Obsessed With Olympic National Park
Place: Olympic National Park
State: Washgington
Closest Cities: Seattle, Washington
Time of Year: July 2025
How we got there: Plane/Ferry/Road Trip
The Pacific Northwest has got to be one of the most beautiful areas in this country. Would you believe that I have been to Washington several times, specifically Seattle, and had yet to visit Olympic National Park? Maybe my visits were before I got my heart set on visiting every national park in the US! No matter the reason, my sights were set on Olympic and we made it happen! This park is huge and very diverse so we barely scratched the surface(we will have to go back) during this visit. From rainforests to mountain hikes from ocean tidepooling to lake views, we were obsessed! We saw a little of everything and this is how we did it…
We flew into Seattle from Phoenix bright and early and Mt Rainier peeked out from the clouds to say hello! Mt Rainier is one of 3 national parks in Washington and seeing it so close from the plane just brought back the joy I felt while visiting. You can read about it here: https://dawntillduskaz.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=758&action=edit.
My brother Marc and his wife Stephanie were meeting us at the airport after their flight from Denver. You may have met them in several of my last posts on national parks. They have also caught the national park bug so why not explore together? While planning this trip, Stephanie brought to my attention that there were several Thomas Dambo Trolls in the Seattle area. If you are not familiar with these recycled material trolls, then you are in for a treat! I decided to work in a few stops at troll sites on the way to Olympic NP. Thomas Dambo is a Danish “recycled art activist” who has built giant trolls all around the world. There are 139 trolls in 19 states here in the US. We have visited the two who reside in Colorado. As you are well aware, I am a nut for lists and things that I can check off & of course nature, so naturally I wanted to visit every troll in the US! There are 6 trolls in the Pacific Northwest ( 5 in Seattle area and 1 in Portland, OR). I thought it might be possible to fit in at least 3 but in the end (spoiler alert) we were able to see all 5 in Seattle!!
So, 20 minutes from the Seattle Airport we found ourselves at Lincoln Park in search of our first PNW Troll! Once parked in the parking lot we hiked a paved path through the forest down to the water where we found Bruun Idum, playing her flute.
At first sight you cannot believe her size, then you start to notice the details! She is part of the Way of the Bird King project ( you will meet the Bird King later) and she is incredible!
From her shell toenails and twig hair to her shell necklace and earrings, the details are quite unique to her. Each troll has a plaque with a QR code for more of their own individual story.
Be aware that if you hiked the 1 mile trail down to meet Bruun Idun, you will need to hike the steep 1 mile back up!
Our journey to Port Angeles would require a car ferry crossing and we opted to cross on the Seattle/Bainbridge ferry over to Bainbridge Island to meet our next troll, Pia the Peacekeeper! This turned out to be a lengthy process as the Bainbridge ferry is very popular on a Saturday afternoon and we ended up waiting in the line to board the ferry for 2 hours! No worry though because you can get out of your car and walk along the waterfront to pass the time!
After driving our rental car onto the ferry, we were able to exit our vehicle to explore the boat and the view of Seattle. The crossing itself was about 30 mins. If you want to avoid the busy ferry crossing, you can use the Edmonds-Kingston Ferry. I recommend doing at least one ferry crossing as it is an adventure in itself!
Next stop was under 10 minutes from the ferry at Sakai Park where we found Pia the Peacekeeper ready to welcome us! Although still in a wooded area, she is only a short walk from the parking lot. Be on the lookout for the signature birdhouses that mark each troll’s home for the Way of the Bird King Trolls.
Now we were ready to make our way to Port Angeles, WA which is the gateway to Olympic National Park! In hindsight, I would have planned to stay a little longer there to check out the Olympic Visitor’s Center and visit Hurricane Ridge. With the ferry crossing taking extra time, we just didn’t have time to drive to Hurricane Ridge for sunset as planned. Instead, we got dinner and went grocery shopping. We had booked one night on Expedia in a little hotel called Olympic Inn & Suites https://www.olympicinnandsuites.net/. It was clean and convenient for a one night stay.
Day 1 in Olympic NP
The next day would start pretty early as we had a lot planned! Conquering Mt Storm King was first on the list! Storm Kings is listed as a strenuous hike of 4.1 miles round trip and 2200 feet of elevation gain. It starts off near Lake Crescent off the Marymere Falls Trailhead. We got there early enough that parking was not an issue however when we returned from the hike the lot was completely full. The start of the hike takes you past the historic Storm King Ranger Station and through a small dark tunnel! The deep blue Lake Crescent sits to the left with a beautiful dock and some “big baby” Canadian Geese!
About 1/2 mile into the hike is the turn off for Mt Storm King. Almost immediately you start to gain in elevation. The trail is absolutely beautiful with so much greenery and lots of roots and moss!
It is only 2 miles up but boy does it feel more like 10! We were early enough that we did not pass many people on the way up. As we neared the top, the trees started to clear and we got an amazing view of Lake Crescent.
Just a little higher and we reached the ropes section! The last 1/2 mile to the top requires some rock scrambling the some assistance from ropes! You will need to pull yourself up the ropes with dusty loose earth beneath your feet. To me it looked harder than it actually was but there were several people on the trail who opted not to try it including one from our party!
We choose not to use gloves on the way up, however gloves were very helpful on the way down. The view at the top was well worth the effort!
This view reminded me of Acadia National Park in Maine!
