Olympic Peninsula Family Road Trip: 7-Day Loop
One peninsula, rain forest, coast & alpine meadows, all in Washington.
Rain forest walks, tide pools, and mountain meadows in a loop the whole family can do, with no serious elevation, just pure wonder.
“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!”
27 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Olympic Peninsula: every stop pinned in order.
Hurricane Ridge, Hoh Rain Forest, Rialto Beach & Lake Crescent · Washington
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.
Olympic Peninsula in photos: 5 of the stops.
Plan and book your 7 days in Olympic Peninsula, one step at a time
- Mora Road is closed to cars, bikes and walkers beyond Mora Campground from July 8 to October 15, 2026, so Rialto Beach (day 5) cannot be reached until then; Ruby Beach and the Kalaloch beaches are open. Source
- WSDOT is closing the Hoh River Bridge on US-101 for six days at a time: September 24 to 29, October 1 to 6 and October 8 to 13, 2026. On those dates you cannot drive from Forks and the Hoh to Ruby Beach, Kalaloch or Quinault; the only way round adds at least four hours. Source
- Hurricane Ridge Road is open, but there is no potable water on the ridge and services are limited; bring water and food. Source
How 7 days in Olympic Peninsula split up
Plan 7 days for Olympic Peninsula. Drive total: ~350 mi. Difficulty: Easy. Park fee: $30 / car. Olympic National Park packs three completely different ecosystems into one loop: ancient temperate rain forest, wild Pacific coastline, and alpine meadows with views of the Olympic peaks. The whole peninsula is doable as a 7-day loop with kids, with no long hikes required, no serious elevation gain, just one stunning landscape after another.
Day 1: Seattle to Port Angeles via Hurricane Ridge
4 stops · Day one
Day 2: Lake Crescent & Marymere Falls
4 stops · Day two
Day 3: Sol Duc Hot Springs
3 stops · Day three
Day 4: Hoh Rain Forest
4 stops · Day four
Day 5: Rialto Beach & Tide Pools
4 stops · Day five
Day 6: Lake Quinault Rain Forest Loop
4 stops · Day six
Day 7: Return to Seattle via Hood Canal
4 stops · Day seven
Seattle to Port Angeles via Hurricane Ridge
Cross Puget Sound on the Edmonds–Kingston ferry or drive around. Arrive in Port Angeles by mid-morning to maximize time at Hurricane Ridge.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
Drive fromEdmonds–Kingston ferry · arrive by mid-morning · DriveCross Puget Sound on the Edmonds–Kingston ferry or drive around, aiming to arrive in Port Angeles by mid-morning to maximize time at Hurricane Ridge. Download offline maps before you go, since cell service is patchy across the peninsula.
- Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center
5,242 ft · deer in the meadows · ViewpointAt 5,242 ft, deer graze in meadows right alongside the parking lot, and kids go wild for it. The 1-mile Cirque Rim Trail is paved and stroller-friendly with mountain views in every direction.
Hurricane Ridge Big Meadow TrailEasy 1-mi loop · marmots & wildflowers · HikeThe Big Meadow Trail is an easy 1-mile loop through subalpine wildflowers where Olympic marmots whistle from boulders. Bring binoculars to spot them.
Stay in Port AngelesClose to the park entrance · good restaurants · lodgePort Angeles is close to the park entrance and has good restaurant options, making it an easy first base. There is also a ferry option to Victoria, BC, from here.
Lake Crescent & Marymere Falls
Lake Crescent is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Pacific Northwest: impossibly blue, surrounded by old-growth forest, and calm enough for kayaking most mornings.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
Marymere Falls Trail2 mi RT · 200 ft gain · 90-foot waterfall · HikeThe Marymere Falls Trail is 2 miles round trip with 200 ft of gain, an easy walk through old-growth forest to a 90-foot waterfall. Perfect for all ages.
- Storm King Ranger Station loop
Short lakeshore walk · benches & views · ViewpointA short walk along the lakeshore with benches and lake views, an easy add-on near the Marymere Falls trailhead and the Storm King Ranger Station.
