Olympic National Park In Washington

Olympic National Park is located on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. The Park was established in 1983 and is over 900.000 acres in size. Olympic National Park has been designated both an international biosphere reserve and a World Heritage Site.

How To Get To Olympic National Park

You can get to Olympic Park from US 101, which goes around three sides of the Olympic Peninsula.

The main park entrance and visitor center are in Port Angeles. From Seattle, you can take the Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island, then drive north to Washington 104 to meet US 101 west to Port Angeles.

Local airports are located at Seattle, Olympia, Sequim, and Port Angeles.

When To Visit Olympic National Park

When you are planning your vacation to Olympic National Park, the weather might be something you will want to consider.

Olympic National Park is open year-round.

The summer months are considered the dry season. Even during the summer, temperatures can be cool along the coast.

Expect rain and fog at anytime during the year. Olympic National Park gets a lot of precipitation in the form of both rain and snow. So you should definitely be prepared for wet and rainy conditions.

If you love the snow and like to ski, Hurricane Ridge is open for skiing on weekends and holidays during the winter.

Visiting Olympic National Park

There is so much to see at Olympic National Park you should plan at least a two day visit.

In one day you can explore the subalpine meadows at Hurricane Ridge. Be sure to visit Lake Crescent region and consider taking a swim at Sol Duc Hot Springs.

On another day, take a trip to the Hoh Rain Forest and hike the trails. Then head to the west and the Pacific Ocean to experience the tide pools and beaches.

Olympic Park Nature and Wildlife

Located along the Northwest coast of Washington, Olympic National Park has a wonderful diversity of habitats, plants, and wildlife.

Olympic National Park and its surroundings are home to a wide variety of wildlife. Just offshore, whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals, and sea otters feed in the Pacific Ocean. While you can find invertebrates of countless shapes, sizes, colors and textures in the tide pools. 

On land, some species, like raccoons, beaver and mink, live mostly in the lowlands. But others, like blacktail deer, Roosevelt elk, cougars and black bears, range from the valleys to the high mountain meadows.

Olympic National National Park waters are home to some of the healthiest runs of Pacific salmon outside of Alaska. Over 300 species of birds live in the area at least part of the year, from tiny penguin-like rhinoceros auklets offshore to golden eagles soaring over the peaks.

Olympic National Park History
From the hunter whose spear point was left embedded in a mastodon 12,000 years ago near present-day Sequim, to the weaver whose basket was left 3,000 years ago near Obstruction Point, and from the the homesteaders of the late 1800s to the Olympic National Park boosters of the early and mid-1900s, people have used, enjoyed and affected the Olympic Peninsula. 

Eight tribes have traditional associations to lands now in Olympic National Park: Hoh, Jamestown S'Klallam, Elwha Klallam, Makah, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Quileute, Quinault, and Skokomish.

Despite the changes wrought upon them, area tribes are working to sustain their long traditions. The Makah have revived the custom of whaling, a tradition that dates back thousands of years according to archeological evidence.

Coastal tribes near Olympic National Park continue their performance of a First Salmon ceremony to honor and give thanks to salmon returning from the sea. They are passing on the teachings of their elders to preserve language and traditional arts, like basket weaving and carving.

Olympic National Park Lodging

The Log Cabin Resort
This hotel has a variety of lodging options, along with a camping area for RVs and tents.  A dining room, soda fountain, boat rentals, a grocery and gift shop and is located on the north shore of Lake Crescent, about 20 miles west of Port Angeles.

Lake Crescent Lodge
On Lake Crescent's south shore, about 25 miles west of Port Angeles is Lake Crescent Lodge.  The lodge has cabins, motel rooms and rooms in the historic lodge building, along with a dining room, lounge and coffee bar, gift shop and boat rentals.