hintonthetrail.com – 11 Amazing Top Things at Olympic NPS & Peninsula
Olympic National Park and peninsula has over a million acres to explore full of rain forests, mossy, tall trees, beautiful beaches, glacier-capped mountains, and awesome hiking! It could get overwhelming trying to make a plan of what to see but I’ve got the 11 top things at Olympic NPS and peninsula that you can’t miss!
Visitor Centers
Olympic National Park has many sections and entrances across the peninsula. There’s no right way to visit and you certainly couldn’t see everything in one day. Plan to spend a few days in each area or visit multiple times to experience all the top things at Olympic NPS. There are four Visitor Centers where you can get maps, information on trails, and other activities in the area.
Entrance Fees
Olympic National Park has a $30 entrance fee which is valid for 7 days and can be purchased at the gate or online HERE.
If you plan to go to more than one national park or monument in a year, then you may want to get the National Park Pass. This pass has an annual fee that can be different depending on which pass you qualify for.
Where to Stay
If you want to stay in the park, you have a variety of options such as cabins, hotel rooms, or historic stays. Click HERE for more lodging information inside the park.
You can also find many hotels, motels, and more in the surrounding towns and as long as you book early, you should be fine.
RV/Camping
If camping or RVing is more your style, then you can check out the campgrounds located in the park HERE. There are also RV parks located all over the peninsula so you should not have any difficulty finding a place that suits your needs!
Get there early! If you want to see the top things at Olympic NPS, you need to beat the crowds which means arriving around 8:00 a.m. or earlier!
Must-Dos at Olympic NPS & Peninsula
1. Hike Hurricane Ridge
One of our favorite things to do at Olympic NPS & peninsula is Hurricane Ridge! It is located about 17 miles from Port Angeles and it’s absolutely worth the drive. The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center is a great place to start and figure out what to do. There are many different trails for all hiking types. We chose the Hurricane Hill trail which is a 1.6-mile out-and-back trail that leads up to the most spectacular views we’ve ever seen. You are so high that you can see the tops of all the surrounding Olympic mountains, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and even Canada! Absolutely worth doing this hike but make sure you bring plenty of water and snacks!
2. Explore Hoh Rain Forest
The Hoh Rain Forest is another of our top things at Olympic NPS and it is absolutely beautiful! It’s a very popular place with limited parking and you could wait a long time to get in if you choose to go later in the day. Even though we arrived early, the parking lot was quite full. When we left, there was a line of cars waiting at the entrance to get in!
The Hoh Rain Forest has three main trails. The Hall of Mosses and Spruce Nature Trails are two shorter loops that take you through the old and new rain forest growth. They are quite amazing and are reminiscent of what the land was like in the time of the dinosaurs.
The Hoh River Trail is an 18.5-mile out-and-back trail that goes along the river all the way to the Blue Glacier moraine where you can view Mt. Olympus. You can make this a day trip or hike as far as you want to go because there are many places to camp overnight. This trail is beautiful with thick vegetation, towering trees, and lots of Roosevelt elk and other animals.
3. Soak in Sol Duc Valley Hot Springs
Sol Duc Valley is known for its Hot Springs, waterfalls, Salmon Cascades, and hiking trails. The hot springs are located at the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort and you don’t have to get a hotel room to go in them. Pay the small fee, change, and go enjoy the soothing, warm waters!
Salmon Cascades is popular due to the salmon jumping up the water to find their way home again. Sol Duc Falls has just a short hike to the overlook and it’s absolutely worth it! Such an amazing sight!
4. Hole-in-the Wall at Rialto Beach
The Hole in the Wall at Rialto Beach is quite magnificent and a must-do at Olympic NPS but you have to plan if you want to visit it. There is a 1.5-mile hike along the beach to get to it and you need to do it before low tide otherwise the trail will be underwater on your way back. Once you arrive at the Hole in the Wall, you climb along the rocks to the arch in the rock wall and if the tide is right, you can walk through the arch. This area has many tide pools so you can see a variety of sea life. We saw many different types of starfish, snails, sea anemones, and we spied a raccoon fishing.
5. Walk Through Quinault Valley
Quinault Valley is a truly beautiful area and a great place to spy Roosevelt elk and immense, green trees. There are two shorter trails that begin at the ranger station. The Kestner Homestead trail gives you a brief history of the homestead. The Maple Glade Trail leads through a mossy, bigleaf maple tree grove. This is another reminder of how densely forested this whole area was during the time of the dinosaurs. On your drive out to Quinault Valley, you can stop at the World’s Largest Sitka Spruce Tree which stands at 191-feet tall and 1,000 years old!
6. Hike the Spit
Sequim, Washington is on the northeastern side of the peninsula, just a couple of hours from Seattle. You can easily access the northern parts of Olympic National Park but also many other sights.
The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge is located in Sequim and has a lot of hiking opportunities. We hiked out on the Dungeness Spit which is an approximately 5-miles long sand spit in the Dungeness Bay. It is the longest spit in the United States and continues to grow every year. You must pay attention to the tides for this hike as it will likely be underwater if you don’t!
7. Feed the Animals
One of the best animal parks we’ve been to so far was the Olympic Game Farm. Add this to your must-dos on the Olympic peninsula! This is a drive-thru animal park with a small restaurant. You purchase loaves of homemade bread and drive through the park feeding bison, elk, deer, bears, and more. The animals LOVE the bread (so do the people!) and practically get into your vehicle for it!! It was a super crazy experience that we ended with Huckleberry ice cream.
8. Tide Pools at Kalaloch & Ruby Beach
Kalaloch and Ruby Beach are located on the west side of the park and are quite popular in the summer months. The beaches are known for bird watching and tide pools as well as lots of shells found in the sand. The trails lead right off the main road so access is pretty easy but parking may not be. All trails lead to the beach and you can explore the beach for miles. We especially enjoyed the Ruby Beach Overlook trail and found dozens of sand dollars!
9. See Vampires & Werewolves in Forks
Forks, Washington is located on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula and is a convenient place to stay to experience some of Olympic National Park’s must-dos.
The town is also well-known for its vampires and werewolves. The Twilight book and movie series was set in this area and is featured in the movies. You can visit Twilight museums and shops, take your picture with the characters, or dare to step into vampire or werewolf territories.
10. Experience John’s Beachcombing Museum
You can find John’s Beachcombing Museum in Forks as well. This museum is dedicated to finding items that wash up on the beaches of the peninsula from cargo ships, trash, or even from tsunamis from as far away as Japan! They have collected over one million items! It’s very a moving experience.
11. Go to Elwha Valley
Elwha Valley is the largest watershed in the Olympic Peninsula. There are many great trails here that lead to a variety of sights such as hot springs, waterfalls, lakes, and dams. The trails are long and you have to hike out to the trailheads due to a road washout at the Madison Falls. Plan to spend a full day hiking and be prepared with food and water.
BONUS: Check Out These Companies for Awesome Tours
Looking for a group tour? Check out Wildland Trekking for backpacking trips and other hiking tours.
Experience Olympic offers a variety of different tours focused on tide pools, hiking, bird watching, or nature viewing. Book your tour today!
Maybe you want a private tour. Olympic Hiking Co. has private and group tours that go all over the Olympic Peninsula.
Don’t Miss Olympic NPS & Peninsula
Now you have the 11 top things at Olympic NPS and peninsula so what are you waiting for? Get out there and explore it!
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Check out: 12 Best Things to do at Acadia NPS
This post may contain affiliate links or mention our own products, please check out our disclosure policy here.
