Snapshot Planning Your VisitWhen we visited the park We visited the park in August, and it was a great time to go to the Olympic Peninsula. The temperature was perfect, cool in the morning and warmer in the afternoon. Summer is a great time to explore the different parts of this national park, however, you need to prepare for the crowds of people. The park draws big crowds, but there are so many amazing places on the peninsula that you could go and experience similar things, with less people around.  weather-us.com Things to Consider 1. The first thing to know is, the size of this park is one of the largest we have been to, but there are no roads that take you through the whole park. You have to drive around large portions of the park and drive a one way road into those areas, and then leave the same way. You truly need a week to see everything this park has to offer. 3 days is not enough!!! 2. There are so many lodging options on the Olympic Peninsula that are amazing, as well as some of the historic lodges within the park. You probably need to plan on at least two different lodging options to try to cut down on driving times, then plan your activities accordingly. 3. Popular areas of the park can draw big crowds and large wait times. For popular areas (like Hoh Rainforest) either go early or go later in the day. We drove all the way to Hoh Rainforest, and were met with a 50 minute wait to get through the gated entrance. It didn't make sense for us to turn around and drive back at that point, then try to come back at a later time. So careful planning is important here! 4. Sol Duc Falls Trail was our favorite thing we did there. If you don't have time for the Hoh Rainforest, this is a wonderful alternative. There are also hot springs at the resort here, and a wonderful way to unwind and relax after a day of hiking. 5. Cape Flattery is the northernmost point on the west coast in the contiguous US. It is on Indigenous lands of the Makah Tribe. There is a $20 daily fee to access these lands. This was a beautiful part of the Olympic Peninsula. It was about a mile hike to the lookouts through a beautiful forest area. I highly recommend building in time for this. We then drove about 5 miles south to Shi Shi Beach, still on Makah lands. It was a beautiful sandy beach, which was very different than Rigalato Beach. The kids played here for awhile, even with the cold Pacific waters.  How to Get There There are multiple ways to get on or off the peninsula, either driving or by ferry. We drove from Olympia north on 101 on the east side of the peninsula. We then continued to follow 101 to the west side of the peninsula along the ocean. There different areas of the park are all labeled clearly, so getting around without GPS is possible if you know the main highway. We left the peninsula by taking a ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville. You are also able to access the peninsula from Canada, through Victoria on Vancouver Island. Additional Maps Provided by the Park  Juan de Fuca Cottages Where to Stay Inside the Park Lake Crescent Lodge This lodge is located along the shores of Lake Crescent and near many hiking trails and water activities. This historic lodge offers different rooms, cabins, and cottages based on your needs. This is a popular area of the park, so make reservations early for lodging. Depending on the type of lodging you need, room rates will range from $193-$460 dollars. Log Cabin Resort (Lake Crescent) This resort is more private and located on the far west side of Lake Crescent in a quieter area of park. You will enjoy a smaller setting on this property along the lake, with a variety of lodge or cabins available for rent. Depending on the type of cabin you are looking for, it will cost between $112-$378 a night to stay here. Lake Quinault Lodge This lodge is located in the south of the park, about halfway between the coast and staircase sections of the park. There are a variety of rooms available, ranging in price from $189-$254 a night. The lodge is on the shores of Lake Quinault, so there are plenty of water activities and hiking for everyone. There is also an onsite restaurant. Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort This lodge is located in Sol Duc Valley, and is a place to escape and rest without wifi, tv, or other screens to distract you. There is wonderful hiking in the area, places to watch salmon swim the river, and the amazing hot springs to relax in. We stayed one night in a cabin here, and it was a quiet night, relaxing in the hot springs and sitting on the cabin porch watching the stars. It will range $281-$505 a night to rent a cabin here, which will give you access to the hot springs and the lodge store. Kalaloch Lodge (coast) This lodge is located in the southwest part of the park, right on the coast. This beautiful setting has a main lodge and cabins that can fit up to seven people. The lodge is located near hiking, tide pools, and beaches to explore during your stay. If you are wanting to see Ruby Beach or the Tree of Life, this would be a great lodging options for those activities. A nights stay can range from $350-$515 dollars a night, depending on the type of lodging you are needing. Outside the Park Forks, WA If you are looking for a place to stay, close to the cost, Forks is a good option. It has several lodging options, restaurants, and a grocery store. It also has all the Twilight fandom stops to see. It is near Mora, WA and Rialto Beach if you plan to spend time on the coast. Use the Forks link below to see lodging options here. Port Angeles, WA This is the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula, with the most options for shopping, activities, lodging, and other