2 Days in Olympic National Park
- nicole elizabeth
- Apr 20
- 11 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
This past October, I checked a new national park off my list- Olympic National Park in Washington. This park is by far the most diverse park I've ever been to! Between the rainforests, mountain views, lake, etc., two days truly wasn't enough to see nearly as much as I would've liked. I feel like I was able to squeeze a lot in just two days, so here's my recommendations of how to make the most of two days in Olympic National Park.
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Table of Contents:
Overview of Olympic National Park:
Olympic National Park offers such diversity with a range of elevation and precipitation. The park is located on the Olympic Penninsula and became a National Park in 1938. Olympic covers about 1 million acres and contains 3 major ecosystems: The Pacific Coast (Rialto Beach, Ruby Beach, and Second Beach), Rainforests (Hoh Rainforest, Quinault Rainforst, Bogachiel Rainforest), and a mountain area (Hurricane Ridge and Mount Olympus). Most of the park can be access from highway 101, as there is no single road that goes through the park.
Preparing For Your Trip:
Just as with any National Park, the best time to visit depends on what you are looking for from your visit. If you plan to visit Olympic during the Winter months, you can expect the weather to be cold and snowy. Winter is a popular time to visit for Winter recreation activities in Hurricane Ridge, however, Hurricane Ridge Road is only open Fridays-Sundays during the Winter, weather permitting. Tire chains are typically required during the Winter months in this area. In the rainforest parts of the park, you can expect cooler temperatures with frequent rainfall. Similar to the rainforest regions of the park, visiting the coastal regions of the park will also have cooler temperatures; however, the beaches can be hazardous due to the high tides. During the Winter, you can expect limited access to facilities and the visitor centers, and some road closures depending on weather.
Visiting Olympic in the Spring will bring fewer crowds, flowing waterfalls, and active waterfalls. Due to the unpredictability of the Spring weather in this park, you may experience some parts of the park or roads being closed. In the Spring, the Hurricane Ridge area will most likely still be experiencing Winter conditions, and access is limited, with the road only being open Fridays-Sundays, weather permitting, until the Summer park schedule starts. The rainforest areas of the park will be wet, yet very green and lush. The coastal areas will most likely be chilly and windy with intermittent storms. The snow typically starts to melt in the park around May.
Summer in the park is peak season, officially starting on May 26th, with the best weather, least rain, and most access to the park, however, it is also the most crowded time to visit. Hurricane Ridge fully opens by late June, and the meadows are covered with wildflowers, with mild to warm temperatures. The rainforest area offer dry trails while still being lush and green with warmer temperatures. The coastal areas of the park have similar weather to the rainforest areas in the Summer, and offers the opportunity for beach camping with its low tides. During the Summer, you can also swim, kayak, and paddleboard on Lake Crescent.
I visited in the Fall, which I think was a great and underrated time to visit. We experienced very few crowds, and the weather was still great. We experienced mild temperatures and a little bit of rain on the second morning. In the Fall, Hurricane Ridge offers the opportunity to see fall foliage, although Hurricane Ridge Road may be closed in late Fall depending on snowfall. The rainforest areas of the park are misty and more on the golden side rather than lush green. The coastal areas of the park experience stormy weather but dramatic sunsets.
Like most national parks, Olympic costs $35 per vehicle for a day pass, or free if you have one of the annual or lifetime passes. These passes can all be purchased at the ranger station when you enter the park.
Having a car to get around Olympic is essential as there is no public transportation. The closest towns to Olympic are Forks and Port Angeles, and there is also a ferry option via the Bainbridge Ferry to access the park.
Weather can definitely be unpredictable in the park, and visitor centers and faciilties will open be open during the summer season. Make sure to plan ahead and pack layers as well as rain gear just in case!
Cell service within the park is extremely limited, so I recommend grabbing a park map from one of the ranger stations, or downloading an offline map to navigate throughout the park.
Day One: Mt. Storm King & Hoh Rainforest
The thing about Olympic is that there is a lot to do, but due to the different landscapes throughout the park, it can be a long drive from destination to destination. We tried to plan our days with what made the most sense driving and distance wise in order to minimze our drive times and maximize our time outside actually exploring the park.