Kayak or paddleboat rentalsAt Lake Crescent Lodge · essential with kids · activityKayak and paddleboat rentals are available at Lake Crescent Lodge and are essential with kids. Lake Crescent is impossibly blue and calm enough for paddling most mornings.
Kms5333 / CC BY 3.0Stay at Lake Crescent LodgeInside the park · book months ahead · lodgeLake Crescent Lodge sits right on the lakeshore inside Olympic National Park and books months ahead for summer. If it is full, base back in Port Angeles for the night.
Sol Duc Hot Springs
Sol Duc Valley is one of the most lush places in North America. Giant sword ferns, 300-year-old Sitka spruce, and a famous waterfall, plus natural hot spring pools the kids will love.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Sol Duc Falls
1.6 mi RT · flat · 4-tiered waterfall · HikeSol Duc Falls is 1.6 miles round trip on a flat trail through old-growth to a spectacular 4-tiered waterfall, one of the best easy hikes in Olympic. The valley is one of the most lush places in North America.
Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort poolsThree pools · 1.5 hr sessions · reserve a time · activityThree hot spring pools, open to day visitors, are the perfect way to warm up after the trail. Kids love them, so bring swimsuits.
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Stay in Forks, WA~1 hr west of Sol Duc · or a Sol Duc cabin · lodgeContinue west to Forks for two nights, the easy base for the Hoh and the coast. If you would rather wake up at the hot springs, Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort rents cabins in season; then drive to Forks tomorrow.
Hoh Rain Forest
The Hoh Rain Forest receives 12–14 feet of rain per year, and it looks like it. Maple trees draped in club moss, 200-foot Sitka spruce, and a silence so complete you hear your own footsteps. This is the park's most iconic environment.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Hall of Mosses
0.8-mi loop · flat · most photogenic grove · HikeThe Hall of Mosses is a 0.8-mile loop, completely flat, through the most photogenic old-growth grove in North America. Budget 45 minutes and bring a camera. The Hoh receives 12 to 14 feet of rain a year, and it looks like it.
Hoh River TrailFlat gravel · turn around at 1–2 mi · HikeWalk as far as you like into the valley on the flat gravel Hoh River Trail along the braided river. Turn around at 1 to 2 miles for families.
Brett Holt from Seattl / CC BY 2.0Hoh Visitor CenterJunior ranger program · first Olympic badge · ViewpointThe Hoh Visitor Center runs a great junior ranger program where kids can earn their first Olympic badge. A good place to learn about the rain forest before or after your walk.
Second night in Forks, WASame base · the coast tomorrow · lodgeForks, WA, is 10 miles from the Hoh, a small town with all the basics and an easy base for the rain forest and the coast.
Rialto Beach & Tide Pools
Olympic's Pacific coast is unlike any other beach in the US: sea stacks, driftwood forests, starfish in the tide pools, and almost no development. Rialto Beach and Ruby Beach are the most accessible.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Rialto Beach
1.5 mi to Hole-in-the-Wall · low tide · ViewpointRialto Beach is sea stacks, driftwood forests, and starfish in the tide pools. Walk 1.5 miles north to Hole-in-the-Wall, a rock arch you can walk through at low tide. Check tide charts the night before, and watch for seals and bald eagles.
- Ruby Beach
Sea stacks, abbey island & sunsets · ViewpointA short walk leads to Ruby Beach, the most photogenic beach on the coast, with sea stacks, abbey island, and brilliant sunsets. It is 45 minutes south of Rialto.
Tide pools at minus tideSea stars, anemones, hermit crabs · activityThe tide pools are best at minus tides. Look for sea stars, anemones, and hermit crabs, and tread carefully around the living rock.
- Stay at Kalaloch Lodge
Oceanside, inside the park · lodgeKalaloch Lodge sits oceanside inside the park, a memorable base on the coast. If it is full, continue to Aberdeen for the night.