amenities. It is also where the main visitor center is located and how you access Hurricane Ridge. Located on the north end of the Peninsula, you can take a ferry here to get to Vancouver Island, and across the Inlet to Washington. We stayed one night just outside of Port Washington at Wonder Camp. Wonder Camp We camped one night in the rainforest, about 20 minutes outside of Port Angeles. It was a fun night for us, and if you are looking for a unique experience, this is it. This glamping site provides lights, beds, linens, and restrooms and showers on the property. It is a great alternative for those who don't have easy access to camping necessities. Sequim, WA Another place you could stay on the Olympic Peninsula is Sequim (pronounced squim) on the northwest side of the peninsula. It is a smaller community, east of Port Angeles, and we felt very comfortable in this community. We stayed at a resort on the coast. We loved this lodging because of the warm and welcoming owner, accomodations, and grounds. We would recommend it to anyone. Juan de Fuca Cottages This property has ocean access across the street, hiking trails, independent cottages, sunset views from the hot tubs, games, and plenty of other amenities while staying there. The owner was so accommodating and courteous. We stayed in the Lavender Room, and it was perfect with ocean views and comfort.  Wonder Camp - Olympic Camping Fairholme Campground This 84-site campground is located on the far west side of Lake Crescent. It is open from May to September, and reservations are highly recommended. It costs $24/night to reserve a site. There are some sites that are walk-in sites along the lake. The campground has drinking water and toilets available. There are no showers, and the nearest gas station is 17 miles away. RVs are able to stay here, but there are no hook ups available. This is located near many activities along Lake Crescent, such as, hiking, boating, swimming, kayaking, and more. Hoh Rainforest Campground This 72-site campground is located in the very popular Hoh Rainforest section of the park. Entry ot this part of the park can be limited and wait times may be up to two hours to get through the gates. They do limit the amount of cars allowed in the area during peak times. This campground is open from June to September and costs $24/night to rent a site. This campground is located closer to the coast on the west side of the peninsula. The campground has drinking water and toilets. There are no hook ups for RVs at this campground, but it can accommodate RVs. Kalaloch Campground This 160-site campground is located on the southern coast of the park, so prepare for fog, wind, and coastal weather conditions. The campground is open May through September and cost $24/night to reserve a site. Reserve rations are highly recommended here. There is drinking water and toilets available here, along with RV dump stations. There are no hook ups here. Mora Campground This 94-site campground is located on the centrally on the coast, nearest to Forks, WA. This campground is located just 2-miles away from Rialto Beach, and hiking the beach, tidepooling, or finding Hole-in-the-Wall at low tide are great activities near this campground. The campground is open from May to September and costs $24/night to reserve a site. There is drinking water, toilets, and RV dump stations available. No electrical hookups are available at campsites. Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort Campground This 99-site campground is located more centrally in the park in th Sol Duc Valley. This campground is open March through October and costs $33 for nonelectric site and %55-58 per night for an RV site. There are limited hook ups at this campground, drinking water, and toilets available here. This location offers plenty to do, including hiking, watching salmon, swimming in the hot springs, and enjoying the restaurant at the lodge. Staircase Campground This 49-site campground is located in the far southeast corner of the park. The campground is open May through September and costs $24/night to reserve a site. This is a more remote campground, located along the Skokomish River with plenty of hiking and exploring to be done here.   Juan du Fuca Cottage's Property What We Did Day 1 The first day we spent part of our time driving up the east side of the peninsula. Although, this isn't technically part of the national park, there is so much to see along this beautiful scenic drive. There are small communities along the way, and I would highly recommend stopping at the Oyster Saloon in Lilliwaup (they literally have mountains of oyster shells) and get some fresh seafood. We stopped at Duckabush River, on the east edge of Olympic National park. We followed the extension road through the forest to find the trailhead for Murhut Falls. This hike is definitely worth the stop! There isn't a clear parking lot here, but there is space to pull off the unpaved road to park by the trailhead. It is about a mile hike to the waterfall, but it is on a well-groomed trail through the forest. There were a few other people on the trail, but we had our own space for most of the hike. It is also animal friendly, and many other people had their dogs with them. When you get to the waterfall, there is an overlook you can hike up to, or you can follow the trail down to get closer to the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. It would be an easy spot to take a dip if you needed to cool off. After our hike back to the car, we had just over a two hour drive to get to Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. This part of the park is one of the unique biomes in Olympic, known for the alpine views. This visitor