Olympic National Park packs three different worlds into one weekend: subalpine meadows with views of glaciated peaks, a mossy temperate rain forest, and wild Pacific beaches stacked with drift logs and sea stacks. Here's a two-day plan that sees all three, timed for the tides.
Before you go
- Getting there: from Seattle, Port Angeles is about two and a half hours, including a Washington State Ferries crossing to Bainbridge or Bremerton.
- Fees: the entrance fee is $30 per private vehicle and is good for 7 days, or use a $55 Olympic annual pass or an America the Beautiful pass. The park is cashless, and you can prepay on Recreation.gov.
- Tides: the beaches on this plan depend on a falling or low tide. Check NOAA tide predictions before you set your times.
- Winter: the Hurricane Ridge road normally opens only Friday to Sunday and holiday Mondays, and all vehicles must carry tire chains.
Day 1: ridge, lake and Rialto Beach
8:00 a.m., Hurricane Ridge. The paved road climbs 17 miles from Port Angeles, about 45 minutes, to meadows with views across the Olympic Mountains. Walk the Hurricane Hill trail, 3.2 miles round trip with about 700 feet of climbing. The day lodge burned in 2023 and hasn't been rebuilt, so facilities are limited and there's no drinking water: bring your own.
Noon, Lake Crescent. About an hour west, this deep, clear lake sits right along Highway 101. An easy 1.8-mile round-trip trail from the Storm King area leads through old-growth forest to 90-foot Marymere Falls. Have lunch at one of the lakeside picnic areas.
3:00 p.m., Rialto Beach. Another hour west, near La Push, Rialto is all huge drift logs, pounding surf and sea stacks. On a falling or low tide, walk about 1.5 miles north to Hole-in-the-Wall, a sea arch with tide pools (3 miles round trip). Don't cross the arch once water covers its floor, and stay off drift logs when the tide is up; waves can roll them.
Spend the night in Forks, or drive about an hour and a half back to Port Angeles.
Don’t cross the arch once water covers its floor, and stay off drift logs when the tide is up.
Day 2: the Hoh Rain Forest and Ruby Beach
Early, the Hoh. The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the best places in the country to walk among giant Sitka spruce and moss-draped maples. In summer the entrance line can reach about two hours, so the park suggests arriving before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. The Hall of Mosses (a 0.8-mile loop) and the Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles) are easy and unforgettable. Pets aren't allowed on Hoh trails.
Afternoon, Ruby Beach and Kalaloch. Head south to the coast. Ruby Beach has sea stacks and driftwood a short walk from Highway 101, and Kalaloch, a few miles farther, has a beachfront lodge and campground. Pick up a tide chart at the Kalaloch Information Station; some stretches become impassable at high tide.
Where to stay
Port Angeles and Forks are the main towns. Inside the park, Lake Crescent Lodge and Kalaloch Lodge are popular, and the Hoh and Kalaloch campgrounds are open year-round; many summer campsites can be reserved on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead.
Rather have a guide?
If you'd rather someone else handled the ferry and the driving, compare Olympic Peninsula tours from Seattle on our Pacific Northwest tours page.
Plan it
- Olympic Peninsula and coast in our Pacific Northwest guide, with current closures and official links
- The Olympic highlights from Port Angeles day plan, which you can add to a trip in one tap
- Build your Pacific Northwest trip in our free Trip Planner, no account needed
- See the best Pacific Northwest tours
Facts from our Pacific Northwest guide, checked against the National Park Service's Olympic pages, NOAA and Washington State Ferries in October 2026. Cover photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Some links in this story are affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
