Olympic National Park is a wonderland of diverse ecosystems. Here you can see glacier-capped mountains, stroll through old-growth temperate rainforests dripping with moss, and admire sculpted driftwood along the Pacific coastline. We spent three perfect days in August hiking in this vast wilderness.
Day 1 | Hurricane Ridge & Lake Crescent Hikes
Hike Mount Angeles via Hurricane Ridge Trail
For our first hike in Olympic National Park, we headed to the popular Hurricane Ridge area of the park. When we set out around 6am some sunrise seekers were headed back to their cars, but we then saw no one else on trail. Only deer! The trail began with a climb through the woods and past some ski infrastructure. Interestingly, this is one of the last lift-served ski and snowboard areas inside a U.S. National Park. We emerged from the trees onto a bare ridgeline where the views already proved to be fantastic with panoramic mountain scenery.
At about 2.5 miles into our hike, we came to a fork in the trail. Hiking to this point would be a great day in and of itself, but we veered left to head to the summit of Mount Angeles. The trail’s incline sharply increased and we climbed through meadows and subalpine forest before reaching the scree-strewn slopes of the mountain. The scramble up the rock and scree to the summit was no joke. Laughably, even with our map we had trouble finding the actual summit. It seemed to be just above us…but how to get there? Undeterred, Mike found a way up to the top, then coached me through what was at this point a rock climb. Yikes!
But was 100% percent worth it! 360-degree views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada to the north, Mount Olympus and glaciers to the south. Stunning.
After relaxing on the summit and soaking in the views, we very carefully made our way down. We saw tons of people on the ridgeline trail on our way back to the car, enjoying a wonderful day out in the mountains. It took us 4 hours and 20 minutes to hike the 6.26 miles and 2,280 feet of elevation gain on this trail.
Need to Know
- Fees: Olympic National Park charges a fee to enter. It is $30 per vehicle. If you will be visiting several national parks or national historic sites in a year, we highly recommend purchasing the $80 America the Beautiful Pass which is accepted at Olympic National Park.
- Parking: There is a large parking area near the trailhead at Hurricane Ridge.
- Pro tip!: Though there are a lot parking spots, they can fill quickly during peak visitation times. When the parking area at Hurricane Ridge reaches capacity, traffic is metered at the entrance station at Heart O’ the Hills, and vehicles can only enter as others exit. Visit early in the morning to avoid a wait. Alternatively, there is a special bus route in the summer from downtown Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge.
Hike Mount Storm King & Marymere Falls
Mount Storm King and Marymere Falls are two popular hikes near Lake Crescent that can easily be connected as the trailhead and first 1/2-mile of trail are shared. Before heading all the way to the falls, we elected to hike the somewhat punishing trail to Mount Storm King. The trail began with a set of steep switchbacks through a forest of giant evergreens. As we climbed we were treated to peek-a-boo views of the deep blue waters of Lake Crescent below. Eventually we reached a sign marking the end of the maintained trail.
From here, the trail is quite rough and exposed. There are a set of ropes (not installed by the park service) to aid you as you climb. Mercifully, a pile of used gloves awaited us at the bottom. We each took a pair and made our way up the ropes which were really helpful going up and down and frankly less scary than doing the scramble un-aided.
The summit is a rocky outcropping perched high above Lake Crescent. The views of the lake surrounded by lush green trees and the water of the strait beyond were well worth the effort.
Once again carefully making our way down, we arrived at the trail junction for Marymere Falls. This flat, easy trail was a walk in the park (literally!) after our climb to Mount Storm King. The trail wound through an old-growth forest filled with towering conifers and maples, along the peaceful bubbling Barnes and Falls Creeks.
The trail culminated at a loop, offering two viewpoints: a lower platform provides a view directly opposite the base of the 90-foot-high waterfall, and the other is on the hillside looking down on the falls as they plunge through a notch in the cliff. Despite being so short and easy, the trail to Marymere Falls ended up being one of our favorites in Olympic. Our hike took 3 hours and 20 minutes covering 5.2 miles and 2,360 feet of elevation gain.