center is a great stopping point, and will help guide you through some of the different parts of the park. We walked around and viewed some of the beautiful lookouts, looking towards the Straits of Juan du Fuca and Mt. Olympus. This was a short visit, but a great hiking trail here is Cirque Rim Trail to Sunrise Viewpoint and PJ Lake Trail. If you are looking for something a little longer, Hurricane Hill looks like a beautiful hiking trail. After a long day in the car and exploring, we headed to our lodging at Juan du Fuca Cottages in Sequim, WA. A family run business, the owners are attentive, courteous, and thoughtful. There are a variety of cottages available to rent, and most have a hot tub available to use. We rented the Lavender Cottage. There was a king-sized bed, futon, full kitchen, and dining area. The best part was that there was a hot tub with views of Juan DU Fuca Strait from the patio. We watched the sunset from the hot tub, and then turned in for a movie. There is a collection of over 200 movies and snacks available in the office area, which you have access to 24/7. While we were there, we had dinner at the "Best Black Bear Diner" in America, and stopped by the music in the park event they had going on. We also walked the shoreline at low tide and checked out the tidepools. The kids found clams, crabs, and seashells while exploring. The cottages have a private beach area, directly across the road from their property. You have access to it with the cottage key, and it is worth a stop!
 Olympic National Park Visitor Center Day 2 The next morning, we woke up and drove to Kingston, WA (about 45 minutes away) to pick up my husband from the ferry. We then headed into the park from Port Angeles. We went directly to the main Olympic National Park Visitor Center and entrance sign. There we spoke with a local that recommended going to the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, for some beautiful natural art, both inside and outside in the gardens. We decide to move on to the next thing, but it is something we would explore on a return visit. We headed to Lake Crescent and explored the lakeshores a little bit. We loaded up with some water and snacks at the resort on Lake Crescent too. This historic building with a variety of lodging options is beautiful! I would love to come and eat breakfast hear in the beautiful sunroom overlooking the lake. From this location there are multiple hikes you can do. We headed to the popular Marymere Falls Trail. It is about a 1.5 mile hike, but the gravel travels are well kept and mostly flat. It is an easy hike for young kids. The last part of the hike is where the ground is uneven and you can't climb the final slope to the waterfall lookout. We ended up cooling off in the stream that runs below the waterfall. The kids splashed in the water while walking through the creek, caught trout fry (baby trout) and skipped rocks. We also found ourselves hiking through the Moments in Time Trail, which led us back to our car. There are makers on this trail that explain different environmental impacts to the vegetation, such as, wildfires and pollution. The next thing on our busy itinerary, was to go to Rialto Beach on the coast. We packed a picnic of sandwiches and ate these at picnic tables along the parking lot. This was another very crowded area of the beach, but we were able to find parking in a short amount of time. The temperature here was significantly colder, and we were getting coats out for everyone. Over the ridge along the parking lot, the wind picked up significantly, which also made it colder as we explored. About a mile before we reached the coast, the change in climate became evident with the thick fog, blocking out the sun. We walked along the beach for awhile, looking for any signs of sealife. Then, we spent time climbing the different downed trees along the forest. The kids loved making forts and explore; it was hard to convince them to leave. The final stop we made for the day was the Hoh Rainforest. This is one of the most popular places in the entire park. Expect long delays if you go during the middle of the day, and limited parking options. We went at 4:30, and we were met with about a 35 minute wait to get through the gated entrance. Then we drove around for about 10 minutes looking for parking. When we finally got settled, we went to the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center immediately. We learned about the unique wildlife in this part of the national park, such as, banana slugs. We were on a mission to find some (spoiler, we didn't with the drought), and headed out to the Hall of Moses Trail. This trail sees about 2,500 people a day! It is a short 1 mile loop, however it is not even and needs a sure foot for hiking it with lots of roots and rocks exposed. We learned that there had been a drought in the region that year and they had only half the rain they were used to. It was very apparent with the Hall of Moses hike. I was surprised to see as much brown and dried up moss on the trees. It didn't quite match the image I had in my head of a rainforest, so make sure you are mentally prepared. The forest was still beautiful, I just expected it to be more lush at that time of year. We stayed at the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort this evening. The cabins are spaced out to give you enough privacy for this "off-the-grid" resort. There are not TV's, electronics, or wifi here. It is purposely set up for escapism, relaxation, and rejuvenation. The hot spring pools are a wonderful way to soak and relax. There is a store available for snacks, breakfast, and gift shop. There are great hiking trails in this part of the park to explore as well.
