We’re continuing our posts on national parks by next highlighting Olympic National Park, and by once again featuring a post written by a guest of ours.
Olympic National Park is on the Olympic Peninsula in WA – about 2-3 hours west of Seattle. This park has so many diverse views, including the Olympic Mountain range, the Hoh Rainforest, and the Pacific coast.
Highway 101 more or less circles the entire park. If you have the time, check out 3 day itineraries for the 454-mile loop drive – a quick Google search turns up several different options! If you’re not up for that long of a road trip, my top three Olympic hikes are: the Hall of Mosses at the Hoh Rainforest, Ozette Triangle Loop, and Hurricane Hill at Hurricane Ridge.
The Hoh (temperate) Rainforest is one of the most unique places I’ve ever been in the U.S. — probably due to all the shades of green! There are three great trail options in this area of the park. My top pick is the Hall of Mosses – a very easy 0.8 mile walk through old growth forest and trees covered in moss. If you have a little more time, add on the Hoh River Trail. It ends after 18.5 miles at a glacier near Mt. Olympus. It’s a great trail for first time backpackers — or you can turn around at any point. I turned around after a waterfall 2.7 miles in!
There are many great options to be on the Pacific Ocean – Ruby Beach and Rialto Beach are popular sites. I enjoyed the Ozette Triangle Loop, a 9.4 mile hike which includes views of forest, sand dunes, beaches, and Ozette Island. If you want to shorten it, you can just do an out-and -back with one of the legs (Cape Alava- 6.8 miles RT or Sand Point 6 miles RT) . Make sure to consult the tide charts before you go!
Hurricane Ridge is another popular area. You can drive there to check out the views. If you’re looking to stretch your legs, Hurricane Hill is a lovely 3.4 mile paved trail. If you can get there in July or August, the views of the ranges with wildflowers are amazing.
Thanks again to our guest contributor! If you want to see more of her photos from her explorations in the PNW, find her on Instagram @pnw.hiking.trails