Need to Know
- Fees: Olympic National Park charges a fee to enter. It is $30 per vehicle. If you will be visiting several national parks or national historic sites in a year, we highly recommend purchasing the $80 America the Beautiful Pass which is accepted at Olympic National Park.
- Parking: There is a medium-sized parking lot at the Storm King Ranger Station which can fill around midday.
- Take note: The last 1/4 mile of the Mount Storm King trail is not maintained by the park service and involves a steep rocky trail with a series of ropes to aid hikers’ ascents and descents. To continue to the end of the trail, you should be comfortable with a moderate amount of scrambling.
Overnight in Port Angeles
We stayed at an Airbnb on Front Street, right in downtown Port Angeles. This location was within easy driving distance of hiking in the area.
Day 2 | Hike the High Divide Loop
Hike High Divide and Seven Lakes Basin Loop
The High Divide and Seven Lakes Basin Loop is popular as a multi-day backpacking trip, but can be completed as a long day hike, which is what we did. This trail combines the highlights of Sol Duc Falls, Heart Lake and views of Mount Olympus, Blue Glacier, Hoh River and the Seven Lakes Basin cementing it as one of our favorite day hikes ever.
The trail wound through forest with trees that made us feel impossibly small in the best way possible. We marveled at Sol Duc Falls and the surrounding, Jurassic-like ferns before arriving at Deer Lake. From here, we were on the High Divide Trail. Under clear blue skies we couldn’t stop gawking at the distant glacier-laden mountains. We even saw a bear foraging on the green slopes far below.
The Seven Lakes Basin portion of the trail was another delight, with blue and turquoise waters shimmering below. Funnily enough, despite the name, over eight lakes dot the subalpine basin. We enjoyed our lunch overlooking one such lake, in wonder at the awe-inspiring beauty.
Although the trail is fairly popular and we visited on a Saturday, we were pleasantly surprised at how much solitude we encountered. This is likely due to the differing pace of backpacking groups and the fact that many others out on a day trip were trail runners who blew by us at a blistering pace. Every other fellow hiker/runner we encountered was so friendly and were a big part of the loveliness of the day. We completed the loop heading down through the forest and along the Sol Duc River. Despite its length, as experienced hikers we felt this loop was easily achievable in a day. It took us 10 hours, clocking in at 19 miles and 4,880 feet of elevation gain. Note: We did not detour down to any lakes that were not directly on trail.
Need to Know
- Fees: Olympic National Park charges a fee to enter. It is $30 per vehicle. If you will be visiting several national parks or national historic sites in a year, we highly recommend purchasing the $80 America the Beautiful Pass which is accepted at Olympic National Park.
- Parking: There is a large parking area at the Sol Duc Falls trailhead, but this can fill quickly due to the popularity of that trail and the fact that backpackers will be parked overnight. Arrive early to find a spot.
Overnight in Forks, WA
We stayed at the Pacific Inn Motel in downtown Forks. We had a great experience with a clean and comfortable room, within easy walking distance of restaurants.
We ate dinner at Westend Taproom Tip & Sip which had delicious beer and tasty paninis. The next morning we snagged the most delicious coffee and breakfast sandwiches from the drive-thru coffee stand Mocha Motion.
If you’re a fan of the Twilight series, don’t miss the Native to Twilight store downtown. You can pick up merch and take fun pictures!
Day 3 | Explore the Coastline
Hike to Hole-in-the-Wall from Rialto Beach
A hike along Rialto Beach to Hole-in-the-Wall guarantees a trip past huge sun-bleached logs amidst smooth, round pebbles. The morning we visited the coastline was encased in a thick mist, giving the whole area an eerie, deserted feeling.
