Author: Nobenaa Ahsan

If you plan to sleep anywhere in the backcountry, you need an Olympic National Park wilderness permit, in every season. Most permits are reserved online through Recreation.gov, and the busiest camps fill early. This guide walks through how to book, what it costs and the rules to know, as the park lists them as of October 2026.

Who needs an Olympic National Park wilderness permit?

Anyone camping overnight in the backcountry does. The park says backpacking permits are required year-round, and a wilderness camping permit covers every overnight stay in undeveloped areas. Day hikers do not need one.

That covers a lot of ground. About 95 percent of the park was designated Wilderness in 1988, and the park says nearly 50,000 campers enjoy it every year.

How wilderness camping reservations work

The park moved its permit reservations to Recreation.gov on March 18, 2019. Today you can book online, by phone at (360) 565-3100, or in person at a Wilderness Information Center. There are no longer paper self-registration permits at trailheads, and no sites are held for same-day walk-ups.

1. Pick your route and camps on the park’s Wilderness Trip Planner map.
2. Watch the release date. Summer season permits, for May 15 to October 15, open on April 15 at 7:00 AM Pacific Time.
3. Reserve on Recreation.gov, or call or visit a Wilderness Information Center.
4. Print your permit once the Wilderness Information Center issues it, about three days before your trip.

High country camps have a shorter season because of snow, generally from about mid-July to mid-October. The full details sit on the park’s wilderness reservations page, which you should check before you book.

Wilderness permit costs compared

Item	Cost (as of October 2026)	Notes
Adults 16 and older	$8 per person per night	Charged for each night out
Youth 15 and under	Free	No nightly fee
Reservation fee	$6 per permit	Non-refundable
Annual Wilderness Pass	$45 per person	Covers nightly fees for 12 months, not the $6 fee

The park gives an example: two adults out for four nights pay $70, which is $64 in camping fees plus the $6 reservation fee. The annual pass is sold through pay.gov or by phoning a Wilderness Information Center, and you still need a permit for every trip.

Quota areas: where to book early

Some popular places limit how many campers can stay each night. The park says no extra space opens in these quota areas later, so plan ahead. They show in red or yellow on the Trip Planner map.

Olympic quota areas by region

Region	Quota areas
Coast	Ozette Coast, Yellow Banks to Point of the Arches
Northeast	Royal Basin and Royal Lake, Grand and Badger Valleys
East and southeast	Lake Constance, Upper Lena Lake, Flapjack Lakes including Gladys Divide
Southwest	East Fork of the Quinault River
North and west	Sol Duc, Seven Lakes Basin and Mink Lake area; Hoh Lake and C.B. Flats; Hoh River Trail

The Enchanted Valley has an extra limit. In a trial of up to three years that began in 2024, the East Fork Quinault allows at most 208 users or 30 permits per night, whichever comes first. Our story on the Enchanted Valley Chalet move tells more about this valley.

Olympic National Park backcountry camping rules

A permit comes with a few rules that apply across the wilderness. These are the ones the park’s regulations page spells out:

• Group size: no more than 12 people and 8 stock. Groups of 7 to 12 must use designated group sites, and affiliated groups must stay at least a mile apart.
• Campfires: allowed below 3,500 feet only, and banned on the coast between Wedding Rocks and the headland north of Yellow Banks.
• Pets: not allowed in designated Wilderness or on overnight trips.
• Drones: launching, landing or flying one is prohibited in the park.

Bear canister rules in Olympic National Park

The park’s wilderness food storage page says approved animal resistant food containers are required in all wilderness areas. Everything with a scent goes inside: food, trash and toiletries such as toothpaste, sunscreen, hand sanitizer and lip balm.

Only models on the park’s approved list count, and that list was last updated in June 2026. It includes several BearVault, Bearikade and Garcia canisters. Wilderness Information Centers lend canisters during business hours, but they cannot be reserved and can run out on busy weekends.

Headed for the coast? Our Leave No Trace guide to Olympic coast beaches covers tides and camping on the sand, and our Ozette Triangle and Cape Alava guide covers one of the most popular coast trips.

