Olympic National Park is located on the Pacific Northwest, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park is huge, offering several different ecosystems which makes it a very diverse park! The park has mountains, rain forests, old-growth forests, coastlines, and has multiple trails that run through these magnificent places.
Cabin up on Hurricane Ridge!
This National Park has two parts to it. The National Park consumes this huge vessel of land where you will find the mountains and the rain forests, and then there is a section that is not owned by the National Park Service, but rather towns and reservations. Then the National Park continues on the coastline offering many beaches and trails.
There are many opportunities to backpack as well as day-hiking.
A deer looking out on Hurricane Ridge
Popular Trails:
Hurricane Ridge is a great spot if you want to see lots of mountains! It’s a very popular hike so expect lots of crowds! Right at the parking lot, there is a great overlook spot. You can also choose to hike to Sunrise Point which is a short, steep hike from the overlook. Maybe one mile at most. There are also opportunities for longer hikes. There is a visitor center right at the parking lot with maps. This spot is open year-round offering skiing and snowboarding in the winter months.
Madison Falls is an easy hike to a waterfall. Right at the beginning of the trail, there is a stump so big, you can crawl right into it. Pretty neat! Other than that, this trail is mainly popular because of the accessibility of the trail. The trail is only .2 miles to the waterfall. The waterfall is pretty, but it is not a must see. Only do this trail if you have time. Or if you like marveling at waterfalls.
*Note: If you keep traveling up this road towards Altair and Elwha campgrounds and keep going, there are natural hot springs.
Sol Duc Area: (Rainforest)
Walking through the Nature Trail, its sooooo green!!!!!!
Ancient Groves Hike-Nature Trail: This .5 mile loop hike was one of my favorite hikes in the park. This is where you start to enter the rain forest so you get that mossy feel, plus you’re in ancient groves so the trees are incredibly old! You are pretty much right off the road but you feel like you are away from it all!
Kind of got stuck in a tree!!!
This trail is on the way to Sol Duc Hot Springs and Sol Duc Waterfalls. If you follow the signs for Sol Duc, you will pass this nature trail on the right.
Naturally Fed Sol Doc Hot Springs
Sol Duc Hot Springs- This destination you can drive up to. It cost ten dollars for a day use pass. This place has naturally fed hot springs but is set up to where it looks like there are several hot tubs. They also have a pool. It’s a pretty cool place. The employees test the water quality frequently to make sure it’s safe, so sometimes you may have to move out of the hot tub you are in, but that’s alright because you just go to a different one.
Sol Duc Falls
Sol Duc Falls- This 1.4 mile round-trip hike brings you right to Sol Duc Waterfalls. After you reach the falls, this trail keeps going to a loop hike, seven lakes basin which is supposed to be fascinating. I didn’t do it but the hike has great reviews! This trail head also leads to other backpacking opportunities!!!!
Hoh Rainforest:
The Hoh Rainforest is another spot that offers great day-hiking and backpacking opportunities. This is where you go if you want to see the giant moss covered trees!
When you get to the trail head, there are three trails. There are two short loops right at the beginning which are great hikes!!!
They bring you to the Hoh River and wind through the thicket mossy forests.
These two trails are beautiful! Then there is the long trail that pretty much hugs the Hoh river the entirety of the trail. This trail is primarily for backpackers unless you just want to venture in a few miles and come back the same day. Its beautiful walking along the Hoh river and highly recommended. Not just by me but everyone else too! Here is a link to a Topo map more for backpacking. If your more into just day hiking and want a map, I would suggest this map.
Quinault Rain Forest:
I did not enter this section so I really can’t talk about it.
Beaches: (I did not go to all of the beaches, just the popular ones.)
Shi Shi Beach:
A very nice beach hike. The trail is a couple miles long till you get to the beach. There are two ways to access the beach, none of which are really easy, but there is an easier one and a harder one. The harder one is the first one you’ll approach. You will see a rope dangling down over a pretty steep edge. I of coarse took this way, it was fun. And there was no one down there! It was sooo beautiful!!! I think this section is prettier than the popular one. It is worth going down there. Plus, it is an adventure!