There is no real trail as you simply hike along the beach until it seems you can go no further (just under 2 miles). It was approaching high tide when we were there, so getting to the “hole-in-the-wall” involved some serious rock scrambling. I wasn’t up for it, but Mike made the climb along the overland trail above the arch and snapped some awesome pictures high above the beach and of the rocky arch itself. This trail was easy and fun and we explored for about 1.5 hours, walking the flat, 3.5 miles of beach.
Need to Know
- Fees: Olympic National Park charges a fee to enter. It is $30 per vehicle. If you will be visiting several national parks or national historic sites in a year, we highly recommend purchasing the $80 America the Beautiful Pass which is accepted at Olympic National Park.
- Parking: The parking area at Rialto Beach was quite small and can fill early.
- Check the tide charts!: Ideally you want to do this hike at low tide so you have a beach path to walk along. Tides change every day and there are typically 2 high and 2 low tides per day. For tide information to help plan your hike, check out NOAA tide predictions.
Hike Second Beach
Access to Second Beach is a bit more interesting than some of the other beaches we visited because you must first walk through a small forest. You then descend to the beach via a set of switchbacked stairs (which can be slippery!). Once we arrived, through the still-heavy mist we got glimpses of the seastacks this portion of the coast is known for. A highlight here for us were the tidepools. We found several that were filled with colorful starfish and sea urchins.
Second Beach is a popular camping spot, but here too we didn’t see too many other people out and about. We explored for just over an hour and wandered around for nearly 3 miles. There is no set path, so we recommend setting out for whatever area piques your interest. Due to the somewhat steep climb out of the coastline, this hike did have about 330 feet of elevation gain.
Need to Know
- Fees: Olympic National Park charges a fee to enter. It is $30 per vehicle. If you will be visiting several national parks or national historic sites in a year, we highly recommend purchasing the $80 America the Beautiful Pass which is accepted at Olympic National Park.
- Parking: There is a very small paved lot, but if that is full you can continue driving into a larger overflow, unpaved, lot with plenty of spots.
Visit Ruby Beach
The last stop of our tour of Olympic beaches was Ruby Beach. We did less exploring here because it was more of the same scenery and the most crowded beach we visited. On the bright side, the mist had finally cleared out giving way to blue skies, making this the perfect spot to stop for a picnic lunch on one of the logs.
The trail winds from the parking area down to the beach where it meets Cedar Creek, requiring hikers to navigate over driftwood to reach the beach itself. We had fun admiring the seastacks here too, as well as the driftwood that accumulated across the sand and pebbles.
Need to Know
- Fees: Olympic National Park charges a fee to enter. It is $30 per vehicle. If you will be visiting several national parks or national historic sites in a year, we highly recommend purchasing the $80 America the Beautiful Pass which is accepted at Olympic National Park.
- Parking: Ruby Beach has a large parking area. We arrived midday and had to park fairly far from the beach, but it was an easy walk.
Overnight in Olympia, WA
We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Olympia. We had a really nice experience with a clean and comfortable room, and free parking. Restaurants and local activities were just a short drive away.
We enjoyed beer and burgers at Well 80 Brewhouse, a brewery and brewpub built on the site of one of Olympia, Washington’s famous Artesian wells.
How to Extend Your Time in Olympic National Park
There were several hikes and areas of Olympic National Park we wanted to explore but weren’t able to due to time constraints and closures as a result of fire activity. These include:
- Hiking the Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rain Forest area of the park. This area is supposed to be positively dripping with lush moss but we couldn’t justify the long drive just for this short 1-mile hike. We also felt that trails like those to Marymere Falls and Sol Duc gave us mossy highlights.
- A wildfire closed the Staircase Rapids area of the park during our visit, but we would have loved to hike the 2-mile loop through old-growth forest and along the river.
- We were also keen to summit Mount Ellinor, but access was closed due to wildfire. This 6-mile trail is supposed to have phenomenal views of the surrounding mountains and the Puget Sound.
