With 4 distinct and remarkable ecosystems, there is so much to see and do when visiting Olympic National Park. From beaches to rainforests and old growth forests to mountains, the more time you have to spend in the park, the better. We packed a lot into our 4 days in the park, and honestly, that was probably our max. We were tired! There were some stops we missed a long the way, but the itinerary played out perfectly and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Day 1

We rented a car from the Seattle airport and started heading to the southern part of the park with the Kalaloch Lodge as our final destination for the evening. Our first are to explore was the Quinault Rain Forest area, which wasn’t mentioned in much of what I read to prepare for the trip. I definitely recommend adding this little slice of rainforest heaven onto your itinerary.

• Explore Quinault Rain Forest
  • Drive the 31 mile Quinault Rain Forest Loop around Lake Quinault, up the Quinault River into the Olympic National Park, and back around the other side. There are numerous stops along the way, including picnic areas, large trees, waterfalls, and trailheads.
  • First stop: hike the .5 mile Rain Forest Nature Loop Trail. The trail was a lovely first hike and included interpretive signs along the way that helped us learn about the ecosystem we were exploring.
  • Stop for a picnic lunch at the Lake Quinault Picnic Area.
  • Must see along the way: the World’s Largest Sitka Spruce that stands at 191 fee tall, 17 feet in diameter, and 55 feet, 7 inches in circumference.

• Beaches 1 & 2
  • After exploring the Quinault Rainforest area, we headed west towards the coast. Beaches 1 & 2 were the easy and logical next stops on the way to our lodgings. Trail access to these beaches is accessed from roadside pull offs. The trail to Beach 1 winds through the forest, down a set of stairs, over a creek, and then to a large accumulation of beach logs. We had to climb over a significant amount of driftwood logs to actually get to the beach. Once we climbed over the logs we were greeted by the most beautiful beach sitting on the Pacific Ocean and had the beach almost entirely to ourselves. Beach 2 is a short drive north from Beach 1. We didn’t take the trail down, but checked it out from the overlook.

• Kalaloch Ranger Station
  • Our next stop was the Kalaloch Ranger Station. Here, there is a whale skull and wooden canoe on display outside and exhibits and information located inside. We discussed our tide pooling plans with the ranger and she went over tide charts with us to help us make a plan for the next day. We also signed the kids up for the Junior Ranger and Ocean Steward program while we were here. If you don’t know about this program, definitely look into how to Become a Junior Ranger on your next National Park visit.
• Stay and Dinner at Kalaloch Lodge
  • The Kalaloch Lodge was absolute perfection for our stay. We stayed in Room 7 in the Main Lodge with a stunning view of the ocean. We had access to an onsite restaurant, gift shop, market, hiking trails, and outdoor yard games. This is where we had dinner our first night. We were seated at a table over looking the ocean and enjoyed a meal of clam chowder and fish and chips.

• Tree of Life
  • After dinner, we decided to take the short drive north to the Kalaloch Campground. Here is where we found the Tree of Life, a Sitka Spruce that is growing between two cliffs. Over time, erosion from a small stream has washed away the ground underneath it, leaving the root system completely exposed in a cave that has formed beneath it. It is truly a marvel of nature.

Day 2

• Breakfast at Kalaloch Lodge
• Rialto Beach
  • We made our tide pooling plan with the ranger the day before and decided to begin our hike at Rialto Beach 2 hours before low tide. This gave us plenty of time to make the 1.5 mile hike out to Hole-in-the-Wall to experience the sea-carved arch structure and and go tide pooling in the surrounding areas.
  • We learned that tidepools become exposed when the water is at low tide, but not all low tides are created equally. The ranger informed us that the best tidepooling is when there is a “minus tide”, or a tide that is lower than normal. We experienced a 0.00″ low tide and saw some of the most incredible things: green sea anemones, colorful sea stars, mollusks, and hermit crabs. We spent a very long time exploring.

• Picnic at Rialto Beach
• Ruby Beach
  • As we made our way back down the coast towards Kalaloch, we made a few stops along the way. We took the short trail to Ruby Beach which revealed a beautiful and rugged shoreline filled with sea stacks, large driftwood, and a stream that flowed from the coastal woods and emptied into the ocean. We had fun traversing logs over the creek and climbing in and out of the sea stacks.

