2 Days in Olympic National Park Hurricane Ridge, Hoh and the Coast
2 days in Olympic National Park means picking one side, and this is the side worth picking first.
No road crosses Olympic National Park, so two days means picking one side. This route stays on the Port Angeles-Forks side: alpine views at Hurricane Ridge, old growth at Lake Crescent, the Hoh Rain Forest, and Rialto Beach.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”
10 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Every stop is a real pin, in order.
Port Angeles · Hurricane Ridge · Hoh · Rialto Beach
Every stop on this trip, in order, opens as one driving route in the Google Maps app. No copying addresses across one at a time.
Plan and book your 2 days in Olympic in 2 Days, one step at a time
How 2 days in Olympic in 2 Days split up
2 days in Olympic National Park is enough for one side of the peninsula, not the whole park. No road crosses Olympic National Park: US-101 rings the outside of the mountains, and every destination inside sits at the end of its own dead-end spur. This plan stays on the Port Angeles-Forks side, alpine views one day, rain forest and coast the next, which is the pairing that fits in two days without a rushed, hours-long drive between them.
Day 1: Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent
5 stops · Day one
Day 2: The Hoh Rain Forest and Rialto Beach
5 stops · Day two
Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent
Take the Edmonds-Kingston ferry (about 30 minutes, frequent sailings through the day) rather than driving around the Hood Canal Bridge; it is the faster way onto the peninsula. A boarding pass is required for vehicles at Kingston between 8am and 8pm. From Kingston, US-101 runs west into Port Angeles, your base for the night.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive from
~2.5 hr with the ferry · Drive - Edmonds-Kingston Ferry
~30 min crossing · boarding pass needed 8am-8pm at Kingston · Viewpoint - Hurricane Ridge
17 mi south of Port Angeles · Hike - Marymere Falls Trail, Lake Crescent
~18 mi west of Port Angeles · easy old-growth walk · Hike - Stay in Port Angeles, WA
Base for day one · lodge
The Hoh Rain Forest and Rialto Beach
Drive from Port Angeles to Forks, then out to the Hoh Rain Forest: about 2 hours total from Port Angeles, under an hour once you are in Forks. Parking fills in summer; NPS recommends arriving before 8am or after 5pm, midday waits have run up to 2 hours. The Hall of Mosses is the short version: an easy loop through Sitka spruce and hemlock wrapped in club moss.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive Port Angeles → Forks → Hoh
~2 hr total, under 1 hr from Forks · Drive - Hall of Mosses Trail, Hoh Rain Forest
Easy loop through old growth · Hike - Rialto Beach
Under 30 min from Forks · Viewpoint - Stay in Forks, WA (optional second night)
Drive home fresh in the morning instead of a late return · lodge - Return to Seattle, WA
~4 hr with the ferry · Drive
Book the 1 night
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the calling. We check every booking site, put your points and card perks against the cash price, and email you this plan back with the best room we can find for each night. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Olympic in 2 Days
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
On your feet
Because you are sleeping indoors
For the driving days
Specific to Olympic in 2 Days
What a 2-day Olympic trip asks of you.
Pick a side, not a loop
No road crosses the park. Two days is Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh together, not both sides of the peninsula. That takes three days; see the 3-day loop for it.
Hurricane Ridge has no lodge right now
The day lodge burned and has not been rebuilt. Bring food and water; there is nothing to buy at the top.
Check the Hoh River Bridge closure
US-101 south of Forks has scheduled closures through September and October 2026. It does not touch this route, but it decides whether Ruby Beach is reachable.
The ferry is faster than the bridge
Edmonds-Kingston beats driving around via the Hood Canal Bridge. Book ahead on summer weekends; boarding passes are required at Kingston 8am-8pm.
2 days in Olympic National Park, answered.
Rialto beach: the questions people ask most.
Two days is enough for one side of the park, not all of it. This route pairs Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent with the Hoh Rain Forest and Rialto Beach, all reachable from the Port Angeles-Forks corridor without a long crossing. Adding Kalaloch, Quinault or Ruby Beach needs a third day, because no road cuts across the park to reach them quickly.
We'll find the cheapest way to do this trip.
Tell us your dates and we price the plan you just built: every booking site, the hotels direct, and your own points and card perks against the cash price. You get it back by email with a link for each night and what it saved you.
- It is free. The hotel pays us, not you. You pay their normal price.
- Nothing is charged and nothing is held. You decide at the end, or you walk away.
- Beds near trailheads are the part that runs out. Everything else can wait.
The figures below are estimates from local nightly rates, so you know the ballpark before you ask. The real number comes back once we have checked what is free.
- 1 night, a campsite near Port Angeles
1 × $22$22
- 1 night, a room in Port Angeles
from $66 a nightfrom $66
Yulia, ExplorOFF founder★★★★★5.0 from 20+ guided tripsGoogleAirbnbFrom$2,145per person, 2 days guided- Everything in Glamped, plus a local guide
- Airport pickup, every drive, all the gear
- Weather turns, they rewrite the day
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Three years leading guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests, and she builds every custom itinerary herself. Based in Seattle.
Booking your Olympic in 2 Days trip
Everything below is booked with the operators direct. We earn a commission on some of them, which is what keeps the itineraries free to read.
You might also love these
More itineraries and hiking guides across the parks.
Olympic Peninsula Loop, 3 Days
The full loop around both sides of the peninsula: Hurricane Ridge, the Hoh, Ruby Beach and Lake Quinault, in three days instead of two.
