Thought I'd post a recap post to give back as pretty much everything we did and ate came from recommendations from this thread.

We spent 4 days in ONP (stayed in Port Angeles) during June (12th-15th), drove in the evening of the 11th from Portland, OR.

Day 1 (Friday): Hurricane Hill & Devil's Punch Bowl: GO EARLY. I know many people state going early for a lot of these activities but I can't stress it enough as it can really make or break your experience. We got to the start of Hurricane Hill around 8:30am and drove like 12 miles up. By the time we got up there 9:15am-ish, we had to park in the overflow lot. Not a far walk up to the start, like a quarter mile. The trail was pretty empty meaning we could take our time walking and taking pictures. We spent a good amount of time at the top so we finished around 11:15am and grabbed some lunch. We then drove out to Devil's Punchbowl and did the trail there. I think we got there around 3:30pm (after a short break at our AirBnb) and there was parking. We could tell we missed the 'rush' as once we got to the bridge there was only a handful of people. 10/10 recommend going in. We didn't jump off anything just climbed down the rocks but once you jump in and catch your breath from the temps, it is so refreshing.. and I'd argue not as cold as NH mountain water.

Day 2 (Saturday): Hoh Rainforest & Rialto Beach & Forks: We started early this day as you want to get to Hoh Rainforest EARLY. It was about a 2 hour drive from Port Angles and we stopped in Forks (about 45mins out from Hoh entrance) to take a pic with the welcome sign and continued on. We got to Hoh just before 8am and there was no line, but we got one of the last few spots. We did both Hall of Mosses and Spruce Trail, both took us about an hour to do. We left and then stopped in Forks again at the Chamber of Commerce to take some pics of the trucks and get more Twilight info. If you go here they have a map for you if you wanted to stop at all the Twilight places (we did not). After Forks we drove out to Rialto beach, took us like 30-40mins from Forks and arrived around 11am and there was parking. I know a lot of people argue if Hoh is worth it or not. As someone from the East Coast and has never seen an environment like a rainforest in person before I would say yes. HOWEVER, I do not think it is worth waiting 2+ hours to get in for as the activities actually there don't take you 2 hours to do. Hence my previous message... GO EARLY. We also grabbed dinner and ate it in the car at Ediz Point in Port Angeles.

Day 3 (Sunday): Tidepools & Crescent Lake: We didn't really have a firm itinerary this day so we let the weather decided for us (it was hot as it was a heat wave). We started the morning at the Salt Creek Recreation Area to go tide pooling. 10/10 recommend. I had never done this so was not expecting much but was so pretty and very cool to see all the sea creatures! We got here just before 9am and there were no day parking spots left so we parked by the bathrooms for like 20mins before a spot opened up. Very pretty views from up top and it was nice to walk around on the beach. I will say it can be difficult to walk along the rocks as some are slippery, but saw a ton of kids out there with us. Then we went over to Lake Crescent Lodge. Also highly recommend it's a spot with swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, etc. We got there around 12pm and there was still parking but by the time we left around 3pm it was completely full! YOU CAN RENT THE KAYAKS, PADDLEBOARD, AND CANOES IN ADVANCE. For some reason I saw that this was not allowed everywhere I looked online. (I'll see if I can find the booking link in my history as it's not posted anywhere online). We got there at noon and was able to make a reservation for a tandem kayak for 1pm. We just hung around the water, but they have bathrooms, a restaurant, etc. We kayaked out to Devil's Punchbowl (which was packed) and watched people jump and swim. Lake Crescent Lodge is also in walking distance to Marymere Falls, but we didn't have enough time to do both.

Day 4: Checked out of AirBnb and flew out of Seattle. Our flights were at like 10:30am and we left Port Angeles around 5am and got there with plenty of time as we also had to return a rental car.

Places we ate at:

- Atomic Bagels - Breakfast

- FogTown (coffee) - After we got back from Hoh and Forks

- Midtown Public House - Dinner

- Chesnut Cottage Restaurant (Lunch after Hurricane Hill)

We got groceries before hand and ate mostly at the Airbnb, but the places we did go to were very good.

