Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park is one of my favorite national parks because of the wide range of landscapes available to see. In this one park we saw a rain forest, beach, and lake!

Campsite

Our time in Olympic National Park was spent at Elwha RV Park, a cute little area complete with cute decor and a garden! This park was super cute and had everything we needed in terms of RV park amenities. They even claim to have pet sitting, though we didn’t opt to use that service.

Hoh Rain Forest

Our first major outing to the park was to see the Hoh Rain Forest. Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe this place. We did two trails here, the first was the Hall of Mosses. This is one that I would put on the must list. It was short (just 1.1 miles) and sweet but had some of the largest trees that I’ve ever seen. We live in the desert so the pacific northwest was a change of scenery for us but this has to be the most drastically different area we have been to on the trip so far. I can’t say if it was the size of the trees, the intricacy of the roots/branch systems, or the overwhelming amount of green but there was something about this trail that was mesmerizing.

The second trail we trekked, started just steps from the Hall of Mosses exit. The Spruce Nature Trail was also short (1.4 miles) and had some amazing trees as well. But this trail stands out in my mind for a very specific reason. Here we met the rudest bull elk. We came around a corner and he was on the trail about 30 feet away. He then proceeded to hiss at us and lower his antlers before walking off the trail about 10 feet which was still not far enough for me to feel comfortable passing. We were only “trapped” for about 15 minutes but it felt like forever when a giant irritated bull elk is eyeing you as he noms on a nearby tree.

Sol Duc Falls & Springs

The Sol Duc Falls Trail was a beautiful, easy hike. The iconic falls were fantastic and located less than a mile from the parking lot. We extended our hike past where the trail officially ends to explore up the river a bit. The forests in Olympic are enchanting and we just had to take advantage.

After hiking to the falls we stopped by the Mineral Hot Springs & Pool at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Not everything you do on a trip is going to be a slam dunk, and honestly this one was a little underwhelming. We’ve been to a couple of hot springs at this point and I think I’m just not a huge fan of them in general. That being said, everything was clean and enjoyable so if you’re into this kind of hot springs its probably worth a visit.

Rialto Beach

Next on the itinerary was a beach day! This was unlike any beach day I’d ever had before. We knew in mid August in Washington it wasn’t going to be like the sunny beaches of San Diego that we were used to. We dressed for the occasion and picked the Hole-in-the-Wall Trail from Rialto beach and if you are visiting Olympic this should be on your list. This was one of the best experiences. There is so much to explore and discover. We walked down the beach taking in the views of the fallen trees on the shore and the rock formations in the water. The hole in the wall was a blast to explore too. We crossed in front of the rocks chancing the waves on the way over, and went over the hill on land coming back. Both had spectacular views. The memory that will probably stay with me the longest though, is the sound of the waves retreating over the rocks all up and down the beach. The babbling is the most relaxing sound I’ve ever heard.

Crescent Lake

Our last adventure in Olympic was visiting Crescent Lake with some friends. We sat on the shore and had a picnic, Nick went out on our friends kayak and did some fishing, and the dogs enjoyed a walk around the lake as well as all the little animals in the bushes they could track. A fun and relaxing way to hang out with some old friends who lived in the area and say farewell to a truly amazing National Park.

Olympic National Park was stunning and I’m sure we only visited a fraction of the amazing things it has in store. Have you ever been to Olympic National Park? What were your favorite things? Is there anything we missed that should be on the itinerary for our next visit?