Mt. Storm King:
Day one started with the Mt. Storm King Hike. This hike was truly not like any other hike I've ever done, and while it was very difficult, it was such a unique and interesting hike, which made it well worth it. The Mt. Storm King trailhead is located at the Storm King Ranger Station by Lake Crescent. This is definitely one of the more popular hikes in Olympic, and deservingly so! This is a 4.1-mile out-and-back hike with an elevation gain of 2,106 feet. The hike starts like any other normal mountain hike- a steep incline via switchbacks through a beautiful wooded area. However, the last mile or so is the kicker. After conquering the initial elevation gain, we were met with a series of ropes, which we had to hold onto to "pull" ourselves up the rest of the way. This was easily the most difficult part, but it made for a really interesting experience. After finishing the rope section of the hike, we were faced with a steep hike / climb up the rock formation in order to get to the actual viewpoint. This was the most nerve-wrecking part for me, but once we made it to the other side, we had such amazing views of the lake down below!
We enjoyed lunch overlooking the lake and hanging out with the birds that frequent the top of the mountain (they'll probably land on you at some point too, just a heads up!) Even though the birds will most likely approach you, remember not to feed them! In my opinion, coming back down the ropes was much harder than going up, but just remember to take it slow and you'll be fine! This is definitely more of a strenuous hike with the steep elevation gain, ropes, and rock scrambling at the end. I believe this hike took us about 4 hours or so, which includes the time we spent eating our lunch at the summit.
Hoh Rainforest:
Once we finished this hike, we had about a 1.5-hour drive to the Hoh Rainforest. The rainforest is located on the western side of the park, and while it is certainly worth a visit, it is a pretty far drive from many of the other popular spots in the park, so make sure to carve out some extra time if you plan to visit. You can access the rainforest via the Upper Hoh Road, and there is a visitor center located at the trailhead. We didn't mind the drive to the trailhead because the views on the drive there were constantly changing, and we got to see so much of the park by car, which was a nice break after the difficult hike we had just finished. When we got to the parking lot, we were instantly met with jungle-esque vibes, but the more we walked through the forest, the cooler it was. The Hoh Rainforest experiences 12-14 feet of rain a year, which is crazy! The most popular trail, and the trail that we did, was the Hall of Mosses Trail, a .8-mile loop trail that takes you through all of the moss-draped trees. This is also a popular area for seeing elk. In fact, when we first got there, since it was mating season, part of the trail was closed off due to a male elk that wouldn't leave the trail. I couldn't believe we were in a real rainforest; it literally felt like something out of a movie! This was such a cool stop, however, it does get pretty crowded!
Day Two: Rialto Beach, Sol Duc Falls, Marymere Falls, Devil's Punchbowl
Since we knew we were going to be doing a bit of driving on day 1, I tried to plan day 2 with everything within pretty close proximity of eachother. Due to this, we were able to do a little more this day.
Rialto Beach:
We started the morning off at the furthest point, Rialto Beach. There are several beaches along the coast of Olympic Penninsula, but this is probably the most popular due to the rock formation "Hole in the Wall". Rialto Beach is located about 20 minutes west of the town of Forks, and the trailhead is located at the end of Mora Road. This is also the road where the Olympic National Park sign is located for anybody who likes to take pictures with the sign. Walking along the beach, we saw giant sea stacks, so many driftwood logs, and tons of seagulls. The walk to "Hole in the Wall" rock formation is a little over 3.5 miles round-trip along the beach, and can best be seen at low tide. I did not have proper footwear on when we visited the beach, so I didn't venture over to that viewpoint, but my boyfriend did, and he said it was really cool to see! This was a great way to start the day, and seeing all of the rock structures along the walk was such a neat experience.
Sol Duc Falls:
From Rialto Beach, we took the 1.5-hour drive to Sol Duc Falls, our longest drive of the day. Sol Duc Falls is located in Sol Duc Valley, and the falls are accessible via the Sol Duc Falls Trailhead. The actual hike is a little under 2 miles round trip, and is an out-and-back trail. The hike takes you through the most covered woods to a set of 3 waterfalls. The hike is flat and easy, with an elevation gain of only about 300 feet, and the waterfalls are such a unique sight to see! I truly felt like I was transported into another rainforest here; the greenery and hanging moss surrounding us was amazing! The falls drop about 50 feet through a slot canyon, and the best viewpoint is from the wooden bridge right above the falls. Since this is a short, easy hike, it does get pretty crowded.
