Olympic National Park

3 days in Olympic NP

TLDR:

Top hike recommendation: Mount Storm King

Location to stay: Port Angeles, WA 

Crossing off another National Park with Olympic NP in Washington! This was one of my favorite national parks that I have been to. The mountain, trees, lake, and ocean views are hard to beat. My girlfriends and I went in September and had lovely weather, mostly sunny and temps in the 50s-60s. With so many places to explore in Olympic, we spent a long time deciding our agenda. Below is the itinerary we created which worked out very well for us. 

Day 1

• Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge - This an easy 3.5 mile paved trail with a steady incline. It would be great for a morning walk with a thermos of coffee to enjoy!

• Sunrise Ridge trail to Klahhane Ridge - Around 7 miles, out and back, difficulty level hard on All Trails but no technical difficulties. It’s a beautiful hike and I would definitely recommend it! We packed food for the end of the trail and found that the deer are not afraid of you and will come requesting a bite of your sandwich.

Day 2

• Mount Storm King hike- This was by far our most favorite hike, offering incredible views throughout the entire trail. There is a fun ropes section towards the end and the view from the top is worth every step to get there! Around 4 miles out and back. 

• Devil’s Punchbowl- An easy walk to the punchbowl where we jumped in the most crystal clear blue water of Lake Crescent. Fun fact- Lake Crescent lacks nitrogen so algae can’t grow, allowing the water to be so blue! A must see!

Day 3

• Hoh Rainforest: Hoh provided a very different environment compared to the previous two days with mossy trees, small streams and dense humidity. The trails are easy and can be enjoyed at a slow pace. Parking can be challenging so if you are on a timeline, I would recommend getting there early. 

• Hole in the wall: On Rialto Beach, take time walking along the shore and go at low tide so you can walk out and see tide pools. We packed a picnic for dinner on the beach and it was a perfect ending to the day!

  
  

General Olympic NP recs:

• We enjoyed the small local drive up coffee shops, The Daily Grind was one we visited a couple of times. 

• I use the All Trails app for nearly every hiking adventure and can’t recommend it enough. Download the trail that you are going to explore the night before so you can use it offline if you get lost or want to check where you are on the map. 

• We stayed at an Airbnb in Port Angeles and would recommend Port Angeles to stay in, we would have a small drive every day but seemed to be the most central place to stay. There is nothing better than coming back after a long day of hiking and enjoying a soak in a hot tub outside. Whenever I plan a hiking trip, I try to stay at a place that has a hot tub to mix in a feeling of luxury and relaxation after a long and fulfilling day outdoors.

We ended our trip in Seattle, exploring Pikes Place Market, quaint neighborhoods and eating fresh seafood! 

Cheers!