The Olympic National Park is a national park in the state Washington the United States. The park and the surrounding Olympic National Forest comprise strongly rugged coastline, directly adjoining forests. In the center are those covered by glaciers Olympic Mountainswhose highest peak, Mount Olympus, is 2,428 m high. To the west of the hill country, at a lower elevation, are some of the rainiest forests in the United States. The park, founded in 1938, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981 because of its extraordinary flora and fauna.
The best starting point for a visit to the park is the town Port Angeles. Until Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center you drive from there about 40 minutes to Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center about 2 hours.
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background
history
landscape
Flora and fauna
climate
getting there
Most visitors travel over Seattle which is 2½ hours away by car and one International Airport Has. The best way to get from there is in your own (rental) car.
Fees / permits
Access to the park costs $ 15 per vehicle. The ticket can be used for a week.
mobility
Tourist Attractions
Most of the park is only accessible to hikers, not by car. Only a few spur streets lead a bit into the park. For a detailed map see here. The park offers four different types of landscape:
Subalpine mountains
- Hurricane Ridge, Hurricane Ridge Rd / Heart of the Hills Rd. From Port Angeles, past the 1967 m high Mt. Angeles, to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center; Pure travel time from Port Angeles to the end of Hurrican Ridge Rd: approx. 35 min.
Low forests
- Elwha River, Olympic Hot Springs Rd. From Route 101 (west of Port Angeles), through the Elwha River valley, to Lake Mills and along Boulder Creek for a while; Travel time from Port Angeles to the end of Olympic Hot Springs Rd: a good 45 minutes.
- Sol Duc Valley, Sol Duc Hot Springs Rd. ARoute 101 (west of Lake Crescent), through the valley of the Sol Duc River to the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort; Travel time from Port Angeles to the end of Sol Duc Hot Springs Rd: 1 hour 15 minutes.
Rainforest
- Hoh Rain Forest, Upper Hoh Rd / Hoh Valley Rd. From Route 101 (to the west of the park) through the Hoh River valley to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center; Travel time from Port Angeles to the end of Hoh Valley Rd: a good 2 hours.
- Quinault Valley. From Route 101 (southwest of the park, near Lake Quinault); Travel time from Port Angeles to the end of South Shore Rd: 3 hours 10 minutes.
coast
View from Hurricane Ridge
The Sol Duc Falls
Rainforest on the Maple Glade Trail (Quinault Forest)
coast
activities
shop
kitchen
accommodation
Port Angeles is the closest city to the park. The prices for hotel rooms are juicy. An alternative is the location just 20 minutes away Sequim.
Hotels in Port Angeles
Inexpensive
- Super 8 Port Angeles, 2104 E 1st st. Decent cheap hotel on the outskirts of the town center.Price: 2 queen size beds with breakfast from $ 110.
medium
- Days Inn, 1510 E front St.. Good chain hotel in the town center. Nice outdoor pool.Price: 2 queen beds with breakfast from $ 129.
- Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles, 221 N Lincoln St. Good chain hotel in the center of the village, right on the shore.Price: 2 queen-size beds without breakfast from $ 149.
camping
There are 16 different official facilities and a total of 910 campsites in the park.
security
trips
- From Port Angeles you can take a car ferry to Victoria Vancouver Island (Canada) translate.
- There are several reservations of the Native Americans around the park on the Olympic Peninsula. Some of them have museums with exhibitions about the history and culture of these peoples. The Makah e.g. operate a small museum in their main town, Neah Bay (Bayview Ave at Coast Guard Drive).