Marymere Falls:
After spending some time at Sol Duc Falls, we took the 50-minute drive to our next waterfall stop, Marymere Falls. This is another short, easy, out-and-back hike that leads to a neat little waterfall, much different than the first one we saw. The trailhead is located at the same trailhead as the Mt. Storm King hike, at the Storm King Ranger Station. The total hike was a little under 2 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 300 feet. Marymere Falls is about 90 feet tall, and the trees along the hike are so beautiful! I love waterfalls and loved that each one that we saw throughout our whole Washington trip was so different. Visit in the Spring for peak water flow! I recommend wearing good hiking shoes on this trail, as it can be a little slippery.
Devil's Punchbowl:
Our last stop of the day was Devil's Punchbowl, located only about 10 minutes from Marymere Falls. This is another pretty popular spot, especially during the Summer, and an easy destination to reach with a short hike. Devil's Punchbowl is located along Lake Crescent and is basically a little cove that contains turquoise-blue water and amazing views of the surrounding lake. From the East Beach Road Trailhead, we took the Spruce Railroad Trail, which was about a 2.5-mile, easy, out-and-back trail. The hike follows the shoreline of Lake Crescent for the first mile or so until you reach an old train tunnel. Once you reach the tunnel, there will be a dirt path branching off to the left, which is where you want to go to reach Devil's Punchbowl. During the summer, this is a popular swimming hole, but we went in October, so for us, it was just a neat spot to take in the views of the royal blue lake.
Where to Stay:
Olympic National Park is about 3-4 hours from the Seattle-Tacoma area, so I definitely recommend staying around the area of the park during your trip. There are two main towns near the northern part of the park, Forks and Port Angeles. These are both good towns to stay in to be close to much of Olympic. And for all of you Twilight fans, Forks is the setting of the Twilight saga! We personally stayed in Sequim, right outside of Port Angeles, at the Ocean Star Inn. We had a great experience here, it was a nice, clean spot with a great free breakfast and an amazing staff! We booked through booking.com ,which had plenty of options in and around both towns.
Where We Ate:
Westend Taproom Tip & Sip (70 A St SW, Forks, WA98331)
Barhop Brewing and Artisan Pizza (124 W Railroad Ave, Port Angeles, WA 98362)
Blissful Cup Co. (12412 116th Ave NE Kirkland, WA 98034)
Day Trip From Seattle
As I mentioned earlier, Olympic National Park is about 3-4 hours from Seattle, depending on which part you're staying in, so while it's not exactly super convenient, it is doable as a day trip, however, it's going to minimize what you're able to see in the park. Websites like Get Your Guide and Viator offer a couple of different options for excursions as a day trip from Seattle and websites like TripAdvisor offer a more detailed overview of some of the most popular sites in the park, as well as some additional hotel and restaurant recommendations. I definitely recommend utilizing one of these sites or something similar if you're planning a day trip from Seattle! There is a quicker option to reach the Olympic Penninsula from Seattle, which is by ferry. There are a few ferry options: The Seattle-Bainbridge ferry takes about 35 minutes and departs every 45-60 minutes. The Seattle-Bremerton ferry takes approximately 60 minutes, and departs every 60-90 minutes. The Edmonds-Kingston ferry takes about 30 minutes, and departs regularly throughout the day. Lastly, the Fauntleroy-Southworth ferry takes about 40 minutes, and departs regularly throughout the day as well. While none of these will take you directly into the park, they offer a much quicker option to travel to the Olympic Peninsula.
Final Thoughts & Highlights:
Olympic National Park was truly an amazing place to visit, and every new spot we stopped in the park made it feel like we were in a whole new park! This is definitely the most diverse park I've ever been to, and I'm glad we took the time to explore so much of it. My advice would be to wear sturdy hiking shoes, because even if a lot of the hikes aren't necessarily difficult, a lot of them are wet and can be slippery. Get to some of the more popular spots, like Sol Duc Falls and Hoh Rainforest early to avoid crowds. I also recommend keeping rain gear with you at all times while visiting this park, because the weather can change in an instant. My favorite part of the park, hands-down was the Mt. Storm King hike, but I truly did love everything I saw here. Thanks for reading, and remember, there's always more to be explored
-nicole elizabeth
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