Looking for the best things to do in Olympic National Park if you only have a weekend? From hike to beaches to sightseeing, here are the best things to do in Olympic National Park:

why this blog? hi there! My name is Maddy and I’m an adventure guide and guidebook writer committed to helping people explore the outdoors, with a focus on Midwest Adventurers. Last year, I spent 8 months living and working as a guide in Washington State. I’ve decided not to create any eBooks on hiking & paddling within Washington, at least for the foreseeable future, and instead have created a number of detailed, totally free resources linked throughout this blog post! I’m stoked to show you around!

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What to Pack to Visit Olympic National Park:

The Olympic range can be rainy and cool, so plan accordingly. To visit Olympic National Park, you’ll need an America the beautiful pass.

• Long pants: for women looking for a flattering fit and functionality try Kuhl Freeflex or REI Trailmade
• Long sleeve wool baselayers : wool tops like this make a great hiking layer both for sun protection and for regulating body temperature 
• Shorts: I like a quick dry pair with a built-in belt  and a elastic waist, swim-friendly pair
• If paddling or swimming: a UPF sun hoodie
• A down puffy jacket that packs down small: nights are a lot cooler than you might expect!
• Leggings with pockets!!! 
• A solid day hiking pack
• On rugged trails, trekking poles
• Hiking boots: I like Oboz Bridger Mids for best grip and ankle support, or alternately hiking/paddling sandals like Bedrocks (designed for paddling guides and paddling guide (me) approved)
• A solid raincoat
• If camping, a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad
• An America the Beautiful Pass
• If backpacking, backpacking gear!

READ: What to Wear Hiking (for beginners+what to pack)

looking for a more detailed guide to packing and planning for your PNW trip? Click here 🙂

Where to stay on a budget near Olympic National Park:

When we visited Olympic in the summer, we stayed at the Riveria Inn in Port Angeles. Great experience, super clean, and perfect for a place to crash after spending all day on the trails. On a peak summer weekend, we paid $130 a night.

When we visited in the off season in the winter, we stayed at Kalaloch Campground for $24 a night, which is first-come first serve and one of the only places open for winter camping in Olympic National Park. Because we had our own gear already and packed in food, we had a hard limit of $250 for the whole three day trip and stayed well under it.

Pro tip for a budget Olympic National Park Trip:

To plan a perfect budget-friendly trip to Olympic National Park, consider visiting in the off-season (our November trip was incredible!), camping instead of staying in a hotel, and packing in all your own meals with food from home to cook at your campsite.

Best Things to do in Olympic National Park (if you only have a weekend!)

From hiking to beach sunsets, here are the best things to do on a weekend trip to Olympic National Park:

1) Visit Hurricane Ridge in the Early Morning

Wake up at 6:30 am to head up Hurricane Ridge into the Hurricane Trail System, Unfortunately Hurricane Lodge burned down in 2023, and so access to the ridge is limited to the first few hundred vehicles. The road opens at 7am, and I recommend arriving when the road opens to ensure a full day of exploring. 

Grab a cliff bar breakfast and head up Hurricane Ridge in the early morning light. Tackle the moderate 3.5 mile Hurricane Hill hike (mostly paved, and very popular!) and keep your eyes peeled for Olympic Marmots. Hurricane Ridge is one of the best things to do in Olympic National Park for families!

Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Hike from 7-9am then head back down the ridge to…

2) Grab Brunch at New Day Eatery: Best Breakfast near Olympic National Park

Hit the best brunch place in Washington at New Day Eatery. This place is delicious, and a great pit stop before beginning your trek to the coast! I recommend the eggs Benedict. 

Um, yum!

3) Visit Lake Crescent

Check out the beautiful roadside pullouts along the iconic Lake Crescent. Lake Crescent is deep, glacially carved, and fjord-like. Swing by one of the many picnic tables to take in the views and finish up your to-go coffee you staged on the way out of town.

 Driving by beautiful Lake Crescent in the Olympic Peninsula.

4) Check out Marymere Falls (Bonus: Hike Mt. Storm King!)

In the Lake Crescent area check out the beautiful Marymere Falls! This is a quick and easy hike at just two miles round trip to a beautiful waterfall. Marymere Falls is one of the best easy hikes in Olympic National Park.

For a more challenging hike, tackle the more challenging four-mile hike to Mount Storm King with beautiful overlooks of Lake Crescent. This hike is very steep and the last section involves using ropes to ascend. Mount Storm King is one of the most beautiful hiking trails in Olympic National Park, but also one of the most challenging. 

Personally working with limited time, I would hit Marymere Falls and skip Mount Storm King. 

5) Visit the Hoh Rainforest Trail and Visitors Center: Best Place to visit in Olympic National Park

If you can only do one thing in Olympic National Park, visit the Hoh Rainforest. The Visitor’s center is fascinating and the Hoh Rainforest Trail, an easy hike through beautiful Hall of Mosses, is an excellent living experience of the variety of ecotypes in Olympic National Park. 

Hiking the Hall of Mosses trail.

The coolest thing about Olympic National Park is the biodiversity— Olympic contains old grown temperate rainforest, the open Pacific Coast, and high alpine environments. To hit all three environments in Olympic National Park, and the very least visit the Hoh Rainforest, Hurricane Ridge, and a section of the open Pacific Coast.

The Hoh Rainforest is very popular, and expect crowds on weekends. This visitors center uses a metered entry, which means you’ll wait in line for the park to let you in when someone leaves. This system generally works well, and because the Hall of Mosses Trail is so short, parking lot turnover can be very quick.