Picking up, changing and cancelling

The Port Angeles Wilderness Information Center is inside the Olympic National Park Visitor Center at 3002 Mount Angeles Road. It is open all year, daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our Olympic National Park Visitor Center guide explains what else is there.

On the south side, the Quinault Rainforest Ranger Station in Amanda Park is open from Memorial Day weekend through the end of September. It keeps a bear canister return bin open all year.

If your plans change, cancel three or more full days before your start date to get the camping fee back. The $6 reservation fee is never refunded. Cancel within three days and there is no refund, and no-shows lose all fees.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group in Port Angeles. Our adopt-a-trail crew on the Heart O’ the Forest Trail helps care for one of the park’s trails, and our volunteers join cleanups through the year. To lend a hand, see our volunteer opportunities at Olympic National Park.

Frequently asked questions

Rules, fees and dates change, so check the NPS pages before every trip. Then come help us care for the park you love.

The Ozette Triangle is a roughly nine-mile loop on the wild northern coast of Olympic National Park, starting at Lake Ozette. Two boardwalk trails run through coastal forest to Cape Alava and Sand Point, and a beach walk between them closes the loop. Here is how the route fits together, what to plan for, and the history that deserves our respect along the way.

What is the Ozette Triangle?

The name comes from the shape of the route. From the trailhead at the Ozette Ranger Station, one trail leads to Cape Alava and another leads to Sand Point. The beach between the two capes is the third side.

The park’s Ozette Loop page rates the hike as easy, gives the distance as 9.2 miles and calls April through October the best season. It runs from sea level to about 100 feet, with no river crossings. Hiking groups give slightly different totals, so plan on nine to ten miles.

The three legs of the loop compared

Leg	Distance (NPS)	What you walk on
Cape Alava Trail	3.1 miles	Trail, boardwalk and stairs through prairie and coastal forest
Beach between the capes	3.1 miles	Sand and rocky shore, timed with the tides
Sand Point Trail	2.8 miles	Mostly boardwalk through coastal forest

The Cape Alava trail

Washington Trails Association describes the start well: cross the Ozette River on an arched bridge, then reach a junction about a quarter mile in. The right fork is the Cape Alava trail, and the left fork leads to Sand Point. Many hikers go out one way and come back the other.

Much of the way follows a cedar boardwalk through coastal forest. The NPS warns that the boardwalks are very slippery when wet or frosty, so take your time.

Partway along, the trail crosses an open, soggy meadow known as Ahlstrom’s Prairie. The park’s Lake Ozette brochure calls it the prairie where Lars Ahlstrom pastured his livestock. As many as 130 homestead families lived around Lake Ozette in the early 1890s, and most left after the area became part of the Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897.

Cape Alava, Wedding Rocks and the Makah village of Ozette

Cape Alava lies within the traditional territory of the Makah people. Offshore sits Cannonball Island (Tskawahyah Island), which the park notes is part of the Ozette Indian Reservation and always closed to the public.

The village of Ozette stood near here, close to the migration routes of whales, fur seals and other sea mammals. The NPS says bone, shell and stone artifacts tell of a sea-mammal hunting culture going back at least 2,000 years. Makah oral history also told of a great slide that buried part of the village long ago.

According to the Makah Cultural and Research Center, a winter storm in 1969 to 1970 made the bank slump and exposed wooden artifacts. A hiker told the Makah Tribe, which called in Washington State University. The 11-year excavation recovered more than 55,000 artifacts, which the Tribe kept on its reservation.

Those artifacts are cared for at the Makah Museum in Neah Bay, not on the beach. Check the museum’s current opening status before you plan a visit. Between the capes you will also pass Wedding Rocks, where Makah petroglyphs are carved into the stone. They are protected by federal law, so look without touching, tracing or chalking.

The Sand Point trail and the beach leg

The Sand Point trail is 2.8 miles of mostly boardwalk ending at a wide, sandy beach. It also makes a pleasant out-and-back walk on its own.

Hikers often find the beach the slowest part of the Ozette loop hike. It mixes sand with rocky stretches, and WTA notes that you cannot hike south at high tide. Plan your beach crossing with a tide chart, whichever way you walk.

• Carry a map and a tide chart, as the park advises.
• Some headlands can only be passed at lower tides; use the overland trails when the water is up.
• Pets, weapons and wheeled devices are not allowed on coastal beaches and trails.