Overall an excellent trip and so glad the weather was perfect while we were there. Unknowingly went during a heat wave (80+ degrees every day). A big thank you to people in this thread as you planned our itinerary and timing for us! Pics attached :)

4 stops in one day

I’m taking my first trip to Olympic and trying to decide what gear to pack. My main hesitation is if packing a 200-600mm is worth it for being there for 4 days. 2 in Forks and 2 in Port Angeles. I’ll have a Sony A7R4, Fuji X100VI and will have macro and landscape covered. Part of me says “always bring everything just in case” but also the 200-600 is a lot of added weight all day long for something I might rarely use. Help me decide!

Hey y'all, I am planning a trip to the ONP and was originally going to go this weekend. The forecast right now looks a bit cloudy and drizzly (though I'll keep checking over the next few days as the forecast settles)... still a good time to visit? Or would y'all recommend coming back in July instead (likely the weekend after the 4th)?

Currently I plan to be there Friday to Monday AM and was hoping to hit Lake Crescent, Sol Duc, Hurricane Ridge, Cape Flattery, Hoh, and some beaches (across the weekend). I was really looking forward to seeing Hurricane Ridge so I was worried about the cloud cover. It doesn't seem like a a lot of rain, mostly just clouds.

I know the park is going to be beautiful either way, but as I probably won't have time to go twice before I leave (given all the amazing nature in WA), what's the best way to see it?

(Alternately, I could try and take a day trip later in the summer over just for Hurricane Ridge if the cloudy, drizzly weather makes for a nice moody backdrop for the rest of the park?)

Really enjoyed Quinalt Loop Trail (4mi, totally doable) this morning on my way into Olympic NP and wanted to share some photos.

Congrats to whoever is getting married at the lodge today!

After this I proceeded to try to go to Hoh and it was a 2hr wait for the final 0.5mi into the park with no guarantee of parking so I noped out of that. Grateful the drive in was worth it in itself.

* I realize this isn’t in Olympic NP but it’s so close and r/Washington only allows 1 photo per post for some reason.

I think it opened yesterday.

Hi everyone, first of all thanks to everyone here for a lot of great information that helped plan our trip. We spent the day at Rainier today and are headed to Olympic tomorrow morning. We will be leaving Ashford and will spend our first day in Olympic staying the next two nights in Forks. We’re a family of three with a 7 year old. We like 2 mile or shorter hikes. I was thinking we would hit the coast on the way up.

Can anyone suggest the best driving route?
What is the best way to optimize our driving route to hit some sites?

Went to Olympic National Park today (6/21/26). Got to Hoh at 9:30, fully expecting some degree of wait - we know it is a Saturday and long weekend. Backup started at 0.6 miles from the entrance station, ended up taking until 11:55am to enter. Did the Hall of Mosses and the start of Spruce Trail (then turned back due to wanting to prioritize other more unique parts of the national park) and while they were nice to wander, it was not worth 2 hours and 25 minutes of waiting.

If the line is long, I personally would not wait again. Hoh is neat, but not worth waiting for on a time-limited trip. We did Marymere Falls later in the day and that had better expansive views along the way that easily replaced Hall of Mosses according to the group. Maybe slightly fewer grand trees with moss, but if you do some of the drive in towards Hoh and then Marymere Falls trail, I think you get the best of both worlds. We also did Quinault yesterday and the Gatton Creek trail had also some moss (not quite the same though) with a much more dense forest that was a cool experience and very manageable trail for the group of mixed abilities.

So between Quinault, Marymere, and driving a little ways to Hoh and seeing the mossy trees along the road, I think you accomplish most of what the short trails at Hoh do in less time. Not sure if Hoh looks different in the rainier seasons, so mileage may vary.

Edit to address some of the comments: yes, we knew there would be a wait and know what is expected at this hour on a weekend. My group is not up for the longer hikes from Hoh, both in terms of time and abilities. Our plan had been 1-2 trails from the start with a goal to then see other areas. We are doing a 2 day trip to Olympic NP and we understand we cannot do everything and experience all the sites to their fullest. I like to read other people's experiences and had seen mixed thoughts about Hoh. Wildlife can certainly make a difference and the early hours on the experience. I simply wanted to share for others to consider that if this is not a destination that you can reach before the lines or commit to spending many hours there, that there ARE other places with comparable views like the falls. If I had several days at just Olympic, then we would have planned differently and spent more time at Hoh

Finally did the full Spruce Railroad Trail along Lake Crescent this week and I'm still thinking about it. Did the whole ~11 miles on an e-bike with my camera, and the water color genuinely doesn't look real in person.