• The Big Cedar Tree
  • Another stop on the way back to Kalaloch. The Big Cedar Tree is a nearly 1000-year-old western red cedar located between Ruby Beach and Fourth Beach. It is a short, easily accessible walk to the tree and then the trail continues on to a short quarter-mile trail that leads to a whole grove of ancient western red cedars.

• Stay and Dinner at Kalaloch Lodge
• Evening: Explore Lodge grounds and Kalaloch Beach

 

Day 3

• Breakfast on the Go
• Explore the Hoh Rainforest
  • The Hoh Rainforest is the most popular site at Olympic National Park, so we took off early to try to beat the crowds. We arrived at around 830 am and still found one of the last parking spots. The Hall of Mosses Trail was crowded with people, but the Spruce Nature trail was still stunning with less people. As we were leaving, traffic was backed up and people were waiting 1.5 hours to enter the rainforest. So, the advice is to arrive before 8 am or after 5 pm during peak times to avoid waiting.
  • The Hall of Mosses Trail is a .8 mile loop that winds through old growth forest and features a grove of maple trees draped with club moss. It is magical.
  • The Spruce Nature Trailis a 1.2 mile loop that goes through both old and new growth forest along the Taft Creek and the Hoh River.

• Picnic at La Poel Picnic Area on Lake Crescent
  • This was not on our original itinerary, but stopping at the La Poel Picnic Area was the perfect addition for an impromptu picnic lunch. The pull off for the picnic area was along the way to Marymere Falls. There were plenty of picnic tables nestled among the trees over looking Lake Crescent. Highly recommend!

• Marymere Falls 
  • As one of the most popular day hikes at Lake Crescent, the hike to Marymere Falls was busy at midday. It is .9 mile one way trail to Marymere Falls that goes through old growth forest to a 90-foot waterfall.

• Madison Falls
  • Visiting Madison Falls came recommended by the ranger at Marymere Falls. It was an easy stop on our way out of the park for the day.  The trail begins at the parking area located along The Elwha River. After taking in the river we started on the .1 mile, paved, gently sloping trail to the 60-foot waterfall.

• Stay and Explore Port Angeles
  • Stay at The Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles Harbor. The rooms were newly renovated and overlooked the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
  • Explore the Port Angeles Wharf.
  • Eat at Barhop Brewing & Artisan Pizza.

Day 4

• Breakfast On the Go
• Explore Hurricane Ridge
  • Hurricane Ridge is the mountain region of Olympic National Park and is a 45 minute drive up the mountain from Port Angeles.
  • There are a variety of trails to choose from and we opted to do the High Ridge Trail and Hurricane Hill.
    • High Ridge: Partially paved loop climbs to 360° views and a 0.1 mile dead end spur trail to Sunrise Point. 0.5 mile loop
    • Hurricane Hill: Paved trail climbs to a panoramic view of mountains and saltwater. 1.6 one way

• Visit Olympic Visitor Center
  • On our way out of the park we stopped at the Olympic Visitor Center to check it out, have our National Park Passport Book stamped and turn in our completed Junior Rangers Book.
  • We made sure we had our picture taken with the National Park sign.

Things to Know Before you Go

• Many of the National Park lodges fill up fast, so booking at least a year in advance is recommended.
• Buy your entrance pass in advance: While no advanced reservations were needed when we were there, you can buy your park entrance pass in advance.
• What to wear: think layers. The days started off chilly and then we warmed up as the day went on. T-shirts, fleece, and rain gear is recommended. Hiking boots were a must for traction and water shoes with traction were helpful when tide pooling.
• Cell service can be spotty so we had a map on us just in case.
• Restaurants and gas stations are limited, so plan ahead. We packed food in for breakfast and lunch and had our dinners at the lodge.
• There are water bottle filling stations everywhere.
• Leave No Trace. “Olympic belongs to all of us. It also belongs to future generations of Americans. In order to preserve Olympic’s wild character, protect its plants and wildlife and protect recreation opportunities, all of us should take care when traveling within Olympic.”