Viewpoint · 47 min south
Hurricane Ridge
Drive right up into the Olympic Mountains for meadow walks, deer and big views across to Canada.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Summer best; winter road open some days
- NPS entrance fee
Day Trippin' › Washington › From Port Angeles
Day trips from Port Angeles
Port Angeles is the gateway to Olympic National Park: the road to Hurricane Ridge starts at the edge of town, Lake Crescent and Marymere Falls are about half an hour west, and Dungeness Spit is just east. The best day trips from Port Angeles, by drive time.
39 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Port Angeles
- Sequim lavender farms 30 min east
- Lake Crescent 34 min west
- Hurricane Ridge 47 min south
- Port Townsend and Fort Worden 1 hr 17 min east
- Sol Duc Falls 1 hr 19 min southwest
- Port Townsend Marine Science Center 1 hr 20 min east
- Rialto Beach 1 hr 43 min west
- Ruby Beach 2 hr 2 min southwest
- Cape Flattery 2 hr 18 min west
- Deception Pass State Park 2 hr 42 min northeast
Within an hour from Port Angeles 6 spots
Lake · 34 min west
Lake Crescent
A deep, clear glacier-carved lake with a lodge, paddling and easy shoreline walks.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; summer best
- None for the lake; NPS fee for some trailheads (check)
Farm · 30 min east
Sequim lavender farms
Purple fields, farm stands and lavender everything in the rain shadow of the Olympics.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Late June-August
- Free to visit most farms
Wildlife refuge · 34 min east
Dungeness Spit
One of the world's longest sand spits, with birds, seals and a lighthouse at the end.
- 2 hrs to full day · Easy to hard (length)
- Year-round
- Refuge entry fee (federal passes and Duck Stamp accepted)
Waterfall · 30 min west
Marymere Falls
A short old-growth forest walk to a 90-foot ribbon of a waterfall near Lake Crescent.
- 1-1.5 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- None (check)
Beach · 32 min west
Salt Creek Recreation Area
Tide pools, WWII bunkers and views of the Strait at a county park.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
1 to 2 hours from Port Angeles 7 spots
Town · 1 hr 17 min east
Port Townsend and Fort Worden
A Victorian seaport town plus a fort with bunkers, beaches and a lighthouse.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Discover Pass at Fort Worden
Beach · 1 hr 43 min west
Rialto Beach
A wild, rocky beach; walk north at low tide to the Hole-in-the-Wall arch.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- None (check)
Aquarium · 1 hr 20 min east
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Small Salish Sea aquarium with touch tanks, kelp-forest exhibits and a full orca skeleton, by the beach at Fort Worden.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Adults $7, youth (6-17) $5, 5 and under free; PTMSC and Burke Museum members free
Waterfall · 1 hr 19 min southwest
Sol Duc Falls
A mossy rainforest trail to a falls that splits into several channels; pair it with the hot springs resort.
- 1.5-2 hrs · Easy
- Spring-fall; road can close in winter
- NPS entrance fee
Garden · 1 hr 45 min southeast
Bloedel Reserve
Quiet gardens and forest on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission fee; timed tickets online are recommended
Town · 1 hr 34 min southeast
Poulsbo
A Scandinavian-themed harbor town with bakeries and a waterfront park.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Beach · 1 hr 40 min west
Second Beach
A short forest trail opens onto a beach of sea stacks near La Push.
- 2-3 hrs · Moderate
- Year-round
- None (check)
2 to 3 hours from Port Angeles 25 spots
State park · 2 hr 42 min northeast
Deception Pass State Park
The famous bridge, swirling tide currents, beaches and forest trails.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Discover Pass
Beach · 2 hr 2 min southwest
Ruby Beach
Sea stacks, driftwood and tide pools on a short walk down from US 101.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Viewpoint · 2 hr 18 min west
Cape Flattery
Boardwalk trail to cliffs at the far northwest tip of the lower 48, with sea caves and Tatoosh Island.
- 1.5-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Makah Recreation Pass
Forest · 2 hr 22 min southwest
Hoh Rain Forest
Walk through the Hall of Mosses, one of the wettest, greenest forests in the country.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- NPS entrance fee
Park · 2 hr 35 min southeast
Point Defiance Park
A huge Tacoma park with old forest, beaches, gardens, a zoo and an aquarium.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free park; zoo has a fee
Farm · 3 hr northeast
Skagit Valley tulip fields
Miles of tulip and daffodil fields in bloom.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Late March-April
- Farm entry fees
Town · 2 hr 28 min east
Langley
A small Whidbey Island village with galleries, a seawall walk and gray whales in spring.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round; whales March-May
- No pass or fee needed
Aquarium · 2 hr 32 min southeast
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo and aquarium in one, with sharks, walruses, polar bear, tigers and penguins inside Point Defiance Park. Thomas Dambo's troll sculptures are on site now.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (reduced days in fall/winter)
- Online: adult (13-64) $25, senior (65+) $23, youth (3-12) $17, 2 and under free. Front gate: $32 / $30 / $22. Military or Pierce County resident at gate: online rates. Zoolights: $16 Mon-Thu / $22 Fri-Sun (Nov 27-Dec 13), $22 nightly Dec 14-Jan 3, 2 and under free
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 98362 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.