Our Leave No Trace guide to Olympic coast beaches covers tide safety and beach etiquette in more depth. Tide pool fans can also read our guide to Olympic National Park tide pools.

Camping on the Ozette Triangle

Sand Point and Cape Alava are the main overnight spots, and both have pit toilets and creeks. Every overnight stay needs a wilderness permit. As of October 2026 the park limits camping permits on the Ozette coast, from Yellow Banks to Point of the Arches, all year, and suggests booking early for trips from May to the end of September.

Our guide to Olympic National Park wilderness permits explains how to reserve. A few Ozette rules are worth knowing before you pack:

• Food: store all food, garbage and scented items in a park-approved bear canister along the whole Wilderness Coast. Canisters are not available at the Ozette Ranger Station, and raccoons easily raid food hung in trees.
• Fires: campfires are banned from the headland north of Yellow Banks to the headland at Wedding Rocks, including Sand Point. Elsewhere, burn driftwood only.
• Water: creek water is often tea stained. Filter or boil it, and carry extra in late summer when some sources dry up.
• Groups: no more than 12 people, and camp above the high tide line.

Rules change, so check the NPS Ozette page and current trail conditions before you go. For an easier night, the park’s Ozette campground near the trailhead has 15 sites and is open all year, though winter flooding can close it.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group based in Port Angeles. Our beach cleanups in Olympic National Park remove litter and debris from the coast, and anyone who loves places like Cape Alava is welcome to join a crew. You can also become a member to stay in touch.

Frequently asked questions

Want to give back to the coast you love? See our volunteer opportunities at Olympic National Park.

Olympic National Park entrance fees are simple once you see them side by side: a weekly pass for your car, motorcycle or yourself on foot, a park annual pass, or one of the national America the Beautiful passes. This guide lists the prices as of October 2026, straight from the National Park Service. Fees change, so check the park’s official fees page before you go.

Olympic National Park entrance fees at a glance

Every standard entrance pass is good for seven consecutive days, so one payment covers a long weekend or a full week of exploring. The vehicle pass covers everyone inside a private vehicle with a capacity of 15 passengers or fewer.

Seven day entrance passes compared

Pass	Price	Who it covers
Private vehicle	$30	All occupants of a vehicle seating 15 or fewer
Motorcycle	$25	Up to 2 motorcycles with up to 4 riders in all
Per person	$15	Hikers, cyclists and walkers without a vehicle
Ages 15 and under	Free	Children and young teens

Commercial groups pay separate rates: $75 for a van with 7 to 15 seats, $100 for a mini bus with 16 to 25 seats and $200 for a motor coach with 26 or more.

Olympic National Park pass or America the Beautiful pass?

If you visit more than once a year, an annual pass quickly pays for itself. The Olympic National Park Annual Pass costs $55 and is good for one year from the month you buy it, for US citizens and residents. It covers this park only.

The America the Beautiful pass covers entrance at national parks and other federal recreation lands across the country. The resident annual pass costs $80, so it makes sense if you plan to visit another national park or federal fee area during the year.

Annual and lifetime passes compared

Pass	Price	Who can get it
Olympic National Park Annual	$55	US citizens and residents
America the Beautiful Resident Annual	$80	US citizens and residents
America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual	$250	Visitors who are not US residents
Senior Annual	$20	US citizens and residents 62 and over
Senior Lifetime	$80	US citizens and residents 62 and over
Military Annual	Free	Current US military and dependents
Military Lifetime	Free	Gold Star Family members and veterans
Access Pass	Free	US citizens and residents with a permanent disability
4th Grade Pass	Free	US fourth graders
Volunteer Pass	Free	Federal volunteers with 250 service hours

All of these passes are non-refundable and non-transferable, and they cannot be replaced if lost or stolen. Bring photo ID, because staff may ask to see it with your pass.

Earning a pass as a volunteer

The free Volunteer Pass goes to people who log 250 hours of service at federal recreation sites. We have written a full guide to the America the Beautiful Volunteer Pass at Olympic National Park, including how hours are recorded and what the pass covers.

