All Parks Ahead

Parks / The Pacific Northwest

Olympic

Stop 33 of 51 on the loop. Stay in Port Angeles WA, give it 2 nights, and plan the day around Hurricane Ridge / US-101.

A herd of elk crossing a river.
Roosevelt Elk. Photo: NPS Photo/Jon Preston
State
WA
Stay in
Port Angeles WA
Nights on this route
2
Month on this route
June
Don't miss
Hurricane Ridge / US-101
Getting here
492 mi from Fort Klamath OR, about 10 h 37 min. Plan 1 overnight stop.
Next stop
Mount Rainier, 155 mi, about 3 h 43 min.
Port Angeles WA

On This Route

Olympic comes in June, after Crater Lake and a long drive north (10 to 11 hours, so plan an overnight stop). The park is a ring of very different places around a roadless core: alpine ridges, temperate rain forest, and wild Pacific coast. No road crosses it, so you can’t see it all in two nights. Pick two.

Plan the Day

  • Morning: Hurricane Ridge, 17 miles uphill from Port Angeles. It looks straight into the Olympic Mountains and often has snow patches in June. The Day Lodge burned in 2023, so bring food and water. Weather can close the road at any time.
  • Afternoon: Lake Crescent, 30 minutes west. Walk the short trail to Marymere Falls.
  • Day two, if you have it: the Hoh Rain Forest, about two hours from Port Angeles. The Hall of Mosses loop is under a mile. Pair it with Ruby Beach on the coast.

Rules for 2026

No timed entry. Olympic isn’t on the 2026 nonresident surcharge list. Cell service disappears on most of US-101, so download offline maps before you leave Port Angeles.

Where to Stay

Port Angeles has the most rooms and is the gateway to Hurricane Ridge. For a second night out west, Forks or the Lake Crescent and Kalaloch lodges (in the park) cut the drive to the Hoh and the coast.

Entrance Fees

  • $30 Private Vehicle
  • $25 Motorcycle
  • $15 Per person (walk or bike in)

An $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers entry at every national park; on a trip like this it pays for itself after three parks. Fees from the NPS, checked 2026-10-18.

Orange sea stars on a rocky coast.
Photo: NPS Photo/Bill Baccus
Hikers sit and watch the sun set behind snow-capped mountains.
Photo: NPS Photo

Nearby Parks

Sources

Official site: https://www.nps.gov/olym/. Guide reviewed 2026-10-18. Route data checked 2026-10-19.