Our family of five (kids are young adults) are staying in Olympic National Park for the first time this summer.

I'm working with a travel agent who suggested staying at a very nice looking VRBO.

But, if I'm reading it correctly, it looks like the cheapest rooms at Lake Crescent would be roughly the same price.

What would you suggest? What would be the pros and cons of each? Thanks!

First time in the park on our May 6th-12th trip and plan on camping our way around the park counterclockwise. Most mountainous hikes obviously have snow at this time but some still look like they might be doable with microspikes such as Mount Townsend or Mount Angeles/heather park which are 2 of the hikes we’re considering. Just wondering if this is realistic with typical levels of snow at this time with microspikes, good boots and poles.

Also wondering if the elk mountain area and hikes around there are even worth considering at this time of year. Appreciate any input!

(Also appreciate any hiking/1 night backpack recommendations)

Friends and I wanted to explore Seattle/Olympia area and while we're there visit Olympic NP but it will likely be in 2nd week of April. Are there any good hiking trails that would be good or is majority of park closed?

My husband and I are visiting September 18-23. We plan to get a rental car from the airport and are staying the first two nights in Forks and the last 3 nights in Port Angeles. Places on our list we want to visit are Hole in the Wall, La Push, Cape flattery, Hoh (if it’s back open but hopes aren’t up), Marymere Falls, Mount Storm King, and Hurricane Hill. We also have a few other things that are “maybes” if we have the time.

We are pretty inexperienced hikers and have never visited any national parks before, but we are so excited and want to prepare so we can do some of the bigger hikes!

Would love any suggestions on planning, packing, shoe wear, hiking necessities, or any other suggestions or tips anyone has. We are from the South and have no idea what to expect, but want to make the most of our trip coming from so far away! Thanks in advance!!

I've come across :

Rain jackets

Rain Anoraks

Rain shell jacket

Windbreakers

To be honest, I'm a little confused by all these options. I've never been to this park before and not sure what I'll need in mid-February.

Planning a trip to Olympic National Park for May 17th - 21st. I was hoping to try and go to Hurricane Ridge and Hoh rainforest because just that's what everyone says are big things to do. My research is showing me that end of may is a bit of a toss up for how much Hurricane Ridge is open. Most posts say that early May is too early and June is fine. Hoh rainforest is closed due to road repairs and maybe open march but like who knows if it will?

Sul Duc and Storm ridge are good options too. Will be doing things also on the coast like Rialto Beach and Cape Alva.

Just curious if other people are planning to go to Olympic in may and what their approach will be.

We just pulled the trigger on booking a trip, and in my lack of research am now seeing the Hoh road washout.. any other suggestions for a similar feel to Hall of Mosses ? We’re staying 1 night in Port Angeles, and 3 in Forks. Thanks

My fiancé and I are honeymooning in ONP in the last week of June this year. What are the chances that we can summit Mt Ellinor without snow gear? We have done more challenging hikes distance-wise and elevation-wise, but we aren’t experienced with snow hiking or own snow gear.

If it is likely to have some snowpack left, what would be the best way to still be able to summit safely?

Hello national park goers,

I'm an architecture student doing a school project on Hurricane Ridge. I'm looking for any and all information you have about the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center before it burned down. Thoughts, experiences, photos, I'll take anything you are willing to share! Some things I'm particularly interested in:

- How was the visitors center laid out inside? There are very few images that I can find from inside that give a good understanding of how the building was organized

- What was the lodging experience like? It sounds like there were some lodging accommodations, were they open for anyone? Were they like a more standard hotel room? Different in some ways? I misunderstood what a day lodge was!

- Were there classes/groups hiking events organized at the visitors center?

- Is there public transport between Port Angeles and the visitor's center?

- Was there anything from the lodge that was recovered from the fire? Exhibits, furniture, artwork, gear, etc.

Thanks for your time!

Hello everyone! Me and my fiancé are planning a small wedding (20 people) for the first week of August. We have been doing research on this sub and online for weeks but still want some clarification on some things(and hopefully you nice people can help)

Right now the plan is to stay at Forks, do the ceremony on a weekday at Ruby Beach around 5pm(to possibly avoid crowds).

However on the permit we have to submit it asks for detailed instructions on how many cars we will have and where they will park. We see that Ruby Beach has a parking lot but from reading this sub it seems that it fills up very quick and August is the busiest season. We will have about 5 cars and are worried we won’t have anywhere to park. We are planning on being there for about an hour.

