General Travel Planning |
Is there lodging available inside the park? |
Yes, at Lake Crescent, Sol Duc, and Kalaloch. See the Lodging Page. |
Is there camping available inside the park? |
Yes, at several locations throughout the park. See the Camping Page. |
Is there food available inside the park? |
There is a snack bar in the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, in season. Food is also available in all of the lodging locations. |
Is there fuel available inside the park? |
No. It is available in limited places along US-101, and in the towns of Sequim, Port Angeles, and Forks. |
What is the location and hours of the visitor center(s)? |
Visitor centers are located in Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge, and the Hoh Rain Forest. They are open approximately 8AM to 6PM in summer, with shorter hours in the off-season. |
What are the visitation seasons in the park? |
Most of the park can be visited year-round. The huge majority of visitors come in summer, and it is certainly the most enjoyable time for a visit. The Olympic Peninsula is almost never hot (or overly cold, except in the mountains). Summer is the driest time. In the winter, parts of the park, particularly the rain forest areas, can receive up to 20 inches of rain per month. |
Are the roads open on a year-round basis? |
In general, yes. The Hurricane Ridge Road is usually open weekends only during the winter, due to snow. Most other roads are open year-round except for temporary closures. Infrastructure in the park is damaged on an almost annual basis by wind and flooding, so closures are always possible. Flooding in November 2006 destroyed roads leading to the Sol Duc and Hoh areas, keeping them closed until the next summer. |
How much time is needed for a visit? |
The park's access points are spread out all over the Olympic Peninsula. To see all of the park's major areas, an absolute minimum of two days are necessary, one for Hurricane Ridge and Elwha, and one for Sol Duc, Hoh, and the coast. These would be two VERY full days, particularly the second. A more in-depth look at the incredible variety of the park should occupy at least a week. |
Park Features |
What wildlife can be seen in the park? |
Olympic's huge variety of ecosystems leads to a huge variety of wildlife. Mammals includes Roosevelt elk, blacktailed deer, otters, seals, whales, dolphins, marmots, and porpoises. Lizards, snakes, salamanders, frogs, invertebrates like the banana slug, countless birds, and the infinite possibilities of the Pacific Ocean add to the mix. The total species list is enormous. |
What plant communities are in the park? |
The same ecosystem variety results in over 1,200 types of plants. There are four types of forest alone, including montane, alpine, lowland, and temperate rain forest. |
How was the park created? |
In 1897 President Grover Cleveland created the Olympic Forest Reserve, a portion of which President Theodore Roosevelt designated a national monument in 1909. The protection efforts were largely in response to the slaughter of most of the region's elk population, which came to be known as Roosevelt elk. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation creating Olympic National Park. |
