Exploring Olympic National Park - How to Plan the Best Trip

Introduction to Planning Your Trip to Olympic National Park

If you’re looking for one of the best places to visit that will take you from old-growth forest to beaches to mountain peaks, look no further than Olympic National Park. The park takes up over one million acres of the Olympic Peninsula, making it one of the most popular destinations in Washington.

Check out our guide to exploring Olympic National Park below to plan your trip so you catch the best views and most popular beaches.

Join us as we discuss:

Everything you need to know about Port Angeles
The best way to see Hurricane Ridge and Mount Olympus
Our favorite trails in the area
The things that can make or break your trip to this park
Why we love visiting Lake Crescent
Where you can find good waterfalls
Our experience in the hot springs at Olympic National Park
Must-see stops in Forks, Washington, for Twilight lovers
What you need to know about lodging while visiting this area
The best beaches in this park
What makes the rainforest so amazing
The huge Roosevelt elk you can see in the area

We hope you enjoy exploring Olympic National Park with us! If you need any help planning your next trip, head over to Dirt In My Shoes to get your Olympic National Park itinerary!

Listen to the Full Podcast Episode:

Start in Port Angeles Before Entering Hurricane Ridge

The perfect place to begin your adventure is Port Angeles, one of the biggest towns outside of Olympic. From here, you can jump straight into Hurricane Ridge as your first stop, one of the most popular places in the park. It’s also one of the most seasonal areas of the park, so it’s ideal to visit during the summer months.

From here, you can see Mt. Olympus, the park’s namesake. There are also a ton of olympic marmots frolicking in the meadows!

One easy hike that starts from Hurricane Ridge is High Ridge Trail, a one-mile loop with minimal elevation gain. For more seasoned hikers, you’ll want to check out Hurricane Hill, one of the best hikes in Olympic in our humble opinion. The wildflowers alone make this hike worth it, not to mention the amazing views. The parking lot fills quickly here and at the nearby Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.

On the way back down from Hurricane Ridge, there are great pullout spots to see nearby glacier-capped mountains.

Head Toward the Coast to Swim in Lake Crescent

Leaving Hurricane Ridge and heading toward the coast, you’ll hit Lake Crescent, where a dam was removed to let Salmon swim upstream.

We can’t imagine a visit to Olympic National Park without a visit to Lake Crescent. A warning: the lake is colder than your average hotel pool, but we still love swimming here! The gorgeous blue color will draw you in to sit and relax all day.

Lake Crescent Lodge is a good place to get food, drinks, and ice cream! Our favorite place on the lake is a dock that was clearly made for jumping into the water. Being surrounded by the Olympic Mountains while swimming in blue water is truly an unbeatable experience.

We also love to hike to Marymere Falls, a relatively flat and easy hike through old-growth forest until near the end, where you have to climb up for the good views. Marymere Falls feels like it could be home to a fairy; when you visit, you’ll understand why.

The Log Cabin Resort and Spruce Railroad are also in the Lake Crescent Area. There’s plenty to do when you hang out around Lake Crescent!

Continue West to Discover the Beauty of Sol Duc Valley

If you can peel yourself away from swimming in Lake Crescent, you’ll love discovering what we feel is one of the best areas of Olympic National Park. Sol Duc Falls is one of our favorite hikes in Olympic National Park and one of the best things you can see in the park.

We’ve tried to love the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, but it’s just not for us! Make sure you catch the full podcast episode to hear why.

The Ancient Groves Nature Trail is a quiet hiking trail in the Sol Duc area. The best time to visit Sol Duc River is September to see the Salmon making their way from the Pacific Ocean up the Salmon Cascades.

Calling All Twilight Lovers – Stop in Forks

If you are a big fan of the Twilight books and movies, you will love stopping in Forks before continuing your adventure. There are a few tours and points of interest through the town of Forks.

You can see props from the movie, like Bella’s wedding dress. The Quileute Tribe Reservation even has the treaty line marked!

In July, you can catch Quileute Days, where the tribe fries Salmon and celebrates their cultural heritage.

Staying in Forks is an ideal place to see all of Olympic National Park’s beaches. You’ll save yourself hours round trip by booking lodging in Forks instead of only staying in Port Angeles.

Beaches in Olympic National Park Are Unlike Anywhere Else in North America

You can head to the Pacific Ocean from Forks to see beaches and temperate rainforests. Rialto Beach is the closest to town and one of our favorite spots to see tide pools.

You’ll have to contend with the tide schedule. Timing your visit for low tide will give you the best experience.

Beyond Rialto Beach, you’ll hit First Beach, Second Beach, and Third Beach. First Beach is in La Push, which our Twilight fans will already know!

Further south, you’ll find Ruby Beach, Beach One, Beach Two, Beach Three, Beach Four, Beach Five, and Beach Six. We know it’s a little confusing! Make sure you pick up our Olympic National Park itinerary so you have all the details you need to plan a perfect trip.

Ruby Beach is our favorite place to see sea stacks against the sunset. For tide pooling, we love Beach Four. The tide pools are a short hike and full of sea stars and anemones.

Kalaloch Lodge is a great place to get food – we love the crab mac n cheese!

Hoh Rain Forest is a Must-See in the Pacific Northwest

What we love about Hoh Rainforest are the Cedars and the Douglas Firs that are thousands of years old. Because this rainforest gets 12 feet of rain a year, the trees are cloaked in carpets of moss. The Hall of Mosses Trail is less than a mile and a great way to see one of North America’s only temperate rain forests. This is one of the busiest spots in the park.

The Roosevelt elk live in the Hoh Rainforest and don’t migrate like other species. You might get lucky and spot one of these elk even in the winter months!

The Hoh River Trail takes off from this area and is worth it no matter how long you hike. The Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center is also worth checking out!

Lake Quinault Lodge and Quinault Rain Forest for One Last Stop

Draping carpets of moss and smaller trees make up the Quinault Rainforest. We love stopping here when we have time, but not everyone makes it this far into Olympic.

The South Shore Quinault Road takes you from the Quinault Rain Forest to the Lake Quinault Lodge. There are smaller, less-known areas here that are worth exploring if you want more adventure!

Thanks for exploring Olympic National Park with us today on the Exploring the National Parks Podcast. We look forward to seeing you out in the parks!

Don’t forget to complete your task for this week! In celebration of Ash’s love for Twilight, your task is to watch at least the first Twilight movie!

Links mentioned in this podcast episode:

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Exploring Olympic National Park – How to Plan the Best Trip