Is Olympic Open Year-Round? Weather, Hours, and Closures

Seeing Olympic National Park in person is a magical experience, but it’s important to plan your trip with the weather in mind. You may be wondering if Olympic is open year-round, what the weather will be like, or what will be open while you’re there.

Olympic is open 365 days per year, 24 hours per day. However, you should expect some closures in the off-season, especially from November to March.

If the roads are open, you can enter and exit the park as you please, even if the entrance stations aren’t open and collecting fees.

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My name is Ash, and I’m a former park ranger.  I have extensively explored Olympic National Park during many different times of the year, and I can’t wait to help you plan your trip!

I’ve got a ton of information for you about visiting Olympic year-round, including the hours, closures, and weather you can expect while you vacation in this spectacular national park. Let’s get started!

Is Olympic National Park Open Year-Round?

Olympic is open 365 days per year, 24 hours per day. This means that if you want to hike a trail at sunrise, you will be able to get in, and if you want to stargaze at 1 a.m., you’ll be able to get out. Open roads are not gated.

But it doesn’t mean that all of the activities and points of interest will be open for you at all times.

For example:

• Some visitor centers close or operate on shorter hours during the off-season.
• Entrance stations are not always staffed.
• Several campgrounds and lodges are closed during the winter months.
• Roads may temporarily close due to weather conditions or construction. 
• Trails may be closed due to construction or unsafe conditions.

Closures of this nature are common year-round, so let’s discuss what may be closed even if the park itself is open.

Operating Hours for Olympic National Park

Olympic Visitor Center Hours

You’ll find five visitor centers in Olympic National Park. If you’re in one of the park’s most popular areas, chances are there are park rangers nearby to answer your questions. However, not all of these visitor centers are open year-round.

The Olympic National Park Visitor Center is the main visitor center in the park, and it is located in Port Angeles. This visitor center is open daily year-round, with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hours can vary according to the season, but you’ll find history exhibits and a hands-on “Discovery Room” for kids here.

The Wilderness Information Center, also in Port Angeles, is a great place to get information and trip-planning advice. It is open daily year-round, but hours can vary with the changing seasons. You can get wilderness camping permits and bear canisters here.

The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center burnt down in May 2023. Plans to rebuild a new visitor center are underway, but it will likely be a year or two before a new center is available in this popular area of the park.

The Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center is located in the Hoh Rain Forest near the Hall of Mosses Trail, one of the most popular trails in the park. This visitor center is open daily during the summer months, Fridays through Sundays only during the off-season, and is completely closed in January and February.

The Kalaloch Ranger Station is open daily during the summer months and closed completely during the fall and winter months. When it is open, you can find visitor information and join a ranger on guided walks and talks along the Pacific coastline.

You can learn more about the visitor centers in the park, including current operating hours, here.

Ranger programs mainly run during July and August, but some programs do run during the off-season.

Olympic Entrance Station Hours

Olympic National Park has an entrance station in just about any direction you look – 12 total, in fact! The most popular entrance stations are the Heart O’ the Hills, Sol Duc, and the Hoh Rain Forest.

Heart O’ the Hills is located along the Hurricane Ridge Road, which is an extremely popular area. This entrance station is open daily during the summer months and typically stays open Friday-Sunday during the winter months.

Sol Duc is about 40 minutes west of Port Angeles and is accessed by turning off Highway 10. This entrance station is open year-round and is your official welcome to the Sol Duc Valley, where you’ll find hot springs and waterfalls.

The Hoh Entrance Station takes you to the Hoh Rain Forest, one of the only remaining temperate rainforests in the United States. This entrance is located on the west side of Olympic, about a two-hour drive from Port Angeles. This entrance station is open year-round. 

There are several other smaller roads that lead into primitive areas of Olympic, such as Elwha, Kalaloch, Ozette, Quinault, and Staircase. These entrances are typically not staffed as often because they lead to smaller, lesser-known areas of the park.

Entrance station hours vary and are not published. These stations will almost always be staffed early in the morning until late at night during the summer, with shorter hours during the spring, fall, and winter.

If an entrance station is staffed, you will be required to pay the park entrance fee before exploring Olympic’s main trails and viewpoints.

If the entrance station is not staffed, you can drive on through (as long as the roads are open).

Common Closures in Olympic National Park

Olympic Lodging Closures

Olympic has fifteen campgrounds! To choose which campground will best serve your needs, read all about camping in Olympic. Most campgrounds are open year-round, including Dosewallips, Graves Creek, Heart O’ the Hills, Kalaloch, Hoh, Mora, North Folk, Ozette, Queets, and Staircase. All other campgrounds open up in April or May and close at the end of September or October.