So! What we want to know is are there any better spots similar to Ruby Beach that might be less crowded and easier to park? I should note that we won’t be able to do any long hikes to get to the destination (grandparents would not be able to handle it) And if every where is crowded in August what other summer months would you maybe recommend?

Also any and all advice / tips about visiting / getting around the park in general would be appreciated!

Hey guys! I'm from Jersey visiting the Seattle area and planning on visiting the park March 9-10, but I saw that snow chains are required to be carried. I was going to rent a car, but most rental companies don't allow snow chains on the car. With that being said, I have a question for you all:

What's the real likelihood that I'd have to put them on the car?

I'm fine buying/renting them once I'm there to carry them in the vehicle like required, I'm just worried that I'll have to actually use them. I have no idea what the conditions are actually like out there and wanted to know everyone's experiences in that regard. Thanks!

Hello all, in early stages of planning a trip later this year. I am interested in staying in one of the lodges inside the park. I will be driving from Seattle. I hear the lines to get into the park can be really long. Is this a problem if I al staying at a lodge? And then if I stay inside the park in a lodge is there still an issue with parking lots getting full?

I'm just wondering the likelihood of being able to do this in 4 days. I'm currently planning a trip and my main spots I want to visit are Lake Crescent, Hoh Rain Forest, Rialto Beach Cape Flattery in the same day, and Ruby Beach. I will be sleeping in my car and not pitching a tent but will need to stay at a Campground. From what I'm seeing alot of the places I've looked at are first come first serve. Should I still try and book campsites? This trip will be done in late April early may.

Hello!

Anyone know if most sites in Mora could fit two standard tents and two cars? I couldn’t find anything about sites being restricted to a certain number of vehicles or tents, but generally wondering if it this is possible or if they are really small sites.

Thank you so much for your help!

Hey all. I finalized our itinerary and booked our stays, finally. I got recommended to use an app called Wanderlog and it’s great. It shows drive times between everywhere which is wonderful I have asked countless people and groups for advice on our itinerary, and never posted our final plans anywhere. We are doing Sunday-Sunday.. Forks, Port Angeles and 2 different accommodations for Mount Rainier.

Now that everything is official and stuff is booked, my rose colored glasses are off and I’m worried about the driving. Of course, I didn’t overlook it when planning but seeing it all mapped out and official has me a little worried. At the same time, I’m really proud of all of my research and what I have planned and don’t want to take anything out. The only thing I would consider removing at this point is Cape Flattery in between our Forks and Port Angeles stays. Anyone else experience this? Did it end up being okay? I’m not posting my itinerary because in all honesty, many people aren’t too kind about it and I don’t want it to add to my reservations about our awesome trip. I’d be willing to share, but just don’t want the scrutiny. Thanks everyone

Current word is that seasonal hiring is frozen for National Parks and current offers are being rescinded by the new administration, It is throwing into question if the parks will be open this summer (due to lack of staff) and to what extent they will be open and or late openings. Double check with your Park if you plan on visiting this summer to ensure where you are going will be ready.

If you have more specific information please add it here.

My wife and I love visiting national parks, we really enjoyed Yellowstone and Glacier which we took our oldest to when he was one. Now we have 2 and they're a bit older. We were considering going to Seattle this summer and then spending a few days driving through ONP, but I'm curious if the kids would enjoy it. Mostly looking for input on people that have taken their kids, and what they recommend for stops. Thank you!

Hello! Mom and 21 year old daughter Midwesterners planning a 4 day trip in May to Seattle and ferry to ONP- should we rent a car at hotel and drive to downtown- or take rail to downtown and get a rental near Pike area? Also best 2 days to spend least amount of driving and lowest elevation in ONP. Interested in Hoh and Lake crescent I think. Scared of two lane mountain drive. Most central spots in the park to stay? 🙏

My family and I (me, husband, 23 y.o. daughter, 16 y.o. son) are planning our first visit in early June, and we'll stay for about a week. We have never been to Washington State or the park. Though my daughter and I can't do strenuous hikes with big elevation gains, we can all hike fairly level terrain for hours. We are a pretty outdoorsy family and want to spend most of our time hiking in the park, strolling along the beaches/shoreline/tide pools, etc. The issue is that we aren't sure what town/city to use as our home base. What central location would locals and/or frequent visitors recommend that would put us closest to the most beautiful parts of the park? We don't mind a bit of driving, but we'd prefer to stay somewhere that won't leave us in the car half the day anytime we want to see another spot.

