Ready to adventure through one of the most beloved national parks in the country? Find the ultimate 3 day Olympic National Park itinerary with everything you need to know.
The Olympic Peninsula is in the Northwestern tip of Washington. Filled with diverse ecosystems from rugged coastlines to lush rainforests to epic mountains, it’s mesmerizing. With over 922,000 acres to explore you’ll find this park truly enchanting.
We’ve had the fortunate of visiting this park twice now- once on a rainy weekend, and the other time we got pure sunshine ☀️☀️. Both visits were a few days long so that we could fit in as much as possible. Now that I’ve done it twice, I want to help you plan your visit.
Get your complete guide to visiting Olympic National Park in a weekend with a fantastic 3 Day itinerary. Below I’ve detailed the best way to explore the park, where to stay, and when to go.
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Table of Contents
Olympic National Park Itinerary
One: The Mountains
Two: The Coastline
Three: The Rainforest
Day One in Olympic National Park- The Mountains
Hurricane Ridge
Drive up, up, up into the Olympic mountains to spend time visiting Hurricane Ridge at higher than 5200 feet. It’s a great jumping off point for mountainous adventures.
In the summer, you can choose to do one of the hiking trails and in the winter on the weekends you can go skiing ⛷ or snow tubing. *Note: Hurricane Ridge is closed on weekdays in the winter.*
If you only have time for one hike, I recommend doing Hurricane Hill. It’s a paved 3 mile trail and you get 360 degree views over the area. You’ll be able to see Mt Baker, Victoria, and beyond.
Hurricane Ridge Hikes
- Hurricane Hill– 3.2 miles, 700 feet (wheelchair accessible)
- Cirque Rim – 1.3 mile, 200 feet
- High Ridge– 1 mile, 250 feet
- Klahane Ridge – 12.6 miles, 4500feet
- Little River– 14.7 miles, 4500 feet
Lake Crescent & Waterfalls
Lake Crescent is a large glacially carved lake that is one of the most iconic lakes in all of Washington. It feels as if the lake just goes on and on, so there are plenty of Lake Crescent activities to enjoy.
You’ll be mesmerized by the deep blues and turquoise colors 💙💙. Spend time at the lake and go on a couple hikes nearby.
Hikes in the Lake Crescent Area:
- Madison Falls – .6 miles
- Marymere Falls – 1.8 miles, 400 ft
- Mount Storm King – 4.4 miles, 2000 ft
- Pyramid Peak – 7 miles, 2600 ft
- Aurora Creek – 8.9 miles, 4300 ft
You can’t miss the hike to Marymere Falls or Madison Falls, which are both short walks to stunning waterfalls 💦 in the forest. These hikes take no more than a couple hours.
If you’re more daring and have more time, you can climb into the mountains and hike up to Mount Storm King. This hike requires the use of ropes 🪢 and climbs 2000 feet in 2 miles, so I only recommend it for those who are experienced! But boy, it’s unforgettable.
Day Two- The Beaches
Now that you’ve covered most of the mountainous range in the Olympic Peninsula, it’s time to head to the coast. The unique ruggedness of the Washington coastline is truly unparalleled.
Sol Duc Falls
On your way out to the coastline, you can take a detour to the Sol Duc Falls trail. This detour is 25 minutes from the main road. But, this waterfall is one of my favorites in the park!
It’s a beautiful 1.6 mile hike (round trip) through the forest to this waterfall that looks like it’s something out of a fairytale. No matter the weather, it’s a gorgeous way to spend a few hours in Olympic.
Rialto, La Push, & Beaches
After your quick hike through the forest, it’s time to get out to the epic Washington coastline 🌊.
Olympic National Park has a number of beaches including Rialto Beach, La Push, and Kalaloch beaches. Each one of them is incredible, but I think that Rialto should be the top of you list.
It’s got a rocky shoreline with large rock formations jutting out into the sky. Plus, tons of driftwood along the shores, which is one of the most unique features I’ve seen.
If you have time, you can hike to the Hole in the Wall formation 🪨. However, you have to do this at low tide, so make sure to research the tide times before you go. We ended up visiting on a day with no low tides, so we couldn’t make it.
Day Three in Olympic- The Rainforests
Now that you’ve explored the mountains and coastline, it’s time to see the epic rainforests. The rainforests feel almost magical ✨ as sunlight pours through the trees and moss covers the bark.
Hoh Rainforest
You cannot have an Olympic National Park itinerary without including the Hoh Rainforest. It’s such a captivating landscape to wander and explore.
