Unquestionably the most diverse national park in Washington state, Olympic National Park contains everything from mountains, to rainforests, to beaches. And yet.. it was my least favorite of the bunch. I experienced the longest wait times entering the park here, especially at the Hoh Rainforest, it felt the most tourist-y and least rugged, and the mountain views just didn't seem as interesting as the other parks. On the upside, it did have one of my all-time favorite hikes of the trip, Mount Ellinor, and a lot of the attractions don't even need a park pass to be seen. In fact the only things on this list that actually require a national park pass to enter are the Hoh Rainforest and Hurricane Ridge.
Climbing the staircase into the sky..
Indisputably the best hike I went on in Olympic National Park, and one of my favorites of the whole Washington trip, this one holds a special place in my heart. Opting to take the lower, longer trailhead through the forest, parking didn't require a Northwest Forest Pass, unlike the upper trailhead. Having gone on a weekday morning, I didn't encounter a single person until I reached the peak, and as they were just heading down, I had the summit to myself for the better part of an hour. The total silence of the forest contributed to the ethereal feeling of being alone on the mountain. Retrospectively, I think the lower trailhead was worth the extra miles. It's not too strenuous and the forest itself is beautiful. The rest of the hike from where the two trailheads merge is very steep though, so if you're low on energy, consider starting there.
The view of Lake Crescent from Mount Storm King
Mount Storm King has a lot of elevation gain in a few miles, so it's a difficult hike in spite of its shorter length. There is a short section of scrambling at the end. Anyone uncomfortable with rope scrambling should avoid this one, because most of the views are obscured before reaching the summit. Gloves are necessary, but when I was there in September 2024, there was a large pile of gloves left behind to be used by trailgoers. While this hike provides an awesome view of Lake Crescent, I wouldn't consider it essential as a hike because the majority of it is a slog through forested switchbacks where there isn't much to be seen.
The moss really is that green!
I crammed in a visit here after stopping at Ruby Beach and before heading to Second Beach and Rialto Beach. While it's a unique ecosystem, the trail itself is flat and only takes about 20 minutes to complete, and I spent nearly twice that just waiting to get through the entrance gate due to the large crowds. If I could do it again I would probably stop at Sol Duc Falls instead, as the views are supposed to be almost as good but less crowded.
I paid no attention to the tides, so I was very lucky to see this at all.
Rialto Beach was the third and final I visited that day. While it was my least favorite actual beach, being rocky, narrow and having less interesting rock formations out in the water, I still consider it essential for the rock arch at the end of the trail. The rock arch at Second Beach isn't accessible by foot and there aren't any at Ruby Beach. Just make sure you arrive at low tide!
Straight out of The Goonies.
The first stop of the day was here, and, being a small beach only a short walk from the parking lot, was definitely worth checking out. There aren't quite as many rock formations out in the water as at Second Beach, but there are more on land. If you only have time to see one beach, this is definitely the fastest to get to. Second Beach and Hole in the Wall at Rialto require about an hour of walking round-trip.
The rock formations seemed to fade in and out of existence in the fog.
This beach had the best layout in my opinion, especially for lazing around, and the most interesting hike to get to, being through the forest. When I arrived there was fog on the water, and it so completely obscured the rock formations at times that they became invisible, only to later pop back into existence. I've never seen anything like it in my life.
To the left, Vancouver Island and the San Juan Islands can be seen across the strait.
Hurricane Ridge is an entirely paved trail and only of moderate elevation gain, so it probably won't satisfy hikers looking for a challenge, or anything rugged and remote. Whether it's a worthwhile stop is entirely dependent on what you're looking for. Personally, I felt there were way better ridgeline hikes and views in other parks, like the Burroughs Mountain Trail at Mt. Rainier, or Ptarmigan Ridge and Yellow Aster Butte at Mount Baker, albeit much more difficult. For someone looking for a more tame hike, it's still a good stop.
There's a few natural arches between this trail and the Hall of Mosses.
I did this trail after Hall of Mosses just to pad the length a bit and because they're both connected. It isn't as interesting as Hall of Mosses so if you're on a time crunch you can definitely skip it, although it only adds an extra 20 minutes or so.