Olympic National Park is three parks fused into one: alpine country at Hurricane Ridge, temperate rainforest in the Hoh, and 73 miles of wild Pacific coast. Five days is enough to touch all three. Less than that and you're skipping ecosystems.
Day 1 — Hurricane Ridge
Drive from Port Angeles up to Hurricane Ridge (5,242 ft, 17 miles up). Hike Hurricane Hill (3 miles) for panoramic views — the Olympic Mountains, Vancouver Island, the Strait of Juan de Fuca all visible. Stay overnight at Heart o' the Hills campground.
Day 2 — Lake Crescent and the rainforest
Drive west around Lake Crescent (deep, glacial, exceptionally clear). Stop at Marymere Falls trail (1.7 miles round-trip). Continue south to the Hoh Rainforest visitor center.
Walk the Hall of Mosses trail (0.8 miles) and the Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles) — both showcase the moss-draped Sitka spruce and bigleaf maple stands. Camp at the Hoh Campground.
Day 3 — Deeper into the rainforest
Hike the Hoh River Trail. Day hikers usually go to Five Mile Island (10 miles round-trip). Backpackers continue to the Olympus Guard Station (18 miles) or all the way to Glacier Meadows (35 miles, summit Mt Olympus).
Day 4 — Coast
Drive to Rialto Beach. Walk to Hole-in-the-Wall (3.3 miles round-trip, time with low tide). Continue to Second Beach near La Push (1.3 miles round-trip, sea stacks). Camp at Mora.
Day 5 — Coast and home
Sunrise at Ruby Beach. Hike to Beach 4 along the south coast strip. Drive home, or extend with a backcountry permit for the Shi Shi Beach trail (the most cinematic coastal hike in the park, 8 miles round-trip).
What to pack
- Hard-shell rain jacket and rain pants (Hoh gets 12-14 ft of rainfall annually)
- Synthetic-fill sleeping bag (down loses loft when damp)
- Waterproof boots (high-cuff)
- Tide chart for coastal sections
- Bear can if doing any coastal overnight
Olympic is the park where you'll need a different layer system in three different sections of the same trip. Pack for all three.
Olympic-ready kit: blankets, backpacks. Plan the trip: Olympic destination page.