The most popular campgrounds in Olympic take reservations 6 months in advance, so if you have your heart set on a particular campground, be sure to book in advance!

You’ll find four lodges in the park, but Kalaloch is the only one that is open year-round. The rest are typically open from late spring through fall.

Reservations for the lodges open up 12 months in advance, and rooms get booked up quickly!

Common Road Closures in Olympic

Most roads in Olympic National Park stay open year-round! The status of roads ultimately comes down to weather conditions and construction projects, though, so it’s always best to check out the road conditions online or call 360-565-3131. The status is updated twice daily.

Some of the smaller side roads, like Staircase or Deer Park, close down in the winter due to snowy and unsafe conditions. But the main roads through the park stay open, weather permitting.

Hurricane Ridge is an extremely popular area in Olympic, so you’ll want to be aware of the seasonality of the road that leads up to this area. The Hurricane Ridge Road is typically open 24 hours a day from May through the end of November.

Outside of those months, the Hurricane Ridge Road is usually only open from Fridays to Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Keep in mind that winter storms can delay or close the opening of this road entirely. All vehicles are also required to carry tire chains during the winter season.

Common Trail Closures in Olympic

Most trails in Olympic open and close on the same schedule as the roads, so if the road is open, the trail should be open as well.

However, temporary closures are common due to construction projects or unsafe conditions. Aside from weather and construction-related closures, a trail might also close down for wildlife management. Past closures have included the Hurricane Hill Trail for a mountain goat management project, as well as recreational fishing closures to protect the hooking of wild steelhead in the Sol Duc area.

It is always best to check current conditions in Olympic before you go.

What is the Weather Like in Olympic?

Even though you can visit Olympic year-round, you’ll still find some drastic temperature swings in this park! You can find amazing things to see and do in Olympic at any time, but because the areas in the park are so different, the weather varies significantly between the seasons and locations within the park.

Take a look at the average highs and lows (in degrees Fahrenheit) and precipitation levels (in inches) at Olympic National Park:

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg High (F)	40	45	50	56	63	68	73	74	68	56	46	42
Avg Low (F)	31	32	34	37	42	46	49	50	47	41	35	32
Avg Snow (“)	7	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3
Avg Rain (“)	9	7	6	3	2	1	1	1	2	5	9	10

Winter Weather in Olympic

You can expect a lot of precipitation during the winter months in Olympic. Rainfall begins to pick up by October and doesn’t start to slow down until around April. Snowfall accumulations peak in January, which is why most of the closures you will see occur during those months.

The average temperatures for the park aren’t too terrible for exploring in the winter. You can expect them to drop into the low 30s and reach as high as 40 degrees. Remember that Olympic is a very diverse park, so the temperatures can vary more than what is listed above, especially as you climb higher in the park along the Hurricane Ridge Road.

Come prepared with winter adventure attire! Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, and tubing are popular in the Hurricane Ridge area. Storm watching along the Pacific Coast is also a unique experience you can look forward to during the winter.

Spring Weather in Olympic

Springtime in Olympic is the second-busiest time of year to visit and enjoy the park! The Hoh Rainforest is especially beautiful as the precipitation begins to decrease and the foliage is green and full.

Temperatures range from 30s to 60s in the spring, which is perfect for enjoying activities in the park. If you stay in the lower elevation areas of Olympic, such as Lake Crescent, Sol Duc, the Hoh, and the coastline, you can participate in some fun water activities such as kayaking, canoeing, and fishing. Whale watching is also very popular during the spring months in Olympic!

Summer Weather in Olympic

Summer is the busiest time to visit Olympic National Park. The precipitation levels decrease substantially in July and August, drying out the park’s trails and making it easier to explore!

Even though it’s summer, you might still want to bring a jacket. Temperatures still get as low as the mid-30s, and the highs typically only reach the low 70s.

This is great weather for hiking and camping. Tidepooling is another one of our favorite things to do as a family during the summer months in Olympic!

Autumn Weather in Olympic

If you want to avoid a rainy adventure, early fall is the last part of the year to enjoy the park when it is relatively rain-free. The rain starts to fall in October, but definitely by November, things start getting soggy! Fall temperatures can still be nice for exploring, with highs hovering near 50 degrees or so.

Whale watching is a popular fall activity along Olympic’s coastline, and the elk rut begins at this time as well. And, as an added bonus, you can also watch the spectacular show put on by the coho salmon as they make their dramatic upstream journey at Salmon Cascades.

So now you may be asking yourself, when is the best time to visit Olympic?

Now that you know you can visit Olympic year-round, click here to see my specific recommendations for the best times to visit Olympic.

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