Beyond the Overlook
Olympic National Park · Washington

Olympic National Park: What We Would Do Again

Olympic became one of our favorite parks because every day felt different. In about four days we climbed mountains, walked through giant forest, explored temperate rainforest and timed a Pacific beach hike around low tide. The tradeoff is driving. A lot of it.

Firsthand trip summer 2021 · Last reviewed September 2026 · How we review our guides

Olympic National Park: What We Would Do Again

The short answer: Olympic is absolutely worth it, especially if you value variety. Our favorite experience was Mt. Storm King, followed closely by the wild coast and the rainforest. We would give the park at least four days, and five would be more relaxed.

Our Olympic top five
#1Mt. Storm King
#2Hole in the Wall
#3Quinault rainforest
#4Mt. Ellinor
#5Hurricane Hill

Why Olympic stood out to us

The diversity is the reason we still talk about this park. Mt. Storm King started among massive trees and finished above Lake Crescent. Rialto Beach was driftwood, sea stacks, tide pools and ocean. Quinault felt lush and immersive. Hurricane Hill gave us mountain views and deer at sunset. These did not feel like variations on the same park day.

The challenge is geography. We stayed in one place and spent a lot of time driving. We tend to jam-pack trips, so our four-day pace worked for us, but most travelers would find five days more comfortable.

Tall forest in the Olympic rainforest

Our favorite Olympic experiences

Mt. Storm King: Our favorite hike. The unofficial rope section added adventure without feeling frightening to us, and the Lake Crescent views were unreal.

Rialto to Hole in the Wall: Our favorite coastal outing. We planned around low tide and loved the driftwood, rocks, tide pools and scrambling around the shoreline.

Quinault: Less crowded and more immersive than we expected. It was our first real rainforest experience on the trip and made us feel that we did not need to devote a much longer block to Hoh.

Mt. Ellinor: A less obvious addition that worked with our route. We used the upper trailhead and remember substantial elevation, but personally found it easier than Storm King.

Hurricane Hill: A must-do for accessible mountain views, especially at sunset, but the paved trail and crowds made it feel less adventurous than our top four.

What we use for the driving: Olympic involves much more time in the car than the map initially suggests. We have used GuideAlong on many road trips and genuinely look forward to it. The GPS-triggered narration works without a data connection after download, and we like the mix of directions, history, stories and practical prompts about what is coming up. GuideAlong currently covers Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, Sol Duc, Hoh, Quinault, Rialto and Ruby Beach. See the Olympic GuideAlong tour and other tours.

We used GuideAlong before becoming an affiliate. If you purchase through our link, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Important 2026 note for Rialto

Our trip was in summer 2021. As of our September 2026 review, Mora Road is closed through October 15, 2026, so Rialto Beach is temporarily inaccessible by that road. Always check current NPS conditions before building a day around the coast.

Keep planning Olympic: our 4-day itinerary, best hikes, Mt. Storm King, Rialto to Hole in the Wall, and Hoh vs. Quinault.