On the way down we walked backwards using our gloves as we slid down the ropes. It was quick and not as hard as everyone thought it would be.
Once back at the intersection of Mt Storm King Trail & Marymere Trail we turned left to hike another mile to see Marymere Falls. This part of the trail runs next to the river and has a few bridge crossings. It had quite a bit more traffic and was pretty easy for the average hiker.
With 6 hiking miles under our belt for the day, we drove to the opposite side of Lake Crescent to the Log Cabin Lodge where we rented E bikes. We got a deal of $35 each for 2 hours. We rode the Spruce Rail Trail along Lake Crescent. The trail was an old railway trail and it took us through 2 railroad tunnels!
The E bikes were so much fun and it saved us from walking several miles to reach the Devil’s Punchbowl. Right after the 2nd tunnel is a small dirt trail (no bikes allowed) which is about 1/4 mile to the Devil’s Punchbowl swimming hole and bridge. We walked the busy trail and crossed the bridge where people were cliff jumping and swimming! It was a bit too cold for my taste!
I have to say that this spontaneous biking excursion was a highlight of the day! We continued on the Spruce Railway Trail for about 4 miles and then turned around to head back to the Log Cabin Lodge. 8 miles round trip on super fast bikes!!
We needed to make one more stop for the day before driving out to Forks, WA where we would spend the next couple of nights. There would be no backtracking on this trip to Olympic due to the size of this park!
Sol Duc Falls was our next stop and it was about a 40 minute drive. This is an under 2 mile round trip hike to a picturesque waterfall. More like 4 water falls in one!
It really was beautiful and powerful. Remember to stay on the paths and bridge and not venture out into the river. The week before our visit an 18 year old was swept away after trying to cross the river at the top. Sometimes we have to appreciate the beauty from afar.
In just under an hour we arrived in Forks, WA. If you were a fan of the Twilight Series, you will remember the town of Forks! There is plenty of movie memorabilia around town! We checked into our Airbnb and had a bite to eat at a local bar & grill.
This was the perfect little house for our 2 night stay in the area! We stayed on the left side of the duplex.
Day 2 Olympic NP Coastline
Our next adventure would require good timing and a low tide! Like I mentioned before, Olympic NP is very diverse and we would now be exploring the coastal area of the park! Our day started about 8am (very late for us) at Rialto Beach. We would be hiking the Hole in the Wall Trail which is a wonderful 3.5 mile beach hike with sea stacks, tide pools, driftwood and wildlife!
The weather was chilly to say the least and I was so glad we packed our puffy jackets with hats and gloves!
As we approached some sea stacks, we noticed a bald eagle sitting in the trees at the top!
What a beautiful sight! A little further down the beach was the famous Hole in the Wall and we got to enjoy it all by ourselves!
But the best part of all were the tidepools! At first we just noticed the sea urchins but then the colorful starfish made an appearance! We spent a good hour just searching each pool for the incredible underwater life that the tide washed in. Anemones, hermit crabs, bull kelp and clams where also hiding in the pools.
I expected the starfish to be mushy, but they were actually hard to the touch!
A picture in front of the Hole in the Wall and the tide pool viewing are not accessible during high tide so plan your hike accordingly!
The 2nd part of our day was a visit to Cape Flattery. Although Cape Flattery is not in Olympic NP, it is a must see when visiting this area! Tucked in the Northwesternmost corner of the US on the Makah Reservation, it is a sight to behold! It is about an hour and 20 minute drive from Forks and requires a permit. Permits can be purchased for $20 in the little town of Neah Bay, WA right near the entrance of Cape Flattery.
A boardwalk trail winds through the lush forest to the cliffs edge.
Down below, the aqua blue waters crash against the cliff face creating caves in the walls. Such a magical place!
Day 3 Hoh Rainforest and Lake Quinault
Although Olympic NP has so much more to see, we also wanted to spend some time in North Cascades National Park. On our last morning in the park before our 5 hour drive to North Cascades, we got up early and headed over to the Hoh Rainforest which is the most popular area of the park. It is a good thing we were there early because as we were leaving there was absolutely no parking and the line of cars waiting was like a 1/2 mile long! In this area we did the short Hall of Mosses Trail and the Spruce Nature Trail. Although beautiful, I have to say that I was not as impressed as I was in other parts of the park. So if you cannot get parking and don’t want to wait an hour or two, try other areas of rainforest like Marymere Falls and Sol Duc Falls.
The trails in this area are nature walks and are accessible to all hence the popularity! Don’t get me wrong, they are gorgeous and are an nice relaxing stroll.
To avoid any ferry crossings, we decided to take the long way around to North Cascades National Park. This gave us the opportunity to stop by Lake Quinault Lodge for lunch! We always love to check out national park lodges when we can and this one was really cute. It sat right on the lake which gave us a nice view for lunch.
Just down the street from the lodge was the short trail to see the world’s largest Sitka Spruce Tree!
Satisfied that we’d seen the majority of the things on our itinerary, we were now ready to start the 5 hour drive to North Cascades National Park! How awesome that we were able to work in 2 nationals parks in 7 days! I will add the link to our North Cascades adventure when it is ready! Stay tuned!!
Now do you see how anyone would become obsessed with Olympic National Park? There is something for everyone and we hope that you too develop an obsession for not only Olympic but all the US National Parks!! Please remember to visit responsibly and leave no trace.
