the ultimate 2-day backpacking itinerary to see the Olympic National Park

Hiking, backpacking, you-name-it, Olympic National Park has it all

Did you know that the Olympic National Park is divided into two distinct sections? While the majority of the park consists of mountains, half of the coastline along the Olympic Peninsula belongs to the National Park. Let’s dive into where you can visit on a short trip, perfect for a weekend.

Logistics

For overnight stays, backcountry permits are required. You can easily make a reservation on recreation.gov. For this itinerary, I recommend a coastal campsite such as Hole-In-The-Wall, a short walk away from the trailhead. It’s under the “North Coast”.

As with most National Parks, you need a park pass to enter. Either get the National Park annual pass or a short-term Olympic National Park pass. If you plan to visit other national parks during the year, the annual pass is a great deal! It also works as a parking pass for the National Forests (replaces the NW Forest Pass in Washington and Oregon).

Driving from Seattle, you have 2 options. I’d recommend avoiding the ferries unless you take one of the first two ferries from Edmonds to Kingston. This cuts down a little drive time and lets you enjoy the ferry ride! The ferry is paid only going west towards Kingston and is free on your way back. In the summers, since this route is not reservable, there are often long lines of 3+ hours to board a ferry. By that time, you could be home already if you drove around the Puget Sound.

Day 1: Hurricane Ridge, Cape Flattery

For sunrise, start by driving towards Port Angeles and grabbing a coffee and pastry at one of the many cafes in town! Enjoy the most northern section of the PCH – the famous Pacific Coast Highway, most known for its stretch along California, but it actually wraps around the Olympic Peninsula. From the highway, signage is obvious for approaching Hurricane Ridge. It’s about a 40 minute drive from town to mountain. If you’re not afraid of driving along a cliffside, keep going to Obstruction Point Trailhead for even better views of Mt Olympus, the tallest point in the peninsula. Otherwise, take a stroll along the trails near the visitor center (currently closed due to fire as of 2023) to Hurricane Hill or the Klahhane Ridge.

Next stop is beach camping! If you have ample time (2-3 hr round trip), check out Cape Flattery and Neah Bay, most northwestern point of continental US. Continue driving on US-101 near Forks and take a turn onto WA-110 to Mora. Note that La Push will take you to the opposite side of Rialto Beach, requiring a drive around. Rialto Beach is about a mile walk from Hole-In-The-Wall. Second and Third Beach are also great options for easy beach camping. Your wilderness permit will allow you to park in the overnight parking lot.

Tips on beach camping

Bear cans are required everywhere in the Olympic National Park. You must store all smellable items and food (including toothpaste and hand sanitizer) in bear-proof bins. Both bears and critters have been known to roam the beaches.
The walk is short, so you are able to hike with sandals and take extra bags of gear for a glamping experience.
Check the tide charts before you go! Every day will have at least one high and low tide, if not 2. Try to hike in during low tide, or else you have to travel through the forest, which is not a maintained path.
Set your campsite as high as possible. The tide comes in horizontally over 50 feet sometimes, with a difference in sea level of 10 feet vertically.
Never turn your back to the sea – it might just come hurling at you when you take a dip.

Check out the view point atop the Hole-In-The-Wall cliff for sunset. Whenever the tide is low, check out the tide pools. All sorts of fun creatures are to be found. It takes a lower tide to find ochre sea stars, which are both purple and orange, research hasn’t shown why the 2 colors coexist. They like to feed on mussels and barnacles and live on the lower edges of rocks.

Day 2: Rialto Beach, Mount Storm King

Enjoy sunrise at the beach before packing up to leave. Check out Forks if you’re into the Twilight series, but there’s otherwise limited food options in town. For one last hurrah, head towards the beautiful Lake Crescent for a hike up Mount Storm King. It is short, but steep. Park by the Storm King Ranger Station instead of navigating to the Mount Storm King Trailhead. No parking is allowed on US-101. Follow the signs from the parking lot towards Storm King. The trail switchbacks many times before it ends the maintained trail. If you dare to continue, continue on the much more dusty trail where ropes have been set to help you climb up and down to the peak. Even as someone who is well adapted to tricky terrain, I found the ropes to be very helpful. There’s several sections of roped trail before the final 20 ft scramble to the summit. It can get a little airy, but with careful footing, it is well worth the views!

On your way down, don’t forget to take a look at Marymere Falls and Lake Crescent itself before you head back east to Seattle. As time permits, check out the Sequim lavender farms. Depending on the season, check out the wait times for the ferries. You can attempt to go by Kingston, Bainbridge, or Bremerton. Otherwise, take the toll through the Tacoma Bridge and cross back over to Seattle!