My biggest recommendation is to get there early!! Otherwise, you’ll be stuck waiting in line to get in, because they have very limited parking. The first time we went we waited for more than an hour 😮.
The trails through the forest are level and easy. So, it’s a great place to bring the whole family!
Things to See in the Hoh Rainforest:
- Hall of Mosses – .8 mile loop
- Spruce Nature Trail – 1.2 miles
- Hoh River Trail – Go for as long as you want, if you go all the way it’s 17.3 miles one way. Other good turn around spots (all distances are round trip):
- First River Creek– 2 miles
- Mineral Creek Falls – 5.4 miles
- Cedar Grove – 8 miles
Lake Quinault
We stayed at Lake Quinault and I think it’s the perfect place to use as a home base. There’s a gorgeous beach and on a nice day you can paddle 🚣♀️ or swim in the lake. Otherwise you can spend time exploring some other sights in the Rainforest.
Lake Quinault Sights:
- Merriman Falls
- World’s Tallest Sitka Spruce Tree
- Rainforest Trail
- Bunch Falls
Olympic National Park Travel Guide
Where to Stay
Figuring out where to stay in Olympic can get very complicated. The park is incredibly large and it can take hours to drive from one side of the park to another. So, you may want to switch locations as you explore.
Driving Times in the Park
- Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge – 40 minutes
- Port Angeles to Lake Crescent – 30 minutes
- Hurricane Ridge to Lake Crescent – 1 hour
- Lake Crescent to Rialto Beach – 1 hour
- Rialto Beach to Hoh Rainforest – 1 hour 10 minutes
- Port Angeles to Hoh Rainforest– 2 hours
- Port Angeles to Lake Quinault- 2 hours 25 minutes
I recommend staying in Port Angeles for a night or two and using it as a home base to explore the Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge area of the park. We stayed at Olympic Lodge and it was a really nice hotel with free breakfast, nice rooms, and fresh baked cookies.
Then, you can move further through the park and stay near the beaches, in Forks, or by Lake Quinault. Again, we stayed at Lake Quinault Lodge and had a fantastic time. It was conveniently located by the beach, had a pool, and was beautiful!
When to Go
Olympic is a wonderful park to visit year round, however, most people visit in the summer when the weather is pleasant and there is less rain. Olympic gets 100-140 inches of rain 🌧 on average, so it’s often wet.
Summer is the driest part of the year, but it also sees the most crowds.
Rain is common from early Fall to late Spring and there is often too much snow ❄️ in the mountains to get up high. However, the winter and late fall also have less crowds. So, if you want a quieter, moodier experience then you can get out and explore then!
Packing Guide for Olympic
The most important thing to pack when visiting Olympic is waterproof layers! Rain is incredibly common and many of the trails are beautiful when it’s rainy, but you don’t want to be soaked.
Packing List for Olympic
- Comfortable Hiking Boots
- Day Pack
- Hiking poles
- Water Reservoir
- 3-4 Liters of Water
- Snacks and Food
- First Aid Kit
- Sunscreen
- Bug Spray
- Shelter
- Rain jacket
- Rain Pants
- Light winter jacket
- Swimsuit
- Downloaded Maps -there is little service in the park
Things to Know Before You Go
💵 Olympics costs $30 for a private vehicle that covers 7 days. However, you can also use any of the annual passes like the America the Beautiful Pass to get in.
☀️ The weather can change quickly in Olympic National Park. It’s also often rainy gaining 140 inches of precipitation annually. It’s smart to be prepared for all weather!
⛺️There are 14 different sites for camping in Olympic National Park. Half of them require reservations and the other half are first-come, first-served. You can learn more about all the camping options here.
🐻 Olympic has bears, however, there has never been a recorded bear attack in the park. It is not recommended to use bear spray while traveling in Olympic as it may cause more harm than help.
🦮 Pets are allowed on a few trails in the park including Madison Falls and Peabody Creek. However, you must keep them on a leash and clean up after them.
⚠️ Hurricane Ridge road is only open seasonally. In the winter, it is often open just on the weekend days. You can stay updated on the road closures by looking at the NPS website.
🍃 Remember to follow the Leave No Trace Principles. As always, you want to leave nature looking better than you found it.
Final Tips for Visiting Olympic
It’s important to know that Olympic is an incredibly large park. When planning an Olympic National Park itinerary you’ll want to add extra wiggle room into your driving times. Also, there are many stretches of areas without service 📵, so you may want to have a rough game plan before you go with a downloaded map!
Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this itinerary!
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Love how it’s divided into mountains, coastline, and rainforests! I’d want to see all 3! This is helpful 😍
It’s got some seriously beautiful landscapes!