The Olympic National Park, Washington State, USA. UNESCO Status
*All work including photos and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the must see Tourism video, freely available on Youtube.
As there is a short summer window to do this trip, hotels fill up fast and I recommend booking 6- 10 months in advance to get affordable prices on flights and hotels.
The Olympic National Park is a very rugged and wild, beautiful park. This park encompasses a million acres!! It doesn't get and stay this green without rainfall though and it gets a lot of that. The wettest place in the US! There is even a rain forest here. However it does mean it has the lowest risk of wildfires of the parks in Washington State. You do still need to obey fire regulations though. The park itself features different ecosystems from the glacier clad Olympic mountains to the stunning rugged coastline, to the salmon rich rivers. This park is very popular with hikers and climbers. There are small towns and villages set on the edge of the park that Twilight fans will recognise, such as Forks and Port Angeles. There are native American settlements too.
This park has the longest undeveloped coastline in the US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. It really is a special place.
This park has the longest undeveloped coastline in the US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. It really is a special place.
The places I recommend visiting are:
Port Gamble which is a cute little town not far from the ferry port to Seattle. Photo below. I recommend stopping here for a snack and a stroll. We all enjoyed a stop in this picturesque town. Port Townsend is nice too.
Port Gamble which is a cute little town not far from the ferry port to Seattle. Photo below. I recommend stopping here for a snack and a stroll. We all enjoyed a stop in this picturesque town. Port Townsend is nice too.
Port Angeles, the largest town, with ferry services to Victoria in Canada and other parts of Washington State.
La Push and First beach, Home to members of the Quileute Native American tribe. We felt sorry for them as they seem to now be living in a tiny corner of their land relying on fishing for an income. The beaches here have a very rugged natural beauty, but are not generally warm enough to swim in.
Forks, where we stayed was interesting with the Twilight theme that I enjoyed! The Twilight saga really put this town on the map. Although most of the films were not filmed here, just some scenic shots, they were filmed in Oregon and Vancouver, the author did come here and write her books based on this town and surrounding area and describes them as they are in her books.
Kalaloch beach, is a beautiful beach, photo below and had accommodation there which looked nice. We did see a black bear nearby though when we were here. This beach along with Ruby and Rialto beaches are great places for photographers. The sea here contains bioluminescence and photographers can get a great shot at the beaches at night with the milky way and bioluminescence visible in the summer. There is a tree at Kalaloch beach called the tree of life as it clings on between two rocks.
The Hoh Rainforest, This is spectacular and a must see place in the park!! Make sure you bring waterproof clothing though as of course it does rain a lot. The moss cladden trees were just breath taking!
Hurricaine Ridge is the most popular viewpoint.
Port Townsend is also a popular and beautiful place to visit as well.
Hiking in the Olympic National Park
There is something for everyone here, even a boarded walk in the rain forest suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. If you are hiking away from the roads you will need proper survival kits and clothing as this is a wild place, which is huge and very easy to get lost in. You will need bear spray as there are lots of black bears here. You may also see Roosevelt Elk, Olympic marmots (found no where else in the world!), bobcats, otters, deer, mountain goats, porcupines, beavers, hares, foxes, bats, coyotes, wolves, raccoons, bald Eagles, Sea lions, Grey whales, Orca whales and Salmon.
Best hikes
- Hurricane Ridge for the best views.
- Mount storm King.
-Hoh river trail.
- Rialto beach
- Marymere Falls
- Sol Duc
Below is beautiful Lake Crescent.
Best hikes
- Hurricane Ridge for the best views.
- Mount storm King.
-Hoh river trail.
- Rialto beach
- Marymere Falls
- Sol Duc
Below is beautiful Lake Crescent.
The best time of year to visit is May- October. July and August will be the warmest and driest with all roads and trails open, so obviously the busiest time too. Book well ahead for summer accommodation.
It rarely gets hot here though, it's unusual to get above 70F on a summer afternoon, so perfect hiking weather. There are still lots to see in spring and autumn as the rain forest is open all year, but check the roads are open before setting off in case of snow.
To get there from Seattle you can drive south past Olympia and head north at Montesano ( We stopped for coffee here) to highway 101 north, which takes just under 4 hours to get to Hoh rainforest and then we continued along highway 101 north and east and returned to Seattle on the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds after stopping overnight in Forks. Edmonds is a nice town to stop for dinner. Do look out for Orcas whilst on the ferry as they are sometimes in this area. This was a beautiful road trip as well as lots of nice places to stop and walk some trails.
Below I was posing outside the fictional Jacob Black's house from Twilight in La Push. it is actually a vacation rental for tourists now.
It rarely gets hot here though, it's unusual to get above 70F on a summer afternoon, so perfect hiking weather. There are still lots to see in spring and autumn as the rain forest is open all year, but check the roads are open before setting off in case of snow.
To get there from Seattle you can drive south past Olympia and head north at Montesano ( We stopped for coffee here) to highway 101 north, which takes just under 4 hours to get to Hoh rainforest and then we continued along highway 101 north and east and returned to Seattle on the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds after stopping overnight in Forks. Edmonds is a nice town to stop for dinner. Do look out for Orcas whilst on the ferry as they are sometimes in this area. This was a beautiful road trip as well as lots of nice places to stop and walk some trails.
Below I was posing outside the fictional Jacob Black's house from Twilight in La Push. it is actually a vacation rental for tourists now.
For more information on the Olympic National Park including current closures please check out their official site.
Take a look at this website for accommodation too in the park. You can also stay in the towns of Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Forks.
Take a look at this website for accommodation too in the park. You can also stay in the towns of Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Forks.
Other National parks to combine with this Park.
Mount Rainier National Park 161 miles
North Cascades National Park 167 miles
Glacier National Park 670 miles
Yellowstone National Park 906 miles
Yosemite National Park 911 miles