A Guide To One Day In Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park 

Olympic National Park is one of the most beautiful and unique places I've ever had the opportunity to explore. The diversity that you find in this park is incredible. You can find old-growth rainforests, snow capped mountains, and scenic coast lines all in one place. Olympic National Park was designated as a National Park in 1938 and currently protects the largest old- growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. We only had one day to explore this magical place, so we decided to pick a hike from each of the three major ecosystems. We decided to hike Hurricane Ridge (snow capped mountain peaks), Marymere Falls (in the rainforest), and Rialto Beach (coastline).

Make sure you start out EARLY for this trip. Our biggest mistake was not starting out early enough in the day.  We stayed in Olympia, WA and decided to take US route 101, which is a beautiful scenic route that allows you to travel along the outskirts of the entire park. If you have the time I highly recommend making the entire trip around route 101. Unfortunately we ran out of time and couldn't travel the whole route, but the portion we did see was breathtaking.

Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge was the first stop of the day. The drive from Olympia along route 101 took about 3 hours, but keep in mind the travel time will depend on where you're staying. The road up to the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center alone had some of the most breathtaking views of the mountains I have ever seen. I recommend having your camera ready at all times, and be prepared to use the "slow car pull offs" that are scattered along side the road (most of the pull offs offered amazing picture opportunities). Once you reach the visitors center you will be blown away by the fantastic views that even the parking lot offers. Hurricane Ridge has it's own parking lot past the visitors center next to the actual trail head, but when we visited (in mid-May) the road to the trail head was still closed. The road was cleared of snow (no snow-shoes required thankfully, but I do highly recommend sturdy hiking boots for this time of year), which made the walk to the trail head very easy. The trail marker for Hurricane Ridge is usually very visible during most months, but in May it was still pretty buried by snow (but you could see enough of it to know where you were going). The trail itself up the mountain is apparently paved as well, but while we were there most of that tail was still buried under 5+ feet of snow. 

Even in the snow, the hike was quite easy and is well worth the trek. Once you reach the top of the mountain the views are spectacular. On one side of the mountain you get panoramic views of the snow capped Olympic Mountains, while on the other side you get a beautiful view of Port Angeles and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On clear days you can even see parts of Canada across the water. The round trip up the mountain and back is roughly a 3.2 mile hike with an elevation gain of about 700 ft. The over all trip difficulty is easy-moderate (depending on your fitness level). Make sure to allow yourself enough time here to enjoy the trail itself, because I know I stopped multiple times to take pictures of the view even on the way up. Once you get to the top you are going to want to sit on some of the rocks and soak in those mountain views for a while (I know I did!).

Marymere Falls

Once we finally came down from the mountains (and if you're anything like me it was probably really difficult to leave those spectacular views) we headed over to Marymere Falls. Its about a 30 minute drive from the Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center to the falls. I was definitely a little skeptical that within a 30 minute drive we would be leaving snow capped mountains, and traveling into a rainforest. I was pleasantly surprised though, because within that short drive we entered into a beautiful lush rainforest. The trees around the area were covered in green moss, and just stunning. 

Once you reach the parking lot you will be able to immediately pick up the trail to the falls. Before you start your hike out to the falls I highly recommend checking out Crescent Lake, which is right next to the parking lot (you'll see the lake as you're driving in). The lake is magnificent. The water is a beautiful deep blue/green color, and also has some beautiful views of the mountains in the background (we stopped here for a quick photo shoot too). Once you finally set out for Marymere Falls the trail will take you through a tunnel and under the road. You will continue on the trail for a short hike through the rainforest with moss covered trees surrounding you (the trail is quite wide and easy to follow). As you hike you catch a few quick glances of the falls (this is when I really started to get excited to reach our destination!), and suddenly as you walk around a bend in the trail the 90ft Marymere Falls becomes fully visible. Its breathtaking!  The entire hike is about a 1.5 mile easy round trip loop, and it is well worth it! 

Rialto Beach

The last stop of our exploration through Olympic National Park was Rialto Beach. Unfortunately due to our late start in the day it was starting to get dark by the time we were making our way to the coast, so we weren't able to fully enjoy the views. By this time of day the tide was actually too high to see some of the highlights of the beach as well (again start your day as early as you can so you get the full experience!). The drive out to the coast from Marymere Falls is about an hour drive. One of the highlights to see at Rialto Beach (besides the beautiful coast itself) is the Hole-In-The-Wall, which you probably guessed it, it's literally a hole in the side of a beautiful rock face. The opening in the rock face allows for beautiful picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean (especially when the sun is shining through it).  

A Surreal Opportunity 

I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to some of the most beautiful and magical places on Earth. I just want to remind everyone that when you travel to these beautiful places we are guests in Mother Nature's home, and we need to treat these places with respect. While you are hiking no matter where you are please remember to practice LNT (Leave No Trace - Whatever you bring into an environment please be sure to take it back out with you). We want to make sure that we preserve these magical places for many generations to come. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post, and I hope it helps you plan your next trip to Olympic National Park! Happy traveling!!

-Megan

PS: If you want to see more pictures from any of my adventures please feel free to check out my Instagram @megan_kelly592 (the link is in my profile!)