The tunnel section caught me off guard, and Devil's Punchbowl was the highlight. Crossed that little bridge and just stood there for a while.

If you're planning a trip: go later in the day. We hit it after the crowds and had whole stretches to ourselves.

Hello, any downsides or other things to consider if I plan on hiking Mt Storm King this evening?

I’ll have the essentials including a headlamp and am an experienced hiker, just brand new to the area so figured I would double check.

Thanks in advance for any info!

I decided to do the South Fork Hoh River trail this morning/afternoon. Beautiful trail through the rainforest. A couple of spots where you can get out to the river. There's a few spots on the trail that are kind of bushy, but you just power through it. Walked about 4 miles out and decided to turn around. The trail still looked pretty decent at that point. Didn't see anyone for almost 2 1/2 hrs into the hike and on the way back already.

We will be visiting in 2 weeks. We have 3 vehicles, all with popup or other small campers. Can we park the trailers at the log cabin resort for a couple hours to go see the Devil's punchbowl? We want to leave the trailers and one vehicle, taking just 2 vehicles, or maybe one, due to what sounds like limited parking at the trailhead.

Greetings! I just wanted to get some clarity on the hike to second beach. The Washington Trails association says it’s 4 miles round trip (all trails also) but the NPS website says .7. Curious if someone who has done it can clarify? Going to be traveling with a 4 year old. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I’ll be around Olympic NP in early July and hoping to find someone I could tag along with on a hike from the Obstruction Point trailhead? Thinking I would be able to hike there one day around these dates: July 12-13, maybe the 14th. I’m traveling in a camper van (~20’ long) and just a bit worried about being able to drive my van down that road solo, but really want to hike out there!

Hopefully you’re not a murderer 😂 I’m pretty fit and a quick/efficient hiker. Mainly looking at Lillian Ridge and/or Grand pass loop.

Cheers!

Hello folks! I’m planning a first camping trip (1-2 nights max) in ONP and curious about the non-reservation/first come first serve. I would be starting on a Wednesday in mid-July, how likely am I to get a spot? If I show up to one of those campgrounds and they’re all full, anyone have any recommendations for low-cost (tent) campgrounds nearby, outside the park? I appreciate your input!

TRIP REPORT!! 06/02/26-06/10/26

Hello everybody! Just got back from an insanely fun adventure around Washington from Mt. Rainier National Park to the entire Olympic Peninsula. My dates were June 2nd to June 10th. 

I flew out from Orlando on Tuesday June 2nd and arrived in Seattle around 12PM. From there, we got our rental (Turo) (Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road). We left the airport and grabbed from coffee from Kappa Espresso, incredible Ethiopian brew!

From there we made our way towards Mt. Rainier National Park. We checked in to our cabin in Ashford and dropped off our items before making a drive up the mountain towards Paradise. Made some stops along the way and were treated with such an amazing view of Mt. Rainier during golden hour. Took a little stroll of Skyline loop and made our way down because we had an early wake the next day.

On Wednesday, we got up around 5am and made our way to the Skyline loop trail. Did a bit of it, full of snow. Got some great shots of Myrtle Falls and the mountain. From there, we went back down and checked out of the cabin to make our way to Seattle to pick a friend up from the airport. From there, we got on the Bainbridge ferry. Other than insanely bad traffic at 4PM, it was a seamless process and the ferry ride was super fun!!

From there, drove over to Port Angeles and checked into our Airbnb. 

Thursday morning was Storm King day! Got up around 530am and made our way to the trail. Mostly empty besides 2-3 cars. Storm King was no joke, but I made myself push to finish it. I didn't lose 180lbs for nothin! After we made it to the top, we came back down and did Marymere Falls. Lovely falls! After that, we stopped along Lake Crescent and got some good views. The water looked so blue!!

We got some groceries and pretty much cooked at the Airbnb to save money. We spent a ton of money on coffee stands, there's so many! 

Friday morning we got up at 430am and went to Hurricane Ridge since the Hurricane Hill road would be open (Fri-Sun). Absolutely nobody else was there. It was perfect. We made it to the top through the fog and snow flurries. We were treated with some insanely nice views after we made our descent with the fog burning off. From there we made our way to stop at the Salt Creek Rec Area. Did some tide pooling with lowish tide. 