I’m wondering if anyone has experience serving in the restaurant at Crescent Park Lodge and can share about how much they were making? I saw that the hourly is $17.75, is that the hourly and you also make tips? I just want to know about what to expect!

With the road being washed out and the tree of life damaged, is the campground still accessible?

For those who are looking to backpack in ONP but have questions, I am happy to share my experience and recommendations to plan for overnight backpacking trips in ONP. I have been backpacking solo and in small groups throughout the national park for about two decades and feel comfortable providing some insight. If you are interested, you are welcome to join a Zoom meeting Feb 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. You will need to register in advance for this meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/M-EZsPGRSiGSgXz6JgRrjQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

I will plan to present for about 10-15 minutes about some items for ONP, and will be happy to help drive responses for roads (access and clarification of distances and travel time), permits, snow/ ice concerns, destinations, bear vaults, maps, trailhead options, differentiateing between National Park and Forest Service and Wilderness, etc.

I prefer to backpack in the mountains but have backpacked on the coasts and will be happy to share my thoughts about beach backpacking (crowds, water sources, and other) for those who are interested. I hope this will be a helpful session.

This will not address car camping in the national park. Feel free to suggest topics in the thread.

I have been reading all of your posts about limited food in the park and you should pack your own food. My main concern is lunch each day in different sections of the park. For people who fly in to Seattle and rent a car to drive to the park where do you get your coolers and ice? Does the grocery store in port Angeles sell those styrofoam coolers and ice? If you are trying to buy a weeks worth of food do any of the air bnb or places to stay have refrigerators? Thank you.

Hello, i'm looking to get sol duc reservations for a friends trip for late April, (the only time we could all make it work) and Sol Duc is has been the most recommended for a camp ground.

Does anyone know when reservations open up? From what i can tell they open on February 5th, but i don't know if that means just after midnight, or at noon.

I searched prior posts but didn't find anything on this sub.

Come to think of it, any other pro-tips for staying at Sol Duc?

Thanks!

Headed to ONP for 6 nights in August. Thinking about splitting the time evenly between Forks and PA. What are your favorite hikes and are there any trails that need advanced reservations?

I'm headed to a cabin on a lake in the ONP at the end of February. I want to do some light hiking through the forests and a lot of beach exploring as well. What's the weather like? I planned to bring a waterproof winter coat and knee high insulated muck boots. I need some form of pants but no clue what to truly buy. Any suggestions? And any suggestions on literally anything to do with the area are welcome too 😁 I am from New England so I have no experience with the pacific northwest.

Planning a 4 night trip through ONP late July/Early August. Sunday-Thursday. Looking to start on the coastal end (kalaloch, South beach) for 2 nights. Possibly a night in Hoh followed by a night up in the Sol Duc Area.

I understand that it is peak season and availability could be scarce. Any recommendations for sites a little off the beaten path accessible by vehicle at any of these locations? Or maybe where/how I can find them?

I am not opposed to making reservations at the popular sites, but I would also like a less crowded experience. Maybe I’m asking for too much.

This trip is for my wife and I using our SUV overlanding setup with SUV tent so we don’t necessarily need a whole ton of space.

Thank you in advance for any advice or recommendations.

Hello! I am visiting Olympic towards the end of February from the Southeast. We were in Seattle previously but never made it to Olympic. I am first attending a conference and then planning on heading over on the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island with the car.

Right now we are planning on arriving on a Wednesday and leaving on a Saturday evening to make a Sunday AM flight.

Our idea was to see Lake Crescent, Rialto Beach, and the Quinault Rainforest. I feel like with the time we have (3 days) that should be plenty.

Any thoughts, suggestions? We are trying not to go anywhere that’s crazy in regard to snow. Also mourning the fact that the Hoh is closed :(

My girlfriend and I will be visiting late April/Early May for our baby moon. Was looking for some recommendations on what to see. Really the only thing we are set on seeing is Hoh. Would love some more ideas, we are planning on staying in Port Angeles (unless recommended otherwise) We are setting aside 3, possibly 4 days just to explore before heading to Victoria BC. Apologies for the vagueness, there seems like so much and wanting a place to start. Appreciate any advice !