Olympic National Park: Everything You Need To Know
Olympic National Park is really different than other national parks. Encompassing nearly a million acres, you can experience rugged beaches, rain forests and snowy mountain peaks all in one day, even in July (when we went). It is one of just a few national parks that have been designated as World Heritage Sites. There are also no roads that cross the park and 95% of the park is wilderness. Therefore, visiting Olympic National Park is a game of time and distance between activities. But, once you get your bearings, you’ll be amazed at what this park has to offer.
Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington
How do I get there?
Seattle is the closest major city to Olympic National Park and the Seattle-Tacoma International airport is the closest international airport. From Seattle, the closest park entrance stations are either Heart o’the Hills towards the north (if you feel like taking the ferry) or Staircase towards the south.
If you take a look at the map, you’ll see that the only way through the park is around. There are five entrance stations to this park so you will have to go out and back to access each area of the park that you want to visit (only paying once).
If you are coming from Mount Rainier National Park, the closest park entrance station (Staircase) is about a 2.5 hours drive.
If you are coming from North Cascades National park, the closest park entrance station (Heart o’the Hills) is about a 2.5 hours drive.
Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington
Where do I stay?
Unlike many national parks, there are a ton of lodging options available in and around Olympic National Park. It is best to consult the National Park Service for the most up to date openings and closures when it comes to lodging and camping within the park as the situation with COVID is changing quickly and some lodging and campground sites are located on reservation land thus they follow reservation rules.
Because the park is so large, I would recommend staying the night somewhere that is in close proximity to the area that you want to explore the following day. We took one day to explore the east side of the park and then we headed west towards the coast for the night so that we could explore the Hoh Rainforest and beaches the following day.
We ended up staying in Forks, Washington (if you are a Twilight fan, then you already know) and it was a fantastic decision. We stayed at the Pacific Inn Motel and I can’t recommend this place enough (they did not pay me to write this, we just loved it that much!). They gave us recommendations on what to see, where to eat and what was closed in the park. I will write a full blog post on Forks soon, but getting to reacquaint myself with my Twilight nostalgia plus being centrally located to a bunch of activities was a super smart decision. It saved us a lot of time the following day.
Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington
How do I get around the area?
Olympic National Park has increased in popularity over the years (no doubt due to Instagram). Visitation to the park is busiest during the summer season and on weekends through early fall. During this time it is common for parking at popular trailheads to fill completely as well as parking for places like Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rainforest. I would recommend arriving at more popular park destinations by 8 AM as long wait times are common once parking fills up.
We arrived at the Hoh Rainforest just before 8 AM and by the time we left (which was around 9 AM), the parking lots were already full with cars circling.
Olympic National Park is different from many other national parks in that you pretty much need to have a vehicle to access the different areas of the park year-round. There are some other options, but they aren’t super convenient since the park is so large.
Kalaloch, Olympic National Park, Washington
What do I need for a day in the park?
Weather in Olympic National Park is variable and unpredictable, no matter the time of year. I feel like I say that about every national park, but Olympic is a bit different in that it experiences insane amounts of rainfall year-round - annual precipitation ranges from 100-170 inches on the west side of the park. In the winter that means massive snow dumps. Hurricane Ridge traditionally records 30-35 feet of snow a year. Plenty of snow sticks to the ground at higher elevations, even in July.
One thing that you absolutely need to bring regardless of the time of year is a rain jacket .
I would also recommend good hiking boots, sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
Resources within the park are few and far between. Make sure that you stop and fill up on gas, snacks and plenty of water before you enter the park. I would recommend a hydration system like a CamelBak. REI recommends that you should be drinking half a liter of water (2 cups) per hour of hiking, but we went through way more water than that on our unseasonably warm days in the park.
Elwha Valley, Olympic National Park, Washington
What do I absolutely have to see in the park?
If it’s your first time visiting the park or if you have limited time, you should focus on seeing the highlights of the park - Hoh Rainforest, Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, Rialto Beach and Kalaloch. This will take you plenty of time since Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge are on one side of the park with the Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach, and Kalaloch being on almost the opposite side.
Most of the above mentioned places involve somewhat light hiking. If you want to do some heavier day hiking, the park has a variety of trails depending on your skill level and the amount of time that you have to spend. I would recommend Sol Duc Falls Trail, Hole in the Wall (at Rialto Beach), Marymere Falls Trail and Hurricane Hill (at Hurricane Ridge).
For a more serious hike (which I have not and will not attempt - ha), Mount Storm King has been recommended to me by multiple people. It turns off from the Marymere Falls Trail, boasts a 2,000+ foot elevation gain, and after 2.5 miles is no longer maintained by the National Park Service. The views promise to be worth it.
We also wanted to check out the park as a whole, so we opted to take Highway 101 (the only route around the park) around almost the entirety of the park. Although it was a lot of driving, it was a really good way to see all that the park has to offer. If you didn’t stop, looping the entire park would probably take around 8 hours.
There you have it - a guide to Olympic National Park. Hope you have a great trip!
Safe travels,
V.