Lake Quinault Rain Forest Loop
The southern Quinault area has the world's largest Sitka spruce and an easy 4-mile loop through a different, slightly drier style of rain forest. Less visited than Hoh.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Quinault Rain Forest Loop
4 mi RT · nearly flat · largest trees · HikeThe Quinault Rain Forest Loop is 4 miles round trip, nearly flat, through old-growth with some of the largest trees in the park. Great for younger kids on a wide path with no scrambling. Less visited than Hoh.
World's largest Sitka spruceShort detour · 58-foot circumference · ViewpointA short detour leads to the world's largest Sitka spruce, a 58-foot circumference tree. Kids will be appropriately amazed.
Lake Quinault paddleboatsRentals at the lodge · calm lake · activityPaddleboat rentals are available at the lodge on calm, beautiful Lake Quinault, an easy way to end the day on the water.
Stay at Lake Quinault LodgeHistoric 1926 lodge · great dining · lodgeLake Quinault Lodge is a historic 1926 lodge with great dining on the lakeshore. The Aberdeen area is the backup if it is full.
Return to Seattle via Hood Canal
The drive back via US-101 and Hood Canal takes about 3.5 hours with no stops, but there's worth stopping for.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Guided sunrise kayak on Lake Quinault
2 hr · 7 am from the lodge waterfront · boats and guide included · activityYou wake up at Lake Quinault Lodge, so start the last day on the water: a two-hour guided paddle on the glassy lake at sunrise, with the rain forest coming down to the shore and the lodge's guide pointing out eagles along the way. Boats, paddles and life jackets are provided, and you are back for breakfast before the drive home. Ask the lodge about the minimum age for younger kids.
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Hoodsport, WAOyster shacks · Hood Canal Shellfish · activityIn Hoodsport, oyster shacks and Hood Canal Shellfish serve oysters straight from the water. Kids who have never eaten one straight from the water will remember this.
- Twanoh State Park
Swimming beach · warm Jul/Aug · ViewpointTwanoh State Park has a swimming beach on Hood Canal with warm water in July and August, perfect for one last splash before the drive home.
Bremerton–Seattle ferryWalk-on · cars need summer reservation · DriveThe drive back via US-101 and Hood Canal takes about 3.5 hours with no stops. To finish with a Puget Sound crossing, take the walk-on Bremerton–Seattle ferry; cars require a reservation in summer.
Official info →
Book the 6 nights
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 checking. We find what is still open near each trailhead and email you this plan back with a booking link for each night. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Olympic Peninsula
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 Peninsula
Packing tips for Olympic with kids.
Rain gear is non-negotiable
Even in July, the peninsula can be wet. Pack waterproof layers for everyone so a passing shower never cuts a rain forest walk or beach day short.
Waterproof shoes or rubber boots
Bring waterproof hiking shoes or rubber boots for the rain forest and tide pools. Wet trails, dripping moss, and slick coastal rock are all part of the experience.
Pack bug spray for camp evenings
Bug spray is rarely needed during the day, but bring it for evening camp time when mosquitoes can come out near the water and forest.
Grab Junior Ranger booklets
Junior Ranger booklets are available free at every visitor center. They turn each stop into a small mission and are a great way to keep kids engaged across the loop.
Download offline maps first
Cell service is patchy throughout the peninsula. Download offline maps before leaving Port Angeles so you can navigate the loop without signal.
Check tide charts before beach days
Hole-in-the-Wall and the best tide pools depend on low and minus tides. Check the tide charts the night before any beach day so you arrive at the right time.
Olympic Peninsula: questions before you go
Olympic Peninsula family road trip: the questions people ask most.
Seven days is ideal for a full loop with kids. That gives you Hurricane Ridge's meadows, Lake Crescent and Marymere Falls, Sol Duc Falls and the hot springs, the Hoh Rain Forest, Rialto and Ruby Beach with the coastal tide pools, the Lake Quinault rain forest loop, and an easy drive back to Seattle via Hood Canal. The whole loop is about 350 miles with no long hikes and no serious elevation gain.
