Aug 05 2026
Washington is home to three national parks, and together they protect an extraordinary cross-section of the Pacific Northwest. Mount Rainier National Park surrounds the highest mountain in the Cascade Range and some of the most celebrated wildflower meadows in America. Olympic National Park combines glacier-covered mountains, temperate rain forests, old-growth forests, lakes, rivers, and more …
Jul 28 2026
Olympic National Park protects one of the wildest stretches of coastline in the continental United States. Here, the Pacific Ocean crashes against enormous sea stacks, giant driftwood logs pile along the shore, tidepools fill with colorful marine life, and dense temperate forest grows almost to the edge of the sea. These are not typical swimming …
Jul 25 2026
Staircase is one of the quieter gateways into Olympic National Park, offering enormous Douglas-firs, a rushing mountain river, moss-covered forest, and access to the southeastern Olympic Mountains. Located along the North Fork Skokomish River beyond Lake Cushman, the area feels distinctly different from better-known Olympic destinations such as Hurricane Ridge, the Hoh Rain Forest, and …
Jul 14 2026
Olympic National Park has two very different hot-spring experiences. Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort offers developed mineral pools, changing rooms, lodging, camping, food, and easy road access during its operating season. Olympic Hot Springs, in the Elwha Valley, are undeveloped natural springs reached only after a long journey on foot or bicycle followed by additional …
Jul 11 2026
Kalaloch Lodge sits on a forested bluff above the Pacific Ocean in one of the most beautiful parts of Olympic National Park. Surrounded by windswept beaches, driftwood, coastal forest, tidepools, and wildlife, the lodge offers something unusual in a national park famous for remote wilderness: the chance to stay directly along the Olympic coast without …
Apr 26 2025
Hot springs have drawn people to mineral-rich waters for thousands of years, whether for bathing, relaxation, cultural traditions, or simple curiosity about the geothermal processes occurring beneath Earth’s surface. Within the U.S. national park system, hot springs range from carefully managed historic bathhouses to remote desert soaking pools and spectacular thermal basins where the water …
Sep 28 2024
Deep inside Olympic National Park’s Quinault wilderness lies a broad river valley surrounded by steep forested mountains, seasonal waterfalls, old-growth rainforest, wildlife, and one of the park’s most recognizable backcountry landmarks. Enchanted Valley is the kind of place that feels far removed from the roads and visitor centers of the Olympic Peninsula—and reaching it requires …
Sep 28 2024
Olympic National Park is one of the rare places where a single hiking trip can include glacier-covered mountains, moss-draped temperate rainforest, waterfalls, turquoise lakes, alpine meadows, wild Pacific beaches, and river valleys inhabited by Roosevelt elk and black bears. That diversity also means there is no single “best” Olympic hike. The Hall of Mosses is …
Sep 28 2024
Ruby Beach is one of the most recognizable stretches of coastline in Olympic National Park. Massive sea stacks rise from the Pacific, enormous driftwood logs collect along the upper beach, rocky tidepools appear as the ocean retreats, and dense coastal forest grows almost to the edge of the sea. Unlike many of Olympic’s wilderness beaches, …
Sep 28 2024
Hurricane Ridge is one of the easiest places to experience the high mountains of Olympic National Park without completing a strenuous wilderness hike. A paved road climbs from Port Angeles into subalpine country, where broad meadows open beneath jagged Olympic peaks and hiking trails lead toward panoramic viewpoints, wildflower-covered ridges, and wildlife habitat. On a …
