Olympic National Park Hikes - Olympic National Park

Introduction.

Olympic National Park is a large and diversified park that in total encompasses approximately a million acres. The park includes several distinct ecosystems from wild coastlines to glacier capped mountains to old growth temperate rain forests.

Olympic National Park receives over 3,000,000 visitors each year, and provides some incredible sites, even if only for a short visit. Of course there are plenty of activities that can keep you and your traveling group busy for multiple days including but not limited to hiking, climbing, backpacking, boating, fishing, night sky programs, and wildlife viewing, just to name a few.

Below are some tips that made our visit to this park a wonderful experience. As I typically do, I have used the approach of suggesting a larger number of shorter hikes/stops vs. very long or overnight treks, so you can see a wider variety of different sights and areas within the Olympic National Park boundaries.

General logistics information.

There are multiple lodging options within the boundaries of the park, from historic hotels to rustic cabins to camping locations. Additionally, there are many locations outside the park boundaries that offer lodging, restaurants, and opportunities to explore the local cultures.

Regardless of the route you choose to reach the park or where you will be staying, if you want to visit the distinctly different areas of the park as we did, you must be aware that you will be doing a significant amount of driving, in navigating around the Olympic peninsula.

Olympic National Park Hikes.

We spent an awe inspiring day in the Hoh Rain Forest.

As good fortune would have it, the day we spent in the rain forest, it rained. Although I expect it would be a beautiful location regardless of the weather, it just seemed more appropriate to have rain vs. sunshine.
Of course, as rain is highly likely, being prepared in how you are dressed can make your trip a much more enjoyable experience.

Our first stop was at the Visitors Center for some general information and validation of our plans.
We then hiked the short hikes that start directly behind the Visitors Center, which included Hall of the Mosses Trail at .8 miles and Spruce Nature Trail at 1.2 miles.
If you only have a short time for visiting the Hoh Rain Forest, these two trails give a very good representation of the rain forest, and are relatively easy to navigate.

Our next activity was to stop and eat lunch (which we brought with us), at a picnic table, sitting in the rain. Since we were fully dressed in waterproof gear, it turned out to be a pleasant and extremely tranquil meal to re-energize ourselves.

Then it was on to the first of our larger Olympic National Park Hikes on the Hoh River Trail. This is a 17 mile plus trail that leads to Glacier Meadow, however, we only hiked out a couple of miles and back, so we could at least enjoy the experience of being deeper into the rain forest.
The sights are what you probably have seen in magazines, and being right in the midst of this wonder of nature is just mind boggling. Since the volume of other hikers on a weekday in the middle of September was very low, the lack of sound, the multitude of smells, and the totally unique sights made the efforts well worth it.

One of the most interesting facts is that except for the defined hiking trail, there effectively is no "dirt" in the rain forest. When something dies or there seems to be an inch of room on the ground, some new form of life will squeeze its way in. It is an incredible statement of nature's determination to survive.

Since our home base was on the east side of the Olympic peninsula near Port Townsend, it was time to take the long drive back. Having not had the opportunity to visit some of the famous rain forests in other parts of the world, our visit to Hoh Rain Forest was a real treat.

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Our next day of adventure started in the dark, as our goal was to reach Second Beach, near La Push, as close to low tide as we could.

Second Beach is famous for its Sea Stacks and Tide Pools, and making sure you are there at low tide is the best way to enjoy it, and is also critical for your safety. You cannot be at the far end of the beach, about a mile south, and get caught with the tide coming in. There is no other way off the beach, so you must plan accordingly.
This Olympic National Park Hike starts with a trail through the forest for about 3/4 of a mile and then leads down to the sandy beach. While the trail takes some work going down the switchbacks, when you get down to the beach you have to climb over/around large piles of driftwood. Beware, much of this driftwood are full trees, not small pieces of wood. After some careful maneuvering, you get the reward of seeing the Sea Stacks.
Head a short distance to the north end of the beach for some great views of the protruding rock that has a hole through, which both wind and water coming blowing and crashing through.

Olympic National Park Hikes - North End of Second Beach

Hike towards the south end, towards Teahwhit Head, and enjoy the views of many large Sea Stacks, a number of Tide Pools (don't forget to look for some Sea Anemones), and just the overall beauty of what will probably be an almost uninhabited swatch of beach on the Pacific shore.

Since overall time spent on Second Beach is time limited by the tides, we decided to visit Rialto Beach in Mora, which was about a half hour drive.
Rialto Beach is another nice stop and in a very short distance give you access to the beach and excellent views of Sea Stack and crashing waves. By this time, the sun was up high, it was a beautiful day, and the beach and waves were most enjoyable.

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This section provides information on Olympic National Park Hikes in the Hurricane Ridge section of the park.

If you and your travelling group are looking for a strenuous hike which will provide a test of your physical abilities, then the Switchback Trail to Klahhane Ridge is for you.
The starting point for this hike is from a small parking area, about 3 miles before the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.
The official map claims that the trail is 1.5 miles in each direction, however the elevation change in this relatively short distance is 1,400 feet.
As the trail switchbacks up to the ridge, you pass through subalpine forest and also on other surfaces that are wide open to the sunshine, or in the case of the day that we hiked, the rain.
You will get some great views both ascending and descending, and while the ridge was mostly socked in on our hike, the normal view at the top provides both long range mountain views and views over Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan De Fuca.

The next set of hikes starts at or near the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.

We started off on a few connecting trails that begin right across from the Visitor Center, and it turned out we seemed to have gone in the reverse direction. After completing these trails, I would suggest this reverse order actually was preferable, at least in my opinion.
Therefore, the suggestion is start out by going directly to the Overlook Point.
This location provides views of Mt. Angeles, Unicorn Peak, The Strait of Juan De Fuca, and Victoria, BC in the distance.
Proceed along the Cirque Rim Trail, connect to the Sunrise Point Trail, and loop back on the High Ridge Trail.
All of these combined only add up to about 1 mile in total distance, however you get some very nice views and photo opportunities along the way.
For me personally, the long range mountain views and the views of Mt. Olympus were the most exciting.

For the last of our major Olympic National Park Hikes, we headed to the starting point of Hurricane Hill Trail. This is a short drive from the Visitor Center.
The stated distance for this trail is 1.6 miles each way, with an elevation change of 700 feet. Reaching this summit provides 360 views that make this hike worth the effort.
The trail passes through open spaces, sections that are forest like, sections that provide wonderful long range mountain views, and on our hike, at least 3 encounters with deer families (They have no hesitation or fear crossing the trail right in front of you).

At the summit there are a couple of viewing spots that provide a good panoramic description of what you are seeing. I just wish I would have taken a picture of the description panel, so on looking back I would have had more information on what I had seen.

Olympic National Park Hikes - Hurricane Hill

In closing, while there are many more activities to enjoy and areas to explore beyond what I have described, I highly recommend a visit to Olympic National Park. It is a great experience and provides the opportunity to see vastly different environments, within a relatively close distance.

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