Beyond the Overlook
Olympic National Park · Itinerary

Our 4-Day Olympic National Park Itinerary

By Beyond the Overlook

We covered an enormous amount in roughly four days. This itinerary reflects how we actually travel: early starts, full days and very little wasted time. It worked for us, but five days would make the same trip much more relaxed.

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

Our 4-Day Olympic National Park Itinerary

How long do you need? Four days can work if you move quickly. We would recommend five if you have it. Olympic is much more spread out than it appears, and drive time is the biggest planning challenge.

Day 1: Mt. Ellinor

Looking toward Lake Cushman from the Mt. Ellinor hike in Olympic National Forest

On August 3, 2021, we hiked Mt. Ellinor from the upper trailhead. It gave us a substantial mountain hike before diving into the classic park areas. Our Mt. Ellinor guide.

Day 2: Quinault + Rialto + Hurricane Hill sunset

Rainforest trail in the Quinault area of Olympic National Park

August 4 was very packed, even by our standards. We walked the Quinault Loop Trail, headed to the coast for Rialto Beach and Hole in the Wall around low tide, then finished at Hurricane Hill for sunset.

This was an excellent cross-section of Olympic in one day, but it also meant a lot of driving. If you have five days, this is the day we would split.

Sunset from Hurricane Hill in Olympic National Park

Day 3: Mt. Storm King + Marymere Falls + Sol Duc

Lake Crescent view from the Mt. Storm King hike in Olympic National Park

On August 5, we tackled our favorite hike, Mt. Storm King, then paired it with nearby Marymere Falls. We also visited Sol Duc Falls. If we were trimming the day, we would keep Storm King and Marymere and consider dropping Sol Duc.

Sol Duc rainforest trail in Olympic National Park

Hoh + Hall of Mosses and Ruby Beach

Lush rainforest scenery in Olympic National Park

Treat Hoh as optional if another rainforest area is already in your plan. We enjoyed the short Hall of Mosses walk and also visited Ruby Beach, but Quinault gave us the rainforest experience we wanted. On a tighter schedule, we would keep Quinault and skip the extra Hoh stop.

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.

Where to stay

We stayed in one place near the Port Angeles area rather than changing hotels. The simplicity was nice, but it increased our driving. If minimizing drive time matters more to you than avoiding hotel changes, a split stay can make sense.

What we would change

We would not change the mix of mountains, rainforest and coast. We might add a fifth day simply to reduce the driving pressure. Olympic rewards variety, and rushing past one ecosystem to reach another misses some of what makes the park special.

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