Olympic Peninsula Family Road Trip, 7 Days
A slower, kid-paced version of the full loop, with more nights and shorter driving days.
Olympic National Park Day Trip From Seattle
If you only have one day, not two, here is the same choose-one-side logic scaled down further.
What adventurers say about us.
All reviews are from verified guests. ★★★★★ 5.0 average from 20+ bookings.
"Felt like going out with a really knowledgeable friend who just happens to know everything about the area. No awkward tour-guide energy, just a magnificent day."
"Yulia is an incredible guide. She knew every trail, every viewpoint, and exactly how to pace the day for our group. The photos she took of us were stunning. 100% booking again."
"I was visiting Seattle solo and this was the best decision I made on the trip. Yulia picked me up, had snacks, and took us to a trail I never would have found on my own. Absolute must-do."
"We did this as a couple's trip and it was perfect. Yulia adapted everything to us, our pace, our interests, our photo obsession. The mountain views were unreal."
"Phenomenal experience. Yulia has deep local knowledge and a real passion for the outdoors. She went out of her way to show us the hidden gems tourists never see. Will remember this forever."
"I've done a few guided hikes and this was by far the best. Yulia is warm, funny, and genuinely expert. The trail she chose had the most insane wildflower bloom, we got so lucky."
Fees, reservation windows, shuttle dates and trail closures are planning estimates. Confirm hours, road status and any reservations with the land manager before you go.
What other travelers are saying
Be the first to leave a tip or question for the next traveler.
Was this helpful?
One tap. It goes straight to Yulia and Margarita.
You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.
Denali Road LotteryDenali NP · AKActivityReservationfair odds
El Tovar HotelGrand Canyon South Rim · ArizonaLodgeReservationbrutal odds
Grand Canyon BackcountryGrand Canyon NP · ArizonaBackcountryReservationfair odds
Grand Canyon raftingColorado River · ArizonaActivityLotterybrutal odds
Havasu FallsHavasu Canyon · ArizonaLodgeReservationbrutal odds
Phantom RanchGrand Canyon NP · ArizonaLodgeLotterybrutal odds
The WaveCoyote Buttes North · Arizona / UtahPermitLotterybrutal odds
Half Dome CablesYosemite NP · CaliforniaPermitOpens Mar 1fair odds
Lost Coast TrailKing Range NCA · CaliforniaBackcountryReservationtough odds
Mt. WhitneyInyo NF · CaliforniaPermitOpens Feb 1tough odds- The Ahwahnee, YosemiteYosemite NP · CaliforniaLodgeReservationbrutal odds
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon wilderness permitCalifornia · CaliforniaBackcountryReservationfair odds
Conundrum Hot SpringsMaroon Bells-Snowmass · ColoradoBackcountryOpens Feb 15brutal odds- Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness overnight permitColorado · ColoradoBackcountryOpens Feb 15fair odds
- Rocky Mountain National Park timed entryColorado · ColoradoBackcountryOpens May 1fair odds
- Everglades Wilderness Camping PermitFlorida · FloridaBackcountryLotterybrutal odds
Kalalau TrailNa Pali Coast SWP · HIBackcountryReservationbrutal odds- Four Rivers LotteryIdaho · IdahoBackcountryOpens Dec 1tough odds
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness overnight permitMinnesota · MinnesotaBackcountryOpens Jan 25fair odds
Glacier NP BackcountryGlacier NP · MontanaBackcountryLotterytough odds
Lake McDonald LodgeGlacier NP · MontanaLodgeReservationbrutal odds
Many Glacier HotelGlacier NP · MontanaLodgeReservationbrutal odds
Sperry & Granite Park ChaletsGlacier NP · MontanaLodgeLotterybrutal odds
Crater Lake LodgeCrater Lake NP · ORLodgeReservationbrutal odds- Central Cascades Wilderness overnight permitOregon · OregonBackcountryOpens Apr 1tough odds
LeConte LodgeGreat Smoky Mountains NP · TNLodgeOpens Oct 1brutal odds
Angels LandingZion NP · UtahPermitLotterytough odds
The Narrows Through-HikeZion NP · UtahBackcountryReservationtough odds
The SubwayZion NP · UtahPermitLotterytough odds- Zion LodgeZion Canyon · UtahLodgeReservationbrutal odds
- Canyonlands backcountry permitUtah · UtahBackcountryOpens Nov 10tough odds
- Canyonlands overnight river permitUtah · UtahBackcountryLotteryfair odds
- Shenandoah backcountry camping permitVirginia · VirginiaBackcountryReservationfair odds
Mount St. Helens Summit ClimbGifford Pinchot NF · WashingtonPermitReservationtough odds
Paradise InnMount Rainier NP · WashingtonLodgeReservationbrutal odds
The EnchantmentsAlpine Lakes Wilderness · WashingtonBackcountryOpens Feb 15brutal odds- Wonderland TrailMount Rainier NP · WashingtonBackcountryLotterybrutal odds
- Cougar Rock CampgroundWashington · WashingtonBackcountryOpens Jan 15tough odds
- North Cascades Backcountry PermitWashington · WashingtonBackcountryLotteryfair odds
- Olympic National Park wilderness permitWashington · WashingtonBackcountryOpens Apr 15fair odds
Old Faithful InnYellowstone NP · WYLodgeReservationbrutal odds- Yellowstone Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access ProgramWyoming · WyomingBackcountryOpens Aug 1fair odds
How it works
- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
- A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
- Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.
Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”