Best trails in Olympic National Park
Situated on the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park has a diverse landscape ranging from rugged Pacific shoreline with tide pools to temperate rainforests as the land expands to Mount Olympus. The glaciated Olympic Mountains overlook the Hoh Rain Forest and Quinault Rain Forest, the wettest area of the continental United States.
Top trails
Visitor info
Valid for seven consecutive days. Fee admits one individual on a private, non-commercial motorcycle.
Valid for seven consecutive days. This fee admits one person without a vehicle, including hikers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Individuals fifteen years or younger are admitted free of charge.
Valid for seven consecutive days. Applies to private, non-commercial vehicles (15 passenger capacity or less). The pass covers all vehicle occupants.
The Olympic National Park Annual Pass costs $55 and is good for entry into the park for one year from the month of purchase. Passes can be purchased at Olympic National Park visitor centers and entrance stations.
Join millions of people who enjoy our National Parks with the "America the Beautiful" National Park & Federal Recreational Lands Pass, otherwise known as the Interagency Annual Pass. The pass is valid for a year's worth of visits from the month of purchase at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country.
No entrance pass required on these days:
Monday, January 20 — Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saturday, April 19 — First day of National Park Week
Thursday, June 19 — Juneteenth National Independence Day
Monday, August 4 — Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
Saturday, September 27 — National Public Lands Day
Tuesday, November 11 — Veterans Day
The Interagency Access Pass is accepted here.
The Olympic (Port Angeles), Hurricane Ridge, and Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Centers are accessible to visitors using mobility equipment or strollers and have wheelchair accessible restrooms and drinking fountains. Orientation films include closed captioning.
Loaner wheelchairs, assistive listening devices, and audio descriptions are available. ASL interpreters are available by reservation. Please call 360-565-3130 or email at least 2 weeks in advance to make a reservation for equipment or interpretation services.
Additional information about accessibility at Olympic National Park can be found on their website: https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm.
The Olympic (Port Angeles), Hurricane Ridge, and Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Centers are accessible to visitors using mobility equipment or strollers and have wheelchair accessible restrooms and drinking fountains. Orientation films include closed captioning.
The Kalaloch Lodge, Lake Crescent Lodge, and Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort have wheelchair accessible rooms and dining rooms. The Kalaloch Lodge also has an accessible cabin.
The Hoh, Rialto Beach, Hurricane Ridge, East Beach, La Poel, North Shore, Bovee's Meadow, and Salmon Cascades Picnic Areas are wheelchair accessible with packed, level paths and surfaces and accessible restrooms (except for Hurricane Ridge).
There are accessible restrooms or vault toilets at the following trailheads: Madison Falls Trail, Beach 4, Ruby Beach, and Spruce Railroad Trail.
The Deer Park, Fairholme, Grave Creeks, Heart O’ the Hills, Hoh, Kalaloch, Mora, Ozette, Sol Duc, and Staircase Campgrounds have individual wheelchair accessible camping sites and wheelchair accessible restrooms or vault toilets.
Service animals must be on-leash throughout the park. Do not take service animals on tidal rocks.
Trail reviews for Olympic National Park
The trailhead is just beyond the main parking lot. So when you get to the hurricane Ridge parking lot, keep driving. By 930 on a weekday, the parking space near the trailhead was getting full . The hike had a very steep start …. Much harder than we expected.. but once the steep part was over, it was very doable. Fantastic views, and a very rewarding hike I would not miss this if I am in the Olympic National Park
I’m in love with Olympic National Park
Did this as a day hike. Feasible in the summer if you start early to avoid ending before dark. Legs were jelly after but well worth it! Beautiful lakes and views of the Olympic range (including Olympus!) Bring a water filter and remember to routinely apply sunscreen and bug spray!
This was a fantastic hike, even though my tracker kept turning off and I lost about 12 miles of trail. We hiked up the Sol Duc River Trail going clockwise instead of counterclockwise which in retrospect was a mistake, but we’d already been to Deer Lake/basin and we were headed to Bruce’s Roost, the clockwise was the most direct route, but it really was a tough hike and we got a late start. Plenty of water up until you get on the ridge so plan ahead. The trail is in fantastic shape even though the relentless rock steps and roots will wear you down. We had a glorious campsite at Bruce’s Roost with some of the most amazing views of the majestic Olympic peak I’ve ever seen. We day hiked down to Mirror Lake from the high divide which is so much easier than taking the steps going into lunch lake from the other side of the high divide, I will never do that one again! We ran out of time and couldn’t go to Morgenroth Lake so clearly will be back up here again. We hiked out to Cat Basin and the Bailey Way trail, lots of berries to eat and lots of bears to eat them. We had a somewhat close encounter with one bear who didn’t pay us any attention but did shake me. Overall, the trip was fantastic. Nothing untoward to report, trail is in great shape. It’s just slow moving with all of the roots and rocks. I was surprised at how few people we saw, in years past it was very busy. This magical place never gets old, just do it!
There is a 8 mile gravel road to the trail that has many twists and turns, some places narrow with quite a drop-off. There are washboards, but thankfully, no potholes to dodge. You don't need a specialized vehicle to make it, an ordinary car can make it up the road. There's plenty of parking, if the lot is full, you can park alongside the road. There are views along the entirely trail and they are stunning. I saw Olympic Marmots and chipmunks as well. It was an amazing trail, I highly recommend.
Get to the parking area early or it will be difficult to find a spot. Great panoramic views of puget sound and the Olympic range at the top