Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is on the large Olympic Peninsula about an hour + west of Seattle. In this Park there are several breathtaking lakes, magical hiking trails, dramatic beach views, and a rainy rainforest! Pictured below is a beautifully drawn large-scale map which you can find in the Port Angeles Wharf. On this map you will see a green outline in the center of the peninsula and on the west-side Pacific beaches. These are the National Park borders. The second map is my Google map of most of these stops. One road on the Peninsula is your key to getting to each destination in this National Park, which locals call the “101 loop.”
Tips
What to Bring and How to Prepare
Given that part of this peninsula is one of the rainiest areas of America, my friends and I recommend you wear a baseball cap underneath your raincoat hood. This was the most comfortable way to explore in the rain.
Waterproof hiking boots or shoes are also a must-have along with tall hiking socks to shield your lower legs from mud.
Check the All Trails website for recent updates about the trail. I always read the comments to see what is needed as sometimes in the upper elevations you may need to rent snowshoes. These can be rented from an REI store.
Go to the Pacific beaches (west side of the Olympic peninsula) during LOW TIDE. This way you can safely walk onto the beach.
How Many Days to Explore?
It took us 4 days to fully explore this peninsula loop, but it is doable in 3 days if you pick your favorite spots. Keep in mind it takes about 10 hours to do the full loop with just driving around it. You can do it in a day or two but you won’t get the full Olympic experience. As always, I recommend getting to your key places earlier rather than later as it can get very crowded here in the summer months.
Cost
You do not need your America The Beautiful National Park Annual Pass ($90) or pay the $30 entrance fee (which lasts 7 days in the park) to do the 101 loop, but you will need it to jutt out of the main road to each of the key places in the Park.
Places to See
The locals recommend that you explore the peninsula in counter-clockwise order along the 101 loop. Below is what you should do in this fashion.
1) Lake Cushman
What to Do
At Lake Cushman is the Staircase Rapids Loop which is a 2.1 mile beautiful but easy looped hike in the southeast section of the Olympics. Follow signs for the rapids bridge which will continue you along the correct route about halfway through.
There are bathrooms at this trailhead, ample parking, and our favorite campsite that we found if you are interested in camping. The drive to here from the 101 loop goes around part of the lake and is a gorgeous drive. Just be warned that the road turns to a gravel and very bumpy road which is rough but doable.
History
The term “staircase” came from the 1890 O’Neil Expedition to explore the peninsula when Joseph O’Neil and his team made a cedar staircase to cross the rapids. This was replaced by trails in 1911.
Where to Eat
Urraco Coffee
Since the Staircase was our first stop, we went for coffee at Urraco Coffee Company on the way to the Olympic Peninsula in Shelton. This coffee shop was Amanda’s favorite chai tea latte. I loved this place since they roast their own coffee beans! If you follow along this route, this will be your last public restroom stop with plumbing for a while… Here they also have sandwiches and breakfast to-go.
2) Port Townsend
At the northeast point is an adorable historic town on the water called Port Townsend. This town has more than 300 Victorian-style homes in the Uptown section in this very small population town.
What to Do
We got here later in the day so all of the cute Downtown shops were closed. We did, however, enjoy dinner here (see below).
Where to Eat
Sirens Pub
Siren’s Pub was recommended by a local as a great place to go for beautiful views of the coastline. On a good day, you can see Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker from here! We enjoyed their salmon dish and the margarita :)
Other Places to Eat
Other restaurants that were recommended by locals were Fountain Cafe and Silverwater Cafe.
3) Sequim
Sequim (pronounced SQUIM) is one of the driest parts of western Washington, and is primarily known for its lavender fields.
What to Do
Mid-July every year is their annual Sequim Lavender Festival! There is a large festival near downtown Sequim. We decided to check out the farms instead for a less-crowded adventure. One of the best farms according to locals is the Purple Haze Lavender Farm. They had a great gift shop, lavender drinks and lavender ice cream. Another farm we went to was the Washington Lavender Farm. During the festival you couldn’t get close to the Mt. Vernon-look-a-like home but you could still see it from the gate. Here is a video showing the views of the George Washington Inn. We loved their lavender cookies and rhubarb lavender Italian ice.
Purple Haze Lavender Farm
Washington Lavender Farm
Purple Haze Lavender Farm
Washington Lavender Farm
4) Port Angeles
This is the closest town to Hurricane Ridge, so it makes for a good quick stop before heading up the mountain. This town also has a ferry that can take you to Victoria, B.C.
Where to Eat
Silver Lining Cafe
We stopped at Silver Lining Cafe for a good and quick coffee/chai with a great view.
5) Hurricane Ridge
This will be one of the highlights of your trip around the Olympic Peninsula, but only if you have nice weather. If it is raining in the lower elevations and clouded over, you won’t have a good view at the Ridge so it won’t be worth it to go up there. If you do go, even just getting to the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center is the most magnificent view. Their really good gift shop is in the basement of the Visitors’ Center. Hurricane Hill trail is one of the most jaw-dropping moments you will have in the Olympic National Park! It was highly recommended by locals. This trail was closed when we visited due to “mountain goat management” which is where they pick up goats with helicopters and fly them to another location (hahaha!). Instead of this trail, we did the Cirque Rim to Sunrise Point, which was also amazing (we followed signs for Klahhane Ridge but stopped at Sunrise Point). This all trails map isn’t exactly what we did as we started the trail from the Visitors’ Center and did the High Rim Trail to Sunrise Point.
6) Elwha Valley/Madison Falls
A very short and easy hike takes you to what Amanda describes as reminding her of being in Bali. Tall, majestic, and rainforest-like, you will get all the feels when you turn the corner on this hike! Near the parking lot is a horse farm.
