In this article I share five Olympic National Park Day Hikes in Washington State! From beaches on the Pacific Ocean to mountains to rainforests to turquoise lakes Olympic National Park in Washington is a hiker’s dream come true. Come explore this beautiful area of Washington State with us!
Olympic is a massive National Park (almost a MILLION acres) in the NW Corner of Washington State. I’ve visited three times and it’s one of my ten favorite National Parks in the USA. I’ll share some of my favorite day hikes that I have done along with lodging and camping options I have utilized.
It’s a great long weekend trip if you live in the Seattle area (that’s how I visited the last two times I have been there.) It can also be combined with small towns or other National and State Parks in this area of Washington State for an epic road trip. Port Angeles is a nearby town to one entrance and they filmed the Twilight saga in the town of Forks Washington.
It’s a privilege to go hiking on public lands. Especially while you are taking a trip, on vacation, or on a holiday somewhere you don’t live. Giving love and respect to the culture is vital and while we are at it…Leave No Trace and Pack Your 10 Essentials :)!
Five Olympic National Park Day Hikes:
1. Hoh Rainforest (Can also be done as a backpacking trip.)
2. Hurricane Hill/Ridge
3. Sol Duc Falls and Lover’s Lane Loop
4. Marymere Falls and Lake Crescent
5. Lake Angeles
Olympic National Park Hike:
Hoh Rainforest
The Hoh Rainforest River Trail! Which you can actually take 18 miles one way. I have done about 7.5 miles in two different times. It’s an incredible trail that twists and turns through this magnificent rainforest. You’ll head about 20 miles down a two lane road to the trailhead. The road ends at the Hoh Visitor Center. From there you can go as far as you would like and you will hopefully feel as though you have landed in a magical world far from the rest of society. Don’t believe me in the tranquility here? The “One Square Inch of Silence” is located here!
We stayed overnight at the Kalaloch Lodge in Olympic National Park one time after hiking the Hoh Rainforest and another time at the adjacent Kalaloch Campground. Ruby Beach and a few other trails or near this area and great for picnics, beach walks, and frisbee toss!
Olympic Day Hike: Hurricane Hill/Ridge.
From the Hurricane Hill trailhead a beautiful trail leads up to the top of the hill with sweeping mountain views of Olympic National Park! This trail starts 1.5 miles past the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center and gains about 750 feet over 3.2 miles. A good workout but doable for many levels! What’s so amazing about Olympic National Park is we started our adventures there in pure “tundra esque” land and by the time we would be done we had visited rainforests and the beach. More on all of that in a minute.
Olympic National Park: Sol Duc Falls and Lover’s Lane Leap.
We camped on the Summer Solstice at the Sol Duc Hot Springs Campground. Not only were the trails very accessible to this area, you can book a slot at the Hot Springs post hike!
Sol Duc Falls is a fairly quick trek, I made it into a 10 mile trail run by continuing on towards the Lover’s Lane Leap. Sol Duc gives you a “three stemmed” waterfall and the mossy trees make it a “PNW Classic” hike!
Marymere Falls/Lake Crescent Loop Hike.
By entering the trailhead via the Lake Crescent parking lot you can take a short hike to Marymere Falls. Along the way we experienced the mossy trees that are most known in my eyes for someone who has not visited Olympic National Park but seen photos! It’s one of the few times where I believe the photos turned out about as good as the actual real life “in person capture” by my eyes.
After the Marymere Falls hike I highly recommend taking a stroll out to admire the beautifully tranquil Lake Crescent! The lake seems to change color every ten feet or so when walking around it. There is also lodging right by the lake and camping nearby that seemed to be a more than tranquil option to stay at. The combination of Marymere Falls and walking part of Lake Crescent is a great way to stretch the legs in some small mileage that gives you amazing views. You can use this as a basecamp area and go kayaking on Lake Crescent as well.
Lake Angeles Hike.
A seven mile hike near the Hurricane Ridge area. You’ll be rewarded with a great workout (you gain 2,300 feet in elevation), a cold crips lake, and a beautiful walk through the forest along the route.
For those looking for a quiet but tough hike near Port Angeles this one is for you!
I hope you enjoyed exploring this massive National Park in Washington State with me. There’s so much more to Olympic National Park than this, and the adjoining National Forest has adventures galore as well. Hopefully this gives you a taste of a few day hikes and regions of the stunning to witness Olympic Peninsula.
Thanks for reading and supporting Happy People Hike, comment below with any questions. If you are planning a hiking trip to Olympic National Park in Washington State we are happy to help out!
Happy Hiking,
Mike R
