Olympic National Park Tips

Where to Stay: We are staying near Port Angeles, WA. It is a central location between Seattle and the far end of Olympic National Park. This has worked for us because we are here for a whole month with plenty of time to explore and are going back and forth to Seattle for a couple of events during the month. If you want to see the whole park while minimizing your driving, I would suggest staying in the Forks, WA area. There are fewer options but this area is close to Rialto Beach and Hoh Rainforest and halfway between either end of the park.

Timing: Olympic National Park is unique because it contains three distinct and unique climates in one park: alpine, coastal beach, and rainforest. The alpine section of the park is Hurricane Ridge with only one access road. Snow often falls starting in mid to late September and will stick around until June. The access road is closed during winter because of the snow. If seeing this part of the park is important to your visit, it is best to visit mid Summer through early Fall. The road up to Hurricane Ridge was closed during our visit in early November.