47.8021° N, 123.6044° W
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK IS PRETTY DARN BIG - AND DIVERSE. SO IT CAN BE OVERWHELMING TO PLAN AN ITINERARY TO SUCH AN AMAZING PLACE. LUCKILY, WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF THE TOUGH WORK FOR YOU. BELOW ARE FOUR POSSIBLE OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK TRAVEL ITINERARIES YOU CAN TOTALLY STEAL.
Olympic National Park is pretty darn big (it is over 1,400 square miles in size) and of that, nearly 95% of it is considered "wilderness". Because of how rugged the park is, there are no roads that cross it completely. Instead, you have to somewhat circumnavigate it - mostly via Highway 101. If you are looking to head into the interior, then you will either have to drive up Hurricane Ridge Road or hike along one of the many long-distance trails.
But it isn't just the size that makes Olympic National Park so hard to see. What really makes it tough is how diverse it is. Within the national park you have high snowy mountains, lush temperate rain forests and over 70 miles of rugged Pacific coastline. That's is a lot to see. So it really is no wonder that it can be tough to plan the perfect travel itinerary.
Luckily, we have visited this stunning national park a good number of times and have explored almost all of the main areas. Below you will find four Olympic National Park travel itineraries that are based on where you want to explore and how much time you have. This includes a couple of 1 day itineraries, and also a 2 day, 3 day and even a 4+ day adventure itinerary. Hopefully, these travel itineraries hope you plan the perfect adventure in this stunning Pacific Northwest national park!
► You can find even more information on the national park in our comprehensive Olympic National Park Adventure Guide!
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK MAP
4 PERFECT OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK TRAVEL ITINERARIES
We suggest that if you are short on time (have only a couple of hours) then you should definitely try to focus on just one area of the park instead of the whole park. Below are six adventure-filled travel itineraries for Olympic National Park; including, a couple of 1 Day itineraries (based on the area you want to explore), a 2 Day, 3 Day and even a 4+ Day itinerary if you happen to be lucky enough to have that much time to spend in Olympic National Park :).
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK 1 DAY ITINERARY
If you only have one day in Olympic National Park then we definitely recommend narrowing down your travel itinerary to just one specific area. While it is possible to visit multiple sections of the park in one day, due to the distances between them, it will likely seem more like you are spending time just in your car driving than actually out in the national park exploring.
ONE DAY IN THE MOUNTAINS
Hurricane Ridge is a fantastic place to head to if you want to spend a day exploring the high mountains of Olympic National Park. The drive up to Hurricane Ridge takes about 30 minutes if coming directly from Port Angeles. Along the drive, you can stop off at a couple of viewpoints and hiking trails. Once at the top, wander around the main base area and spend a bit of time in the lovely visitor center.
After that, consider heading out for a longer hike. Some of the most popular trails nearby include the Klahhane Ridge Trail (3.8, one-way), Hurricane Hill (1.6 miles, one-way), Wolf Creek (8 miles one-way, all downhill) and the 6-mile one-way trail down to the Elwha Valley and Ranger Station (where you can then hike out to Highway 101).
If you get your fill of Hurricane Ridge and still have some time left over, then consider checking out the stunning Lake Crescent and hiking out to Marymere Falls (which are both roughly an hour away) or visiting the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, which is around 1.5 hours away (there are also a lot of great hiking trails nearby).