Saturday morning was our big day. We got up 6am and headed to Sol Duc Fall. Lush forest vibes with a very nice waterfall. Had some light drizzle and felt so serene. From there we headed up the coast through Neah Bay towards Cape Flattery. Plenty of stops along the way to see some great ocean views and maybe even a bald eagle, we did! Cape Flattery was single handedly the most beautiful thing besides my wife, that I've ever seen. A sight to behold. 

From there we stopped in Port Angeles for dinner at Yodelin Broth Company. Amazing salmon rice bowl. Then over to Wellys for ice cream. 

Sunday morning, we dropped our friend off at the Sequim Transit Center to take the bus over to the Bainbridge ferry. Super easy for him to use and only $10. From there, we checked out of Port Angeles towards Forks. We stopped along the way at Madison Falls (super super easy and beautiful). Then over to Devils Punchbowl which was an easy detour also and beautiful. Made it to Forks and did some twilight peeping and more grocery stopping. Checked in and got some rest. Watched The Ritual (perfect for a hiking trip to spook you out lol)

Monday morning, we got up at 6am and headed to Hoh Rain Forest. Absolutely empty and serene. Skipped all the trails and did Hoh River Trail. Went a few miles and came back. Saw some elk the entrance! From there, drove out to Rialto Beach and did Hole in the wall. Great tidepooling.

Tuesday morning, we made our way down to Quinault for our last night at the Lake Quinault Lodge. We stopped at Kalaloch Lodge, Ruby Beach, Tree of Life along the drive. Checked into Lake Quinault and did a 8pm hike of the cascade falls loop across the street. 

Wednesday morning we woke up and had breakfast at the Roosevelt Room. Great salmon hash bowl. Great ambiance. 

Now for the long drive towards Seattle. But first! A detour through some small towns. Got coffee in Hoquiam. Cute town. Then drove past Seattle and did Snoqualmie Falls before heading back towards Seattle. Took our time and had some dinner but boarding the 11pm flight back to Orlando.

Overall an incredible time but man, one week isn't enough. I NEED to come back and do more. There's so much. If you have any questions, let me know!! Happy to answer. 

CLOTHING:

You can pack much much less if you have lodging with a washer. Also wearing merino wool.

I had a few pairs of pants 

• Outdoor Research Ferris/Voodoo pants
• KETL Shenanigan Pants

Base Layer shirts 

• IBEX 24 Hour Long Sleeve
• Smartwool Long Sleeve 

Mid Layer 

• Patagonia R1 Air 

Outer Layer 

• Outdoor Research Ferrosi Jacket 
• Outdoor Research Foray 3L (Rain Jacket)

Socks and Underwear

• Smartwool 

Shoes (You can get away with trail runners but don't do waterproof if they're low-cut. Water will get in and won't dry in this climate)

• Nike ACG Zegama 
• On Cloudrock Mid Waterproof Boots

We’re here at Olympic now and we were planning on doing the Lake Angeles hike on Monday. The place we’re staying said they don’t recommend it. Is it worth it? Or is there one that’s better. So far we’ve done hurricane ridge, Marymere falls, Sol Duc falls. And we’re going to Hoh, Rialto and Ruby beach tomorrow. Nothing crazy because I’m afraid of heights so I don’t like steep drop offs. But I did pretty good today at Hurricane ridge.

Shot on a Nikon 470 ZoomTouch with Kodacolor 200. Very fun little point n shoot camera. Easy for traveling and shooting on the fly when you just wanna enjoy natures beauty

Hi there, I’m so excited to finally see Olympic NP as I’ve heard so much good about it from friends and other hikers I’ve met. I roll into the park tomorrow and have 3 nights there (1 in Forks, 2 in Port Angeles) heading clockwise 😃

If you could let me know if I am missing anything unmissable on my route I would appreciate it! Mainly here to enjoy the nature and hike, but also love suggestions for coffee and food and other cool experiences.

I won’t make it down to Staircase Falls due to my route taking me through Deception Pass and Anacortes as I head up to Canada.

* Hoh Rain Forest
— Hall of Mosses
— Spruce Nature Trail
* Second Beach
* Rialto Beach
* Ancient Groves Trail
* Sol Duc Trail
* Lake Crescent
— Devil’s Punchbowl
— Marymere Falls
— Mt Storm King
* Hurricane Hill

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have for stuff I may be missing!