Yes. This route is built around short, flat walks like the Hall of Mosses (0.8 miles), Marymere Falls (2 miles), Sol Duc Falls (1.6 miles), and the Quinault Rain Forest Loop (4 miles, nearly flat). There are deer at Hurricane Ridge, hot spring pools at Sol Duc, tide pools at the beaches, and free Junior Ranger booklets at every visitor center, so there is constant wonder without demanding hikes.
June through September is the easiest window for the full loop, with the best weather for Hurricane Ridge and the coast. The rain forest is great year-round. Whenever you go, pack rain gear, because even July can be wet on the peninsula.
The park fee is $30 per vehicle, valid for 7 days. An America the Beautiful annual pass also covers entry and pays off quickly if you visit other national parks the same year.
Port Angeles is a convenient first base near the park entrance. Inside and around the park, the historic lodges are Lake Crescent Lodge, Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, oceanside Kalaloch Lodge, and the 1926 Lake Quinault Lodge. They book months ahead for summer, so reserve early. Forks is a small town near the Hoh Rain Forest with all the basics.
Yes, for the coast. Hole-in-the-Wall at Rialto Beach is only passable at low tide, and the tide pools at Rialto and Ruby Beach are best at minus tides. Check the tide charts the night before any beach day so you arrive at the right time for sea stars, anemones, and hermit crabs.
Cell service is patchy throughout the peninsula. Download offline maps before you leave Port Angeles, and screenshot your trailheads, tide charts, and lodge addresses so you can navigate the loop without signal.
Plan around the tide and the terrain. Some coastal trails, including the walk to Second Beach and the headland at Rialto, require scrambling over slippery, jumbled logjams, and an incoming tide can cut off the sand and strand you against the cliffs. Cross-reference the Olympic tide tables before you step onto the beach, start back well before high tide, keep kids off wet drift logs, and never turn your back on the surf.
Yes, but you will need to cut a stop or two. Drop the Lake Quinault rain forest loop (day six) first, since the Hoh already covers the rain forest ecosystem, then combine days six and seven into one longer drive back to Seattle. If you only have 4 days, also drop Sol Duc Hot Springs and go straight from Lake Crescent to the Hoh Rain Forest, keeping Hurricane Ridge, the Hoh, and the coast, which are the three landscapes that make the loop worth doing.
Yes. Tell us your dates and we check what is still open for the plan on this page, then send it back with a booking link for each night and the total. Nothing is charged and nothing is held, and you pay the normal rate.
Pick how you want to go.
Same 7-day route. Same 19 stops.
- 1 night, a campsite near Port Angeles
- $50
- 1 night, a campsite near Lake Crescent Lodge
- $50
- 2 nights, a campsite near Forks
- $100
- 1 night, a campsite near Kalaloch Lodge
- $50
- 1 night, a campsite near Lake Quinault Lodge
- $50
- Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort pools
- Priced when you book
- Guided sunrise kayak on Lake Quinault
- Priced when you book
- Rental car, 7 days
- $420
- Gas, about 540 miles
- $100
- 1 night, a room in Port Angeles
- from $270
- 1 night, a room at Lake Crescent Lodge
- from $230
- 2 nights, a room in Forks
- from $280
- 1 night, a room at Kalaloch Lodge
- from $260
- 1 night, a room at Lake Quinault Lodge
- from $156
- Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort pools
- Priced when you book
- Guided sunrise kayak on Lake Quinault
- Priced when you book
- Rental car, 7 days
- $420
- Gas, about 540 miles
- $100
- A private local guide, rooms and campsites booked
- Included
- Airport pickup and every drive
- Included
- Park, permit and campsite fees paid
- Included
- All the gear and the trail meals
- Included
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.
Last checked September 2026
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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.
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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.
The WaveCoyote Buttes North · Arizona / UtahPermitLotterybrutal odds
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- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
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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.