7) Lake Crescent
What to Do
Devil’s Punchbowl Hike
When researching this destination, I saw a beautiful bridge hike called Devil’s Punchbowl. Hard to believe, but it is even better in-person. This 2.4 there-and-back easy hike starts out at the Spruce Railroad Trailhead parking lot. From here you will follow along a widely paved path to a railroad. Turn left at the railroad to a skinnier dirt path.
Rent Kayaks at Lake Crescent Lodge
#1 on my to-do list was to kayak at Lake Crescent. It gave us the time to really soak in the lake views and the insanely blue water! The Lodge is on the other side of the lake from the Devil’s Punchbowl hike. Even just driving around this lake gives stunning views!
Marymere Falls Trail
This magical but easy there-and-back hike can start from the trailhead parking lot (1.7 miles) or from the Lodge (2.1 miles).
Where to Eat
Lake Crescent Lodge’s Roosevelt Dining Room
This restaurant in the lodge has incredible views of the lake, and their menu looked delicious. It was recommended by locals to eat here. President Roosevelt stayed here in 1937, so the dining room was named after him.
Where to Stay
Lake Crescent Lodge
This historic lodge was built in 1926. You can stay in the lodge or in their cabins if it is in your budget! There are also lots of places to camp and other places to stay around the lake.
8) Soleduck Falls & Sol Duc Hot Springs
What to Do
Soleduck Falls hike
This easy hike is 1.6 miles there-and-back. This was the largest waterfall of the trip! The hike was beautiful as well. You will need about an hour for the hike.
Sol Duc Hot Springs
Be sure to bring your bathing suits so you can take a dip into the hot springs! It is first-come first-serve. We decided to come here first to book our ticket for the next time slot, then we went on the hike, and came back to soak in the Hot Springs after the hike. The time slots are in 1-2 hour increments until 9pm.
Where to Stay
Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort
We did not stay at this resort, but they have cabins here to rent.
9) Forks & La Push
If you are a fan of Twilight, Forks and La Push will satisfy your every desire! In Forks, they have a Twilight Museum, and on your way to La Push, there are signs to keep the vampires out!
What to Do
Rialto Beach
This beach makes you feel like you are in the La Push beach movie scenes. This was actually my favorite of the beaches as you have to climb over the driftwood to get to a stunning view.
Strawberry Bay Falls hike
This 2.8 mile there-and-back trail was moderately challenging for the many muddy spots we encountered. I recommend waterproof tall boots for this hike as we had to find a way around the deeper mud spots in this awfully wet wonderland. We made it to the beach after 1.4 miles, took some pictures, then turned around. You can keep going to Taylor Point but we had more to do on our itinerary, so we headed back.
Where to Eat
According to locals, River’s Edge Restaurant has the best view in town in La Push. But Blakeslees Bar & Grill has the best food.
10) Hoh Rainforest
When driving from the 101 loop to the rainforest, be sure to look for animals, as we spotted some elk! The main hikes we did here merged at the visitors center.
What to Do
Spruce Nature Trail Loop
This easy 1.4 mile loop was very pleasant. I was surprised by its beautiful trees and serenity by the river.
These trees grew on top of a log!
Hall of Mosses Trail Loop
This was the highlight of the rainforest! This 1.1 mile easy hike showed off some beautifully hairy trees. We even saw someone taking their wedding photos here!
11) Pacific Beaches
Ruby Beach
Ruby Beach is known as one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S. It offers spectacular scenery on the beach with dramatic cliffs. To get to the beach there is a short trail. I thought the best views were on this trail as you could see it from up above.
Tree of Life
At the Kalaloch campground parking lot (pronounced CLAY-LOCK), follow the signs for the beach trail. Once you hit the beach, head to the right, and you can’t miss it!
12) Lake Quinault
We stayed on Lake Quinault for our final evening on the Olympic Peninsula. It was so lovely to stay here and enjoy the amazing scenery on the lake.
What to Do
Merriman Falls
This may have been our favorite waterfall and there was no hiking involved! It is pretty spectacular that the massive waterfall is right off of the edge of the road, and yet it feels like a tropical paradise.
World’s Largest Sitka Spruce Tree
This short hike from the Rainforest Resort Village will take you to the World’s Largest Spruce Tree. It is unfathomable how large this tree is. See me at the base of the tree to put things into perspective!
Where to Eat
Salmon House Restaurant
A local recommended this restaurant, which is affiliated with the Rainforest Resort Village. I am not a fan of fish, but the pepper-jelly salmon dish was melt-in-your-mouth worthy and hit every taste-bud! This is well-worth a visit to order a carry out meal. We also ordered fish and chips which was also incredible. These two dishes were the best meals I had in Washington.
Where to Stay
Rainforest Resort Village
This affordable but scenic spot was our favorite hotel due to the amazing views right from our window, and for the price! For a more expensive, luxurious hotel, we recommend you stay at the Lake Quinault Lodge, which is close-by to the Rainforest Resort. Both have great views but the Rainforest Resort is more budget-friendly.
Lake Quinault Lodge
13) Pacific Beaches (Continued)
Ocean Shores
This built-up, busy beach has horseback riding on the beach! It was raining that day so we didn’t have the opportunity to partake, but I hope you do! This is the last thing you will do before you head to your next destination.
Itinerary Recommendation for the Olympic Peninsula
Day 1
Drive to the northeast side of the Olympics
Lake Cushman
Port Townsend
Stay overnight in Sequim
Day 2
Explore the north side of the Olympics
Port Angeles
Hurricane Ridge
Madison Falls
Stay overnight on Lake Crescent
Day 3
Explore the west side of the Olympics
Sol Duc
Forks
La Push
Hoh Rainforest
Pacific Beaches
Stay overnight on Lake Quinault