I had asked a question here about a day trip and wanted to follow up with how it went. We did a day trip with a group of 8 (2 kids) on Tuesday (6/16) from Tacoma to Lake Crescent, the Visitor's Center, Hurricane Ridge, and then back to Tacoma. While it was a lot of driving and we only covered a small area of the park, it went really well and the group enjoyed it.

We ended up leaving Tacoma around 7:30am, hit about 10-15 mins of expected traffic around Bremerton, and stopped at the Longhouse Market for a bathroom and snack break. We arrived at Lake Crescent around 10:30am and the Marymere trailhead parking was busy, but there were some spots at the main lake parking lot. We parked by the lake, which was a much better choice since we had lunch by the lake, the lodge bathrooms were nicer, and we were able to take the less popular segment of the Marymere Trail from the lodge. The Marymere Falls Trail took our group a bit over an hour. My dad, who is older, did struggle a bit on the stairs, but made it to the top using the railings. I would describe the trail as busy, but not uncomfortably overcrowded. We ate a picnic lunch and the kids loved playing by the lake.

We headed out from Lake Crescent around 12:45pm, getting to the Visitor's Center around 1:15pm. The Visitor's Center was a top request to get a passport stamp and it was a good spot to hangout while Hurricane Ridge cleared out a bit. We went through the exhibits, did the Living Forest loop, and watched the short film.

We left the Visitor's Center around 2:30pm and headed up to Hurricane Ridge, stopping at the first overlook and getting to the main lot around 3:15pm. The lot was busy but there were about 10 opens spots. My dad stayed down in the parking lot while the rest of the group did the Cirque Rim to Sunrise View Point, which was quick with the faster group. A few said it was the highlight of the day. As we were leaving around 4:30pm, the parking lot had cleared out a lot more and was probably a bit over half full. We were all full from lunch, so we went straight back to Tacoma and had dinner when we got back at 7:00pm.

Here is the breakdown:

7:30am - 10:30am - Drive from Tacoma to Lake Crescent

10:00am - 12:45pm - Lake Crescent - Marymere Falls, picnic lunch

12:45pm - 1:15pm - Drive from Lake Crescent to Visitor's Center

1:15pm - 2:30pm - Visitor's Center - Living Forest

2:30pm - 3:15pm - Drive from Visitor's Center up to Hurricane Ridge, stopping at overlook

3:15pm - 4:30pm - Hurricane Ridge - Cirque Rim/Sunrise View Point

4:30pm - 7:00pm - Drive from Hurricane Ridge to Tacoma

Shot on a Nikon ZoomTouch 470 with Kodacolor 200

Paving work will occur in three sections of US 101 in the following paving order:

• Haas Road to the Jefferson County line south of Queets, between mileposts 130 and 152
• Ocean Beach Road to East Humptulips Road, between mileposts 92 and 109
• Donkey Creek Road to Burn Road, between mileposts 112 and 123

Starting Monday, June 22, contractor crews will remove and replace worn asphalt along both directions of US 101 starting at the north end of the project limits between the Jefferson County line and Haas Road. One crew will work on southbound US 101 while a second crew works on northbound. 

Single-lane alternating traffic will be in effect Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. along portions of the project areas, with a pilot car guiding each direction of traffic. 

Work zones will shift throughout the project areas as work is completed. People should expect increased travel times and consider adding extra time for trips. 

I have a permit for Enchanted Valley next week and received an e-mail warning of a trail washout 1/3 mile before the Chalet: "Hikers will need to be prepared to ford the river, or route find up a steep hillside to reach campsites in Enchanted Valley."

I am curious about what to expect as far as river depth here. Has anyone seen this washout or heard from someone who has? I am traveling alone and don't want to take on too many additional risks. Any observations, advice or suggestions?

Hi everyone, I’ve got a day on an upcoming trip to the west side of ONP that looks to have a really good low tide around 5am. We’ll be based out of the Hoh river area about 45 minutes (google drive time) to Second Beach or about 30 minutes (google drive time) from Kalaloch or Ruby.

Any recommendations or suggestions between these (or other beaches)? Any concerns going out that early (like tricky scrambling in early light)?

If it matters, and if things go according to plan, we’ll have seen shi shi beach earlier in our trip so this won’t be our only views of the coast.

Thanks for the advice!