A dramatic road trip to the Olympic National Forest | Provided by Western Washington Toyota Dealers (2024)

When visitors worldwide plan a road trip to Olympic National Park, the park’s midsection is often the true intended destination. The highways and byways travel some of the park’s most diverse, well-known and dramatic landscapes, encompassing stunning seascapes, megahit book and film locations and ancient, moody forests.

While the drive can be slow and long, it’s worth the unforgettable landscapes. Driving to Lake Crescent from Seattle takes about three hours — if you have no stops en route and the ferry runs on time. However, pulling off in Port Angeles or Lake Crescent Lodge for lunch is wise.

Then, continue on US-101 West, a two-lane highway that requires travelers to slow down for curves and other cars. After 23 minutes, pass the Klahowya Campground beneath the 3,055-foot Snider Peak. Camping is first come, first serve, and a summer tubing run routes along the Sol Duc River. Stop to snack at a picnic table, explore the interpretive nature trail or take a more ambitious hike.

Then, head west again for about 20 miles. The former logging town of Forks is the only larger town to the west of Port Angeles, and it is a home base for Twilight fans — and many others eager to stay in the mainland U.S.’s rainiest town.

Forks forward

There’s an annual Twilight festival in September, props and costumes at the “Forever Twilight in Forks Collection” in the Rainforest Arts Center, Twilight-themed tours and even a Twilight-themed room at the Pacific Coast Motel.

At Forks, you’ll literally come to a fork in the road. Exploring multiple tines will take a day or more.

Head west on WA-110 toward one of the U.S.’s most extended stretches of wilderness coast, where you might spot sea lions and otters basking on sand, whales spouting in ocean waters and eagles soaring overhead. The coastline supplies endless headlands, sea stacks and rocky, crashing coastline.

Read the tide tables, then explore the Mora, La Push and Rialto Beach areas. Notable attractions include sea arch and tide pools at Mora’s Hole in the Wall, memorials and peek-a-boo low-tide views of the 200-plus shipwrecks off the Olympic Peninsula.

The region offers the south start of the 30-mile North Coast Route (no, not a typical maintained trail) for more experienced hikers, with permit-required backcountry camping available along the way. It’s also roughly the midsection of Pacific Northwest Trail’s Section 10, Wilderness Coast.

If you want a day or more to explore, La Push’s Quileute Oceanside Resort recently underwent an upgrade for its collection of 74 cabins and motel rooms, along with petite “camper cabins,” RV spots and campsites. The resort is located on Quileute Tribal land; in July, enjoy fish bakes, traditional dancing, fireworks and outboard canoe racing on Quileute Days.

Drive back to Forks (or don’t detour) to go south on 101. Just south of Forks, you’ll pass 123-acre Bogachiel State Park, one of the few Washington state parks near Olympic National Park. On the Bogachiel River, find picnic sites and reservation camping — and a wandering Roosevelt elk herd, at times.

Hoh Rain Forest

Approach one of North America’s unique ecological wonders. Within the Hoh Rain Forest, maples drip with mosses and ferns cohabitate with firs. Nurse logs act as enormous growing containers for sprouting spruce and hemlock seeds. Deciduous leaves glow green from the sun’s rays above.

Over 140 inches of rain annually and fog-enshrouded valleys ensure a mysterious, cinematic vibe befitting a “Lord of the Rings” film. You may spot Roosevelt elk, beetles, banana slugs and one of more than 250 bird species that flock and feather nests here. Or just listen — you’ll likely hear the forest at work with birdsong, rustling boughs and insects humming.

Stop at the visitor center to browse books, chat with a ranger, attend a guided walk or determine the best hiking path. A wide variety of trails starting nearby suit all levels, but most differ in length, not ascent.

Hall of Mosses and Spruce Nature Trail are easy loop rambles of almost one mile. The Hoh River Trail runs a little over seven miles through a mosaic of ecosystems — temperate rainforest, montane forest, subalpine meadow and meadow basin.

Those wishing to stay overnight can sleep beneath the boughs in one of 72 sites. If sites are full, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources offers limited, primitive sites at Hoh Oxbow Campground, Minnie Peterson Campground and South Fork Hoh River Campground. The latter sits within the Olympic Experimental State Forest, a living lab for studying forestry.

Return home, or stay on 101 to see the park’s last third.

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