There is no better way to explore the Olympic Peninsula than by conducting this Olympic Peninsula Road Trip. With this road trip, you will complete some of the top things to do on the Olympic Peninsula, such as visiting some Olympic National Park Beaches, conducting Hoh Rainforest Hikes, seeing the views from Hurricane Ridge, and if fortunate spotting some of the Olympic National Park Wildlife.
For this road trip you can start in one of two places:
- Seattle
- Tacoma / Olympia area
The Total Drive Time: 7 hours from start point to end point.
- Total Drive Time from Seattle: 12 Hours and 30 Minutes
- Total Drive Time from Tacoma: 11 hours and 30 minutes
- Total Drive Time from Olympia: 11 hours and 15 minutes
It ultimately does not matter too much, as this route will be easy to navigate as it is simply a loop route. I will start from the most far western portion of the Olympia peninsula and then loop around heading North, then back East.
However, as I stated this is a loop route, so you can do this route starting from the bottom of the page to the top and still see everything on this Olympic Peninsula Roat Trip and not miss any of the things to do on the Olympic Peninsula – just be completed in reverse order!
Road Conditions for the Olympic Peninsula
The roads will vary across this entire Olympic Peninsula road trip. There will be two-lane highways, down to one lane highways. The main highways between the major points will not take long, however, the roads into the park will be the part that slows down the trip overall as they will be one lane traffic.
Campgrounds for the Olympic Peninsula Road Trip
This road trip is focused on the nature aspect of the Olympic Peninsula and therefore will focus on using the campgrounds that are located on the peninsula.
- Day 1: Hoh Rainforest Campground – first come, first serve $20.
- Day 2: Hobuck Beach Resort – first come, first serve $25
- Day 3: Heart O’ The Hills – first come first serve $20
Ruby Beach
The first stop on this road trip around the Olympic Peninsula will be along the iconic 101 highway to one of the many Olympic National park area beaches.
Ruby Beach is one of the Olympic National Parks Beaches. This beach is popular due to the view out from the top, and the beach is heavily covered in trees that have been smoothed and then washed ashore by the ocean.
Take a stretch of the legs after a long drive and climb over the various fallen trees and enjoy the view out over the beach.
This is a great place to break for lunch before heading towards the next stop.
Hoh Rainforest
From Ruby Beach, the next stop is less than an hour away at the Hoh Rain Forest. This will be the final stop for the day, as there will be some Hoh Rainforest hikes that will be conducted!
If you are interested in the easiest trail, then head towards the Hall of Mosses, this light and the easy trail will take you through the giant trees covered in moss – the main attraction of this Rainforest. The trail is a loop trail making it easy to start and finish. You will find this trail right off of the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center.
If you want a bit longer of a hike, then do the Hoh River Trail. From the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center area, take the paved loop east for just 0.2 miles to the junction with Hoh River Trail. While not any more challenging than the Hall of Mosses, it is just longer to conduct. The total length of the trail is 17 miles if you leave the Visitor center and head to the endpoint. However, my recommendation is to simply follow the river trail until you grow tired of the views, then turn around and head back to the visitor center.
After exploring the Rainforest or walking along the river, my recommendation is to head to the local campground. The Hoh Campground fits 78 and is only $20 a night, and is a first come first serve basis. I was able to secure a campground right up to the Hoh River which was great.
Rialto Beach
Day two of the Olympic Peninsula Road Trip is going to focus on beaches. The first stop at Rialto Beach will take approximately one hour from departing the Hoh Rainforest. As you head back towards the beach you will start noticing signs for “Beach” along the road. In this area, there are numerous beaches, with numerous access points.
Feel free to stop along at any of the beach pullouts, but the main one to see is Rialto Beach.
Rialto Beach is a great stop as it is a very large open beach area compared to most of the more pull out beach areas. Ultimately, visiting the Olympic National Park Beaches is one of the top things to do on the Olympic Peninsula, so this will ensure that is accomplished. This is a great location to explore from the morning and through to lunch.
Cape Flattery
From Rialto Beach, it will take approximately an hour and 30 minutes to reach the next destination for day two: Cape Flattery.
Cape Flattery is the most Northwestern of the contiguous United States. This little view out will remind you of some of the previous stops: continuous trees, and pointed rock formations.
However, it’s a great stop in order to be at one of the most Northwestern portions of the US!
Due to the drive time out to here, this will be the stop for the second day at the Hobuck Beach Resort. The Hobuck Beach Resort has a meadow area where it is first come, first serve for 100 to 200 tents that can be set up at $25 for a night. This is great to spend the evening as they also allow campfires – so pack some smores!
Lake Crescent and Marymere Falls
The third day of this Olympic Peninsula road trip will start with a one hour and 30-minute drive to Lake Crescent. Lake Crescent is located just off of the 101 highway. This lake offers numerous picnic areas to sit and enjoy lunch while looking out over the lake.
Additionally, next to the lake is the hike to Marymere Falls. The hike to Marymere Falls by way of the Barnes Creek trail is a favorite of those traveling to the lake. The trail to Marymere Falls is only a mile in length and is considered an easy trail to complete. What Olympic Peninsula road trip would be complete without a stop at a waterfall?
Spend the day enjoying the lake and the waterfall trail before heading over to the next stop for sunset.
Hurricane Ridge
After spending the day at the lake, start heading towards Hurricane Ridge which is approximately one hour away. I am going to recommend visiting the top of the ridge at sundown, so I would encourage setting up the campground first prior to catching the sunset.
Day three campground will be the Heart O’ The Hills, which you will find at the entrance heading up towards the top of Hurricane Ridge. This campground can host first come, first serve for 105 tents for the price of $20 a night.
Once set up, I would depart for the top of the ridge with approximately an hour and a half until sunset. It will take approximately 30 minutes to ascend the winding road of Hurricane Ridge.
Once at the top there are numerous parking areas, so pick a spot and just walk along the top and see the sunset behind the beautiful blue-tinted mountain tops.
Once the sunset is complete, simply head back down to your established campground. This is the best way to spend the last night of an Olympic Peninsula road trip.
Return Trip
After Hurricane Ridge, and on day four, the trip has been completed and it is time to make the commute back to Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia, etc.
It will take approximately 3-4 hours to return back from Hurricane Ridge. However, if you are not in a rush to return home then there are some stops along the way such as Sequim which is well known for the Lavender Fields.
You will find little shops for plants, flower, and farm supplies along the road back home – so another option to check out and take a break from driving.
I keep hearing amazing things about the Olympic National Park beaches, and the surrounding mountains. On really clear days I have seen the silhouettes of the mountains from in Canada, so it is awesome to see photos of that gorgeous coastline!