OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK
PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON Visited: July 2020
Olympic National Park was established in 1953. The park is just under 1,500 square miles. It stretches over multiple ecosystems; from the mountainous Olympic Peaks, to old growth forests, to the Hoh rainforest. There is so much to do in this incredible park. It is definitely in my top 5 favorite parks.
My visit to Olympic National Park was the halfway point in our month long “National Parks Covid Road Trip”. We drove up from Oregon on the 101 and started on the west side of the park. There are multiple entrances, but no roads through (as you can see on the map above). So we had to plan accordingly since we only had two days!
During my research, I was unable to find any dispersed camping areas close enough in the park. Since it was the height of Covid and everyone was trying to socially distance outdoors, I thought it was best to snap up a reservation at Mora Campgrounds.
When you head to this area of the park, you have to drive through Forks, Washington…..home of TWILIGHT! Coming here was like stepping back to 2008. The town is still very much embracing Twilight’s popularity. Though it feels very outdated at this point. It was a fun little side quest to do though!
Mora Campgrounds are right outside La Push (also famous from Twilight). The drive there was gorgeous. So much green and towering trees. The drive takes you through the Quilute reservations.
LA PUSH BEACH
Distance: 3 miles (roundtrip) Elevation Gain: 0ft Hiking Time: up to 2 hours
La Push is a fantastic place to see the sun set over the ocean. The Rialto Beach hike at La Push is takes you along the beach until you can’t go any farther. We walked around 1.5 miles before turning around. While there, we saw whales, bald eagles, starfish, and tons of life in the tide pools!
HOH RIVER TRAIL
Distance: up to 18 miles Elevation: up to 630ft Hiking Time: up to 8 hours+
The Hoh rainforest is what made me fall IN LOVE with Olympic. This hike is perfect for seeing the rainforest and the diverse ecosystem of the park! We hiked in and out for 5 miles. The trail is also used by backpackers and can go on for 20 miles! I could have hiked it forever! But sadly, we only had a couple of miles. Be sure to pack a rain jacket and water resistant boots! This hike is wet and muddy!
SOL DUC FALLS
Distance: 2 miles (roundtrip) Elevation Gain: 300ft Hiking Time: 2 hours
We had enough time for one more quick hike, so we chose Sol Duc Falls. We had just seen a rainforest, so now, it was time to see a Lowland Forest. Sol Duc Falls in famous for its huge waterfall! The drive from Hoh to Sol Duc took about 1.5 hours. We had to leave and re-enter the park. The hike was in and out, 2 miles. Again, very wet! But overall, pretty easy! Definitely worth it.
MORA CAMPGROUND
Mora Campground was great for an established site. It was very difficult to get a reservation and we were lucky to find one so last minute. The sites were nice because of the forest so it felt like you were very closed off from the other sites. In the campsite, they had little fire pits, a picnic bench, a spot for your car, and a spot for your tent. There were also bathrooms and a place to clean dishes. This is bear territory, so they advice against leaving out food and trash or cleaning dishes at your site. We cooked oysters that night we had harvested (legally) on the drive up.
