Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park offers extraordinarily varied recreation — hiking the lush rainforest trails of the Hoh and Quinault valleys, driving to the alpine meadows and views of Hurricane Ridge, exploring the wild Pacific beaches (Rialto, Ruby, Second Beach) with their sea stacks and tide pools, soaking in the Sol Duc hot springs, backpacking the vast wilderness and the coast, mountaineering Mount Olympus, fishing and paddling the rivers and lakes (Lake Crescent), wildlife watching, and ranger programs. The combination of rainforests, mountains and wild coast — three worlds in one park — makes Olympic a premier and uniquely varied destination.

Summer (July through September) is the driest and most popular season, with the best access to the high country (Hurricane Ridge) and the clearest weather, while the rainforests are lush and the coast spectacular year-round (the rainforest is, after all, defined by its rain). Fall and spring bring fewer crowds and moody, misty beauty, and winter heavy rain in the lowlands and deep snow in the mountains. The varied park rewards visits year-round; summer for the high country and driest weather, and the misty shoulder seasons for the atmospheric rainforests and quiet coast, are highlights. Come prepared for rain.

The Olympic Peninsula has been home to Native peoples — including the Quinault, Hoh, Makah, Quileute and others, who still live on the peninsula — for thousands of years, deeply tied to the forests, rivers and sea. The remote, rugged peninsula was one of the last explored corners of the contiguous U.S. Protected to save its forests, wildlife (including the Roosevelt elk) and wilderness, it became a national monument in 1909 and a national park in 1938, later a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. The park preserves the mountains, rainforests and wild coast, and the rich Native heritage, a treasured and diverse landscape.

Olympic National Park’s landscape was shaped by the collision of tectonic plates, which uplifted and crumpled the rock to raise the rugged Olympic Mountains, and by the immense precipitation of the Pacific Northwest. The mountains, crowned by glacier-draped Mount Olympus, wring vast rain and snow from the Pacific storms, feeding the glaciers, the rushing rivers, and the lush rainforests of the wet western valleys (while a rain shadow leaves the northeast far drier). The wild coast is shaped by the relentless Pacific, carving sea stacks and beaches. The uplifted mountains, the heavy rain and the powerful sea created the park’s three dramatic worlds.

Olympic National Park hosts abundant wildlife — Roosevelt elk (the park was established partly to protect them; large herds roam the rainforests), black bears, black-tailed deer, mountain goats on the peaks, cougars, river otters, and a rich community of birds, while the coast teems with marine life (sea otters, seals, sea lions, gray whales offshore, seabirds, and the rich tide pools), and the rivers run with salmon. The range from sea to rainforest to alpine supports remarkable diversity. The park is an outstanding place for wildlife watching, with the Roosevelt elk, the coastal marine life and the tide pools among the highlights.

Olympic National Park is a globally significant biodiversity stronghold, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve protecting three distinct ecosystems — the glaciated Olympic Mountains, the lush temperate rainforests (among the finest on Earth, with towering ancient trees, moss and ferns nourished by 12+ feet of annual rain), and the wild Pacific coast with its rich intertidal and marine life. The peninsula’s isolation produced endemic species. The salmon-bearing rivers connect mountains to sea. Protecting the rainforests, the mountains, the coast and the rivers sustains an extraordinarily diverse and globally important ecosystem.

Olympic National Park, protecting three worlds — glaciated mountains, lush rainforests and wild coast — in one magnificent and varied wilderness, holds a treasured place among America’s natural wonders and the homeland of the Native peoples of the Olympic Peninsula. A World Heritage Site beloved for its extraordinary diversity, its ancient rainforests dripping with moss, its glaciated peaks and its wild, sea-stacked coast, the park embodies the lush, wild beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Olympic is a cherished icon of Washington and one of the most diverse and beautiful national parks in America.

Olympic National Park occupies much of the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington, reached via US-101, which loops around the peninsula, from the gateway of Port Angeles (and the ferry/drive from Seattle, a few hours away). An entrance fee applies. The park’s separate areas — Hurricane Ridge (mountains), the Hoh and Quinault rainforests, the coastal beaches, Sol Duc and Lake Crescent — are reached by separate roads off the loop, with long drives between them. Visitor centers, lodges, campgrounds and trails serve the areas. Check the National Park Service for road status, conditions and access before visiting.

The National Park Service protects the mountains, the rainforests, the wild coast, the rivers and the abundant wildlife of Olympic National Park, a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. Visitors help by staying on trails (protecting the fragile rainforest floor and subalpine meadows), respecting the tide pools and coastal life (tread carefully, don’t take anything), keeping their distance from wildlife (especially elk and bears, and never feeding them), protecting the salmon rivers, packing out everything, and following permits and Leave No Trace. Protecting the rainforests, the mountains, the coast and the wildlife sustains this extraordinarily diverse and globally significant ecosystem.

Olympic’s wild coast is dangerous — check the tide tables and never get trapped by an incoming tide against the headlands or sea stacks, beware of sneaker waves, cold water, slippery rocks and drifting logs (which can roll), and never turn your back on the ocean. In the mountains and rainforest, weather is wet and changeable (carry rain gear and the essentials), trails can be muddy and rooty, and rivers run cold and swift. This is bear and cougar country; store food and keep your distance. Carry the ten essentials, watch the tides and weather, and respect the coast, the wilderness and the wildlife.

An entrance fee applies. Stay on trails; protect the rainforest floor, the meadows and the tide pools (don’t take anything from the tide pools or beaches). Check tide tables before coastal hikes. Backcountry camping requires a permit; bear canisters are required in some areas. Camp only in designated areas. Keep distance from and never feed wildlife. Pets are restricted (not allowed on most trails). Drones are prohibited. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash. Some roads are seasonal. Check the National Park Service for permits, tides and current rules before visiting.

The gateway city of Port Angeles, the towns of Forks (of ‘Twilight’ fame), Sequim and the peninsula communities, the coastal Native lands (Makah, Quileult and others), the Olympic National Forest, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca lie around the park, with Seattle a few hours away (via ferry or the drive around Puget Sound). The Olympic Peninsula and the Pacific coast define the region. Olympic National Park anchors the magnificent and diverse wilderness of the peninsula, a centerpiece of a Pacific Northwest adventure of rainforests, mountains and wild coast.

Experience all three of Olympic’s worlds — walk the lush, moss-draped Hoh Rainforest among towering ancient trees, drive up to the alpine meadows and views of Hurricane Ridge, and explore a wild Pacific beach (Rialto, Ruby or Second Beach) with its sea stacks and tide pools (checking the tide tables and never getting trapped by the tide). Allow time for the long drives between areas, come prepared for rain, watch for Roosevelt elk in the rainforest, soak in the Sol Duc hot springs, store food in bear country, and savor one of America’s most diverse parks.