 East Beach on Lake Crescent at sunset Day 3 Our final day at Olympic started in the Sol Duc Valley. We enjoyed breakfast on our cabin's porch. There was plenty of green space, so the kids ran and played here, while we packed up. The morning was a bit chillier, so sweatshirts are a good idea. We decided to head right to Sol Duc Falls Trail, because it is also a popular place. This turned out to be my favorite hike in the park. It is about a .8 mile hike to the falls, and you can continue on if you desire. We turned around after reaching the falls. This trail had the best foliage we had seen yet, and just a lot of interesting places to stop along the way for the kids. One thing we were on the lookout for was Salmon. There is a Salmon run spot in the valley where you can observe Salmon swimming up stream, however, August is not the time of year to see this. If you are in the area, early spring, this might be something you try to see. We headed to Forks, WA for lunch after our morning in the valley. We were able to get all the necessities at the gas station, grocery store, and local diner. I also got to stop and see a couple of the Twilight fandom attractions. I love how the locals embraced the craziness of Twilight and are letting it live one with all their signs and memorabilia. Our next stop was to head to the Makah Tribal Lands. We wanted to hike to the northernmost point on the continuous 48 states. To reach this point, you need to head towards Cape Flattery. It costs $20 a day to access the Tribal Lands, and it is well worth it. It is a beautiful area on the far Northwest point of the peninsula. The hike down to the cape is about a mile, through wooded trails that lead to boardwalks at the cliffs. The hike back up is mostly uphill, so take your time if needed. After we finished hiking, we drove about 5 minutes south to Shi Shi Beach. We basically had the whole place to ourselves, and it was a great way to spend the rest of our afternoon. Our kids tried swimming in the very cold Pacific Ocean for the first time. They could washed up kelp and made up games to play with them. They played in the sandy beach, digging and finding different sea life along the shore. Here the sun was out and the fog cleared out, so it was a very different experience than the pebbled beach at Rialto. After we were cold and sandy, we decided it was time to head to our campground. The beach does have showers and changing rooms available, so that was helpful getting ready to head to dinner. We were staying the evening at Wonder Camp Olympic, which is right down the road from Granny's Cafe, an old school dinner. We ordered our food at the counter, then headed outside to explore the animals they have on the property and eat at one of the picnic tables. This was within walking distance of the campground, just be careful if you walk because it is on a highway. Wonder Camp was just starting their Olympic site, but we loved this "glamping" experience. They provided the tent, lights, beds, and linens. They have a trailer for toilets and showers, so everything we needed they had. We decided with the limited light remaining in our day, we would take the kids to East Beach on Lake Crescent to swim and take a lake shower after swimming in the Pacific Ocean. It became a core memory of ours, and one of the most beautiful moments of our trip. The kids played a made up game, jumping off a downed redwood that jutted out into the lake. We washed up, then swam until it was too dark to see. The sun setting over the mountains in the distance is an imprinted image on my brain. After we had all changed into dry clothes, we headed back to our campground for our cozy glamping experience in a rainforest.
Where this fit in our Road Trip This was the middle part of our road trip, and we spent three days on the Olympic Peninsula. We came from Mount Rainier, and stayed in Sequim, WA our first night, next to Port Angeles, which is considered the main entrance to the park. We then stayed by Sol Duc Valley for two nights before heading to North Cascades on the mainland of Washington. NPS App and All Trails Maps I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking. There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful. These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere. The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information.
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