Best Day Hikes In Olympic National Park – Getting around the Olympic Peninsula is fun, but there’s nothing like seeing the forests, mountains and water up close on foot. From low-key, family-friendly trails to rugged and rugged day trips, the Olympic Peninsula offers plenty of options. Come see what makes the Olympic Games one of the jewels of the Pacific Northwest and National Park system.
You have many options from the Hoh River Visitor Center, from the one-mile Peat Hall Trail to a full day along the Hoh River Trail. The 10.6 mile hike to Five Mile Island is a great day hike.
Best Day Hikes In Olympic National Park
You can’t go to Olympic National Park without taking a trip to the Hurricane Ridge area. This paved trail is a treasure for all ages and abilities, and offers beautiful mountain and water views, including Vancouver Island, BC and parts of the San Juan Islands.
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This North Hood Canal tour is popular for a reason – great views of the Cascade and Olympic regions, Hood Canal, Lake Cushman, Puget Sound and even Seattle. He also likes mountain goats and marmots.
This Pacific Coast cruise offers views of the ocean and forested islands, sea antlers and waves. Climb into the rock arch and explore the flowing pools. Or keep your feet dry on the dirt road and enjoy the scenery. Dogs are allowed on the beach all the way to Ellen Creek.
Located in the Sol Duc Valley near the town of Forks, this scenic hike on the Olympic Peninsula includes one of the most popular waterfalls in the Northwest. Make it loopy or make it short and sweet. It’s only a mile from the falls and back from the parking lot.
Whether you have an hour or a whole day, you can find some of the best rainforest trails just a few miles from Highway 101. rustic for road map. The four-mile Lake Quinault Loop Trail through old-growth conifer forests and lush forest vegetation is a great option.
Olympic National Park 5-day Road Trip Itinerary
Take a scenic and historic day trip along the shores of Lake Crescent. Almost no altitude, but lots of views of the lakes and mountains. A great choice for kids (and dogs). Crossing the bridge over the Devil’s Punchbowl is a highlight of the trail.
If you want to hike a few miles on the old Olympic Peninsula Trail without high gain, this is the perfect day trip. Hike through forests, deserts and wetlands and observe bald eagles and marine mammals. Take one of the 3.1 miles to the Pacific Ocean, or do the entire triangle. Be sure to check the tide before exiting at 9.2 miles. And, if you plan to camp on the beach, you will need a permit and a bear for your food.
If you want to keep your feet at sea level, head down to the longest natural sand dune in the United States. The area offers stunning views of the water and mountains, and is home to an abundance of marine wildlife. The New Dungeness Lighthouse is located at the end of the road.
Want to go all day with something really challenging? The loop route has an elevation gain of 3,000 meters and all the gems of the Olympic National Park you could want – trails with forests, waterfalls, lakes, valleys and various alpine areas.
Marymere Falls — Washington Trails Association
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Figuring out how to see the best of Olympic National Park can be overwhelming for a first-time visitor. With nearly a million acres of parkland to explore and encompassing four beautiful and diverse ecosystems, there’s plenty to see. While many people prefer to backpack in the more remote areas of the park (with the right permits), there are many great day trips that are easy or moderate and showcase what makes Olympia so special. one of its crown jewels. Pacific Northwest.
Here are 10 tours not to be missed. Some are so short that they can be combined with others for a good day of exploration. And most, if you choose, can be extended into overnight camping trips or longer day trips in the area.
Located in the coastal and intertidal area of Olympic National Park, these trails take you to the beach and tropical rainforest. Cape Alava has many petroglyphs and artifacts of the natives who have lived in this area for over 2,000 years. Wildlife is abundant, as it is in many parks.
A Solo Getaway To Olympic National Park
Looking for a fun day pack? Check out our review of the 5 best day packs for women in 2018. Cwm Hud via Pont y Mellod Trail – 5 miles round trip
Walk through the dense coastal forest between ancient trees and numerous waterfalls. The road is wet and muddy most of the year, but it makes it into the meeting place in the best possible way. The Quinault Forest receives about 150 inches of rain per year. Tourists can go deeper into the Magic Valley that flows through the East Fork Quinault River.
The Hurricane Hill Trail is one of the most popular trails in Olympic National Park, but don’t let that stop you. The views are truly spectacular, including the Olympic Mountains, the Elwha River Valley and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Summer wildflowers and wandering mountain goats are an added bonus.
Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) on Hurricane Hill. Photo by Tyson Gillard. Klahane Ridge Trail + Sunrise Point – 5.6 miles round trip
The Best Way To Spend One Day In Olympic National Park (2024)
Although this route is almost as popular as Hurricane Hill and starts near the Hurricane Rib Visitor Area, it uses a different route to Hurricane Hill. This tour offers more freedom to other park visitors and spectacular views of Sunrise Point. The place is open and sunny, so bring your sunscreen if you get the chance to visit on a cloudless day, it’s good for endless views.
These two short trails can be combined into one trip, and if you’re traveling through a wet, humid, and almost always rainy forest, these trails take you where you can’t see. there. Throughout the old growth forests you will find giant western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and large maple trees covered in deep blankets of moss. Don’t forget to bring your rain boots and a waterproof coat.
The Cedar Loop Trail is located outside of Olympic National Park in the recreation-oriented area of the Quinault National Forest. The trail runs along Lake Quinault and deep into the surrounding old growth forest. Another way where the mud will become your friend, come prepared for the humidity and lose yourself in the surrounding beauty.
If you’ve visited Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, you’d be crazy to skip the short hike to Sol Duc Falls. It drops 50 feet into a narrow canyon and the effect is spectacular. The lookout and the bridge over the falls make for great pictures. Backpacking the High Divide Trail continues from here as well.
Explore Olympic National Park: Find Less-visited Hikes
A long lookout gives Sol Duc Falls a simple look. Photo by Daniel Sherman. Skokomish River, Space Fast Trail – 2.2 mile loop
To the east, or Hood Canal, which is part of Olympic National Park, the Staircase Ranger Station is the starting point for a short and beautiful trip on the Skokomish River. It is drier here than in the western part of the peninsula, but that does not mean that the roads are not muddy. Cross the suspension bridge and head up Staircase Rapids, where you’ll have plenty of places to rest and enjoy the view of the river.
Getting to Lena Lake is a bit of a hike, but not too difficult and worth the effort. Lena Lake is located in the Olympic National Forest, outside the national park. However, this forest still has tall old growth and impressive landscapes. Many tourists make the trip to Lake Lena in the summer, and there are opportunities to continue further into the forest and into the nearby Brother Desert.
The most difficult day hike on this list, the climb to Royal Basin Falls requires a 2,650-foot climb. A permit is also required to visit it. But with this, you will have a very limited opportunity to see Olympic National Park at best. After visiting the beautiful waterfall and the surrounding Royal Lake, if you are already there, continue to hike another 500 meters to the Upper Royal Basin for an amazing experience as indeed, almost in the middle of Washington’s Olympic National Park. . The country is one of the most spectacular places in the world, full of snow-capped mountains, lush forests and stunning beaches – all in one garden. However, with so much beauty, it can be difficult to narrow down the best tours in Olympic National Park, with
