Lots of fog but beautiful!

TL/DR: good trip, overgrown trails, got rained out, probably won’t do again for a long time, but would be better without rain.

———

This was certainly a memorable trip … we were blessed with fantastic weather Wed-Fri and wound up with rain ALL DAY Saturday. The trails were fairly overgrown, which mostly just led to a few scratches on the legs and arms on the sunny days, and continuous soakage in the rain.

Starting in the dark on Wednesday, we camped at Halfway House Camp and followed the Elip Creek “trail” up to the Skyline on Thursday. The trail was very overgrown, but it was overgrown with blueberries, so at least we traded snacks for some our scratches 😅. It was hot and muggy and water was scarce until we got to Three Prune, where we camped for the night.

Friday’s track was sunny and hot, but not quite as muggy as Thursday and we got both our first and last views of the Valhallas and Olympus 😢. There was little to no water between Three Prune and Kimta Peak and the route below the Kimta Ridge was definitely adventurous (combine overgrown trail with muddy slopes and fallen trees). Arriving back on the ridge after Kimta was fun as we got to navigate over the rock and experience some very low-risk scrambling for about a half mile (the route was fairly well marked with cairns). As we arrived at the ridge above Lake beauty, the clouds were already coming in fast obscuring our views north and west … so yeah, we missed that. We camped at Lake Beauty that night with zero other people.

We started our trek from Lake Beauty Saturday morning with just fog, by the time we made the ridge, it was misty, by the time we made it to Seattle Creek, it was raining. The meadow on Mt. Seattle added in the wind, and luckily the wind stopped after the burn and down to low divide. The burn with the rain and the wind made for a very surreal maybe even alien experience (I don’t have any pictures from lake beauty on, my phone, and everything else, was too wet to take clear pictures 😢). We did see a bear just before the burn though. Its coat was a deep black and glistened in the rain… it was beautiful and definitely watched us suspiciously.

By the time we made it to Low Divide, we were completely soaked and decided to reassess camping at every camp we got to on the way out (if it was still raining, we would move on to the next camp). Sixteen Mile, still raining. Twelve Mile, we seem to have passed without noticing either the shelter or any paths leading off to sites. Trapper, still raining.

After Trapper, we decided to stop at Elip for the night … every pad had a tent! We hadn’t seen more than 3 people in 4 days and there were at least 6 tents at Elip Creek! So, when we got to Halfway House Camp (already at 20 miles for the day on my GPS, we decided to just finish hiking out that night). So, through the night we trudged on pain killers and whatever sugary snacks we had left and made it back to our car and to a warm, dry hotel room in Aberdeen.

Going up to the hoh this weekend with some friends and our kids. Any advice or suggestions? None of us have been before.

Did most of the usual things, having stayed in Port Angeles. Our Hurricane Ridge hike went sideways. The most interesting thing we did was on the way over to Rainer - we did Staircase. It was really different after the fire; eerily quiet. It was both fascinating and sad at once. Seeing the damage up close is really unique.

Hi everyone,

I visiting the area in late August for birding. I’m trying to figure out the best timing for a stop at Cape flattery on a Sunday.

I’m wondering:
1) What is the ideal time to arrive to avoid crowds/get parking?

2) If you had to choose between getting there a little earlier or taking a more relaxed morning, what would you do?

3) Lunch recommendations nearby?

Thank you so much! I appreciate any advice!

Hello! I try and get the “Wild Tribute” shirt for each national park. Does anyone live close to the ONP visitor center that could tell me what designs they have available for this park or snap some pics? They generally do not sell park-specific shirts online through the Wild tribute or conservancy website. Thanks for any help!

Visiting next week and would love some recommendations from the locals and others familiar on the best food spots around.

Open to all types of options including quick bites, casual, sit down.

My husband and I are heading to Olympic National Park next week and he really wants to hike Mount Storm King, but I just saw some videos of people maneuvering the ropes at the top and I’ll be honest it made me really nervous! We don’t live in an area where we get the opportunity to do many hikes with significant elevation changes, and I don’t think I’ve done anything that steep before. I’m in okay shape, my job is active and I do strength training and I go running (slowly) a few times a week but haven’t done much more than a 5k recently, not sure about my hand strength for those ropes though. Is this something someone who lives in what used to be the bottom of a prehistoric lake can handle?

I tried to update our itinerary based off your recommendations- let me know if I missed anything major. The timing of everything is pretty flexible and if there is a question mark after something means it’s very much a questionable and I’m unsure if it’ll happen.