When your down there, you can reach the popular beach right from this spot without going all the way back up the rope and walking to the beach where everyone else is at. All you do is go over the rocks right on the sand, and then you will see people on the other side. And then on the way back to the car, you can head up the easier path that everyone else takes to the main trail. Easy Peasy!
Saw a purple mushroom on the trail to Shi Shi
If you are not into taking the rope and going down a cliff, there is an easier way. You keep continuing down the trail, not too much farther, maybe a quarter mile and you will see a trail to the right, heading down to the beach. That’s the only reason this trail is semi-difficult, is it goes DOWN to the beach, so on your way up you’ll be breathing a little heavy. It is not bad though. I would just say overall this hike is moderate.
From Shi Shi beach, if you want to approach the beach where the rope goes down into, head to the right, all the way to the right till when you see some rocks you can climb. You’ll notice them. You will run out of sand. The mound isn’t very big. Easy to climb. You can climb over it and now you’re on the side of the beach where the rope brings you down into. Very beautiful!
Rialto Beach:
Oh did I have fun at this beach! Too much fun! I stayed for the sunset and came out with 300 pictures later! It was so beautiful. Probably the best sunset I ever watched! It looked like fire was coming onto the rocks out in the ocean! It was so gorgeous!
La Push:
This is for you Twilight Fans.
“La Push Baby. La Push”
“O.K. I’ll go if you stop saying that.”
This is on Quileute Lands- reservation-just like the movie! Oh My Gosh!!!!! You just take highway 110-La Push Road from Forks.
Camping on the beach!
La Push road will bring you passed third, second and first beach. If you go to the very end of the road, it will bring you right to a beach without having to walk. Since this is a dead end, if you continue back up the road, , there is a trail for first or second beach (I’m not entirely sure which beach it was. It was the first trail you encounter when traveling back up La Push Road.) When on the trail, you will first be on National Park land, but when the trail ends at the beach, you can walk on the reservation land, which is just to the right.
Starfish!!!!
Anyway, you can camp here, for free. There were a bunch of people set up in their tents having fires on this beach. Plus, this beach has so many sea creatures in their tide pools. I’ve never seen so much starfish! Hopefully if you go, you will get lucky and see them. Also a great place to catch the sunset!
Third Beach
I know this trail is a little longer than first and second beach which makes it less popular. If you are trying to get away from the crowds, I would suggest going here.
Ruby Beach
This beach has a lot of drift wood. Lots! It’s also a very popular beach. It’s a very short easy walk from the parking lot. Expect lots of crowds!
Cape Flattery
This isn’t part of the National Park, but this place is amazing and it’s near the park it so I’ll talk about it. This is the most northwestern part of the lower 48. You go on reservation land to get here. It’s a drive but worth it, at least in my eyes. The trail is not long. It’s about a 1.3 miles round-trip and brings you out to the coast for a magnificent view. The water is extremely blue, there are caves, wild life, the works! Just take highway 112 to get there. The signs will lead you right there 🙂
Vastness of the roads!
Right off the road!
Even driving through this park offers magnificent views! And there are many opportunities where you will drive right along the coast with great views!!!
Beautiful sunset!
There are signs that tell you where it is best to see the whales, there is a whale trail!
Beaches right off the road!
Yes, that exists!!!! It’s pretty neat! Just driving through the park is a neat experience, so this park can literally be great for everyone!
Got to do some night hiking! Scary!!!!!!!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed Olympic National Park! I spent a week in the park and I probably only touched one percent of the park. It is so big! And soooo beautiful! I would love to come here again.
I’m in Love!!!!!!!
Hope you enjoyed this article! Thank you for reading!!!!
Sincerely,
Shelly/Livingonthedirt
Amazing!!!!!