How to see Elk in Olympic National Park:

When we first visited in August, we didn’t see any Elk in Olympic National Park. However when we visited in November, we saw tons of Elk around the Hoh Rainforest and Elwha Valley! I would recommend visiting in the fall to see Elk in Olympic National Park.

6) Head to Rialto Beach for Sunset

After you’ve finished your mid-afternoon visit to the Hoh Rainforest, swing by Forks, WA to immerse yourself (briefly, we’re on a mission here) in the culture of Twilight (there is none). Swing by a local grocery store and pick up some dinner fixings— I recommend naan bread, goat cheese, avocado, raspberries and honey for a delicious and summery wrap. 

Head to Rialto Beach on the coast near La Push for some of the best sunset views in Olympic National Park. Here, you can either simply picnic on the beach, or hike all the way to Hole-in-the-Wall, an iconic arch, three-miles round trip. Keep in mind that open coast trips are subject to the tide! If the tide is high (often but not always in the evening, tides are complicated), you’ll need to hike the overland trail. If the tide is low, you can easily hike the beach line and tide pool on the way out. 

On a day with high-swell (huge breaking waves), stay alert for sneaker waves, or waves statistically larger than the rest that may hit, especially in the winter and especially on a flood tide. 

Rialto Beach is littered with sea stacks and arches, and is the best place to watch the sunset in Olympic National Park!

We didn’t stay for sunset on our visit, but it was still super special! Next time hopefully!

7) Check out Sol Duc Falls

Wake up early the next morning and tackle the 2-mile hike to Sol Duc Falls while the light is still nice! Sol Duc Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfall hikes in Olympic National Park, and a must-visit on a weekend trip!

Sol Duc Falls is relatively easy and family-friendly!

8) Visit the Makah Museum and Cultural Center in Neah Bay

When recreating in Olympic National Park you are on land stolen from Indigenous People including the Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Skokomish, Quinault, Hoh, Quileute, and Makah. These lands were actively stolen and treaties have been proven in modern courts to have been signed under extreme duress, and tribes in Washington State still are actively engaged in legal battles for fishing rights meant to be ensured by these treaties. 

For further reading on the history of Indigenous People in the Pacific Northwest, read Indians of the Pacific Northwest by author, activist, historian and Standing Rock Sioux member Vine Deloria Jr.

One of the best ways to familiarize yourself with the Indigenous history of the open Pacific coast in Olympic is to visit the Makah Museum. Here, you can learn about the rich and fascinating of the seafaring Makah Nation with genuine artifacts. 

While you’re here, you can pick up your Makah Nation Recreation pass which allows you to hike the trails in the area. I recommend visiting the museum before you hike to contextualize the place you are recreating in! This is also one of my favorite museums I’ve ever visited, it’s incredible. 

Note: the Makah Tribe asks that you not photograph within the museum.

9) Hike Cape Flattery

Cape Flattery and the Makah Nation are technically outside of Olympic National Park, but Olympic National Park encompasses traditional Makah Land. To hike Cape Flattery, you’ll need a Makah recreation pass. 

Still, the hike to Cape Flattery is one of the best hiking trails on the Olympic Peninsula and perhaps one of the best views in Washington State! 

Cape Flattery is a 1.5 mile hike, round trip, featuring boardwalks and stunning views of sea stacks and the open Pacific Ocean. Cape Flattery is also the northwestern-most point in the contiguous United States. 

READ: Best Backpacking Trips in Olympic National Park (by my friend Exploren Borgen!!)

10) Kayak with Elevate Outdoors

An Olympic National Park visit isn’t complete without sea kayaking the ocean and experiencing the incredible intertidal life. Book a sea kayaking day trip with Elevate Outdoors and kayak the Strait of Juan de Fuca to see sea stacks, harbor seals, jellyfish, sea stars, sea urchins, otters, and if you’re really lucky, orca whales!

If you only have a weekend in Olympic National Park, the best things to do are hit the Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach, and Hurricane Ridge. Everything else is awesome too, but the Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach, and Hurricane Ridge are must-visit places in Olympic National Park!

11) Catch the Sunset at Ruby Beach

Looking for one of the best places to watch the sunset in Olympic National Park? Head to Ruby Beach! Ruby beach is a quick drive from Kalaloch Campground, and the sea stacks and caves make for some of the most dynamic sunsets in Olympic National Park.

Of all of the places we visited in Olympic National Park, Ruby Beach was probably my favorite.

Looking to see the best of Washington State in just a few days? I planned the perfect one-week road trip to see the best that Washington has to offer!

Tour options for Olympic National Park:

Looking to visit Olympic National Park but want the convenience and expertise of a guided tour? Check out the Best of Olympic All-Inclusive All Day Tour from Seattle for naturalist-guided tour option with hiking, transport from Seattle and lunch! Alternately, book a similar private tour to experience Olympic with a private guide.

Is it crowded in Olympic National Park on the weekends?

Olympic National Park is one of the most popular National Parks in the Pacific Northwest. Expect crowds on weekends, and be prepared to wait in lines at certain popular locations.

How to visit Olympic National Park in the off-season:

Visiting Olympic National Park in the fall, winter, or spring is one of the best times to visit Olympic National Park to avoid crowds. The Kalaloch Campground near Ruby Beach is open year round. While some of the roads close in the winter, beaches remain accessible as do the rainforest regions.

Beautiful moments from visiting Olympic in the off season, left to right: frost on autumn leaves, me enjoying a beach sunset wearing some of my favorite handknits, sunlight in the Hoh Rainforest

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