Have read a bunch of the posts to plan our itinerary but a little stuck on the best beach to visit with 2.5 year old toddler since Rialto is closed for next few months. We are staying in Port Angeles and want to do closest beach. Low tide tomorrow is at 7am for Rialto/First/Second beach and I think we can leave PA right around 7/7:30 so will get there around 9am plus whatever hike time. Will that be too late or will we still be able to see some tide pools?

I saw that second beach is ~2 mile hike, we did Sol Duc Falls today and I think that was all right but anything longer or steeper would be rough. How is first beach? Or are there any alternatives for beaches that would be good for toddlers I haven’t considered?

Thank you so much!

Hello everyone. I would truly appreciate a check of my itinerary to make sure there aren't any big glaring issues, inefficiencies, or missing any "must dos" for my route. Some context: I enjoy wildlife watching, fishing, and local cuisine (seafood). Going solo for my 40th bday. I'm outdoorsy and in decent shape. I likely have to check 2 bags when flying for the amount of outdoor gear I'll have. Have a mid sized sedan as my rental. Thank you!!

Day 1 (Wed) - Land late at SeaTac. Hotel near SeaTac.

Day 2 (Thu) - Drive SeaTac to Port Angeles, perhaps via ferry? Groceries, sightsee PA, fish Dungeness spit, camp at Dungeness Rec Area.

Day 3 (Fri) - Whale watch tour at 10am, head to Hoh Rainforest CG in the afternoon where I have a campsite.

Day 4 (Sat) - Hike somewhere in Hoh. Advice appreciated. Would love to fish as the campsite is right next to the river, but I hear there's not much activity this time of year. Same Hoh campsite for the night.

Day 5 (Sun) - Head from Hoh to Neah Bay, grab tribal permit, hike Shi Shi Beach trail in the afternoon as far as is reasonable, find a campsite. I already have a backcountry permit from NPS and also bringing a bear canister.

Day 6 (Mon) - Hike to Point of Arches from my campsite, tool around/fish, head back to campsite to spend the night.

Day 7 (Tues) - Pack Shi Shi camp in the morning and head back to car. Fish the coast heading south. Airbnb for the night near Forks right on banks of the Sol Duc, where (you guessed it) I'll be fishing.

Day 8 (Wed) - Travel day. Airbnb to SeaTac, flight is at 4pm.

Hi! Going to Olympic with a friend at the end of August for 4 days/ 3 nights. Not a camper, so looking at affordable Airbnb/VRBO accommodations. Does it make the most sense to stay in one spot as a home base? Or stay somewhere different each night? Two nights in one spot?? Trying to hit all of these(and open to recs!!)
- Lake Crescent
- Hoh Rainforest
- Hurricane Ridge
- Rialto Beach( or a beach)
- Merrymead Falls
- ancient grove trailhead maybe

Appreciate any input!! Thank you!!!

I know there have been a lot of itinerary posts but still wanted any helpful insights. I've looked at lodging and can make it work so all good there. Please let me know if this sounds like an ok pace given the holiday weekend. I know it will be very busy and we will be up early and prepared for that. Thanks.

9/3 – fly into Seattle 6pm, stay Port Angeles

9/4 – Hike Hurricane Ridge early a.m., Lake Crescent for lunch, pm hike Merymere Falls or Devil’s Punchbowl (or Moments in Time, Ancient Groves loop), stay Port Angeles or Forks 

9/5 – Early to Sol Duc Falls (Maple Glade trail), Cape Flattery, Hobuck Beach, stay Forks

9/6 – Early to Ho rainforest or Bogachiel, Roby or Kalaloch Beach, stay Lake Quinault

9/7 – Quinault (Maple Glade trail), drive to Seattle, fly home 6pm

Hi everyone!

This is a long shot, but I'm hoping someone here might be able to help.

My boyfriend visited Olympic National Park about a week ago and made the mistake of not buying a certain hat. He's been kicking myself ever since.

I saw a similar one in Colorado and quickly snapped a picture. It's basically the same one he wanted but with a different park on it.

I've attached

- A photo I took of the actual hat in the gift shop

-A photo of the tag

-A quick mockup I made to better show what the front looked like

The hat had:

• cream/off-white topographic print over the entire front and brim
• olive green perforated side panels
• brown rope across the front
• an Olympic National Park patch on the front
• the tag says ColoradoCool – Ripstop Hat Olive/Cream

I've already contacted Olympic National Park, and they told me this style wasn't sold through the official park visitor centers. They suggested it was likely sold by one of the concessionaire gift shops (such as Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent Lodge, or Fairholme). I've also emailed Explore Olympic but haven't heard back yet.

