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you purchase from these links. Thanks for your support!