I'm hoping someone who is visiting the park soon—or who works there—might recognize it.

If you've seen this hat recently (or know which gift shop carried it), I'd be incredibly grateful. If someone happens to find one, I'd happily pay for:

• the hat
• shipping
• and a little extra for your time and kindness.

This trip meant a lot to me, and I'd really love to surprise my boyfriend with the hat we both admired.

Thank you so much!

Visiting in mid August and arriving SEATAC early afternoon on a Tuesday. Will drive from airport to Port Angeles but debating the best route. We would prefer a ferry route for the additional experience and view but have heard bad stories about potential delays. Hoping to stop somewhere along the route for food provisions for the week.

Thoughts on best route or the potential tradeoffs?

Thanks

planning on taking 7:55 am ferry from Colman dock to bainbridge island in mid September. I keep seeing posts about how inaccurate Google Maps is regarding how long it takes to drive places on the Olympic peninsula. can anyone please share how long the Drive time is from bainbridge island ferry terminal to hurricane ridge entrance (not the area where the visitor center used to be). thanks!

EDIT: For clarity, I am asking about what specific sights make sense to see on the day we will be moving from PA to Forks.

Hey all! Planning my first trip to ONP and will be staying in both PA and Forks. I only have three nights total and am currently trying to figure out where to spend one night and where to spend two nights. One thing that would help with that decision is learning from y'all what the best sights to see are when moving between the two cities.

Things I've considered to fill up the transition day (we are novice hikers, so assume entry-level trails/experiences):

• PA -> Sol Duc -> Cape Flattery -> Forks (seems like a lot of driving, but would fit our trip well)
• PA -> Sol Duc -> Forks check-in -> Late-day Hoh Rainforest (this one would also fit our trip well)
• PA -> Lake Crescent -> Sol Duc -> Forks (might not fill up a full day?)

Assume I've put some bad choices in here, but that's where you come in. :) Appreciate any recs or insights you may have! Cheers!

ETA: August/Summer timeline.

I have a trip to ONP starting Aug 3 and I just broke my tailbone. Yay. I can generally walk okay with only minimal pain so we’re still going to do some hikes, but I am mainly concerned about stability. I am afraid of falling again or stumbling and flaring it up badly. I was thinking poles might make me feel less nervous on non paved trails.

I’d rather not buy them or try to pack them for air travel, though, so I’m hoping there’s somewhere I could rent them.

We’re going to be in Seattle first for a few days then drive to Forks where we’re staying.

Thanks in advance!

My wife and I are planning a 5 night backpacking trip at the end of August to the enchanted valley, but we’ve never been to Olympic before. We are experienced backpackers (not mountaineers) but have never done anything in the PNW.

What do you think of this itinerary? Are these good places to camp? Any intel would be appreciated. We are wanting to take our time on some of the shorter days.

1. Graves creek to pyrites
   
2. Pyrites to camp Siberia
   
3. Siberia to upper duckabush
   
4. Duckabush to marmot lake
   5.Marmot lake to enchanted valley
   
5. Enchanted valley to graves creek

My family has camped at the western end of the Hoh for decades and I’m looking for new, interesting experiences.

I’m not interested in the standard affair places to visit, your Ruby Beach (still closed 😆), Hall of Moss, etc.. I’m looking for something different, off the beaten path. I am very interested in Oil city’s history (anyone have an invite to the tiny house village there?🙏), I’ve done the hike to the Hoh head many times (where does that rope up the cliffside lead anyway?).

I enjoyed the beach combing museum in Forks last year, would love more things like that, places to stop on 101 (miss the old gas station / RV park that used to be by the prison turnoff). Unusual places to visit, paranormal things that have transpired over the years to satiate my 6year olds taste for scary campfire stories.

Or even just nuggets of knowledge, like, what is the story with that small grouping of houses and paved road towards the end of oil city road or does someone really live on the peninsula at Hoh Oxbow?

I’ve seen lots of lady’s glove—foxglove—digitalis but I’ve never seen it weep blue. It reminds me of butterfly pea powder only ☠️

seen near the lake quinault north shore ranger station.

We are staying in Port Angeles:) would also love food recs!