Free entrance days in 2026

On fee-free days, national parks that charge entrance fees waive them. For 2026 the National Park Service fee-free days page says free entrance applies to US citizens and residents only. Other fees, such as reservation fees, may still apply.

• February 16 (Presidents Day)
• May 25 (Memorial Day) and June 14 (Flag Day)
• July 3 to 5 (Independence Day weekend)
• August 25 (the National Park Service’s 110th birthday)
• September 17 (Constitution Day), October 27 (Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday) and November 11 (Veterans Day)

Free days can be busy, so arrive early. Our season by season guide to the best time to visit Olympic National Park can help you pick quieter dates.

Visiting from outside the United States

Since 2026, nonresident visitors age 16 and older pay an extra $100 per person at 11 national parks. Olympic is not on that list, so visitors from abroad pay the same seven day fees shown above. If you plan to tour several parks, the $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass covers entrance fees and those extra charges.

Where and how to pay

Olympic National Park does not accept cash, so bring a card. You can buy a seven day or park annual pass at park visitor centers and entrance stations, or pay online at Recreation.gov before you arrive.

America the Beautiful passes have three routes. Buying in person at one of more than 1,000 federal sites is the park’s recommended option. You can also order by mail from the USGS Online Store, allowing up to three weeks, or get a digital pass through Recreation.gov.

Fees your entrance pass does not cover

An entrance pass gets you into the park, but some services cost extra. Campground fees run $15 to $24 per night depending on the site and season. Overnight wilderness trips cost $8 per person per night plus a $6 permit fee, and our guide to Olympic National Park wilderness permits explains how that works. The RV dump stations at Fairholme, Kalaloch, Mora and Sol Duc charge $10 per use.

Schools and educational groups can apply for an academic fee waiver at least two weeks before their trip.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group based in Port Angeles. We do not set or collect park fees, but we help in other ways: beach cleanups in Olympic National Park, trail work and visitor center cleanups. Start your trip at the Port Angeles visitor center with our Olympic National Park visitor center guide.

Frequently asked questions

Love the park? Become a member of Friends of Olympic National Park and help us care for it, or browse our volunteer opportunities.

The fisher reintroduction in Olympic National Park returned a native forest carnivore to Washington after it had been gone for most of a century. Starting in the winter of 2008, biologists carried fishers from British Columbia into the park’s remote forests and let them go. Here is the story of the animal, the project and what we know about how it is going.

What is a fisher?

A fisher (Pekania pennanti) is a member of the weasel family, about the size of a large house cat, with thick dark fur and a long bushy tail. In Washington it is sometimes called the Pacific fisher. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife gives adults a weight of 4.4 to 13 pounds and a length of about 3 to 3.5 feet, with males larger than females.

Despite the name, fishers do not eat much fish. The park explains that early European settlers named them after the European polecat, which they resemble. Their real menu is snowshoe hares, mountain beavers, squirrels, mice, voles, birds, carrion and fruit, and they are one of the few animals that hunt porcupines.

Fishers are mesopredators: hunters in the middle of the food web that also become food for larger carnivores. WDFW says they favour low and mid elevation conifer forests with closed canopies, big trees, snags and hollow logs, and they avoid clearcuts and busy places. That is exactly the kind of old forest the park protects.

Why fishers disappeared from Washington

That dense, glossy coat was the problem. Decades of over-trapping for fur drove the fisher out of Washington by the early 20th century. The state listed it as endangered in 1998 and wrote a fisher recovery plan in 2006.

How the fisher reintroduction in Olympic National Park worked

After years of study, biologists chose Olympic National Park as an ideal place to bring fishers back. The park and WDFW managed the project together, working with the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Canadian trappers to obtain the animals. Nineteen trappers caught fishers over the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons, and a ministry veterinarian checked each one before it travelled to Port Angeles.

The first twelve were released at remote sites on January 27, 2008. Another 78 followed over the next three years, for 90 in all. Many partners backed the work, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Olympic National Forest, Washington DNR, Jefferson Land Trust, the Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Quileute, Skokomish and Quinault Nation, and the Point-no-Point Treaty Council.

Fisher recovery timeline compared

When	What happened
Early 1900s	Fishers gone from Washington after over-trapping
1998	Listed as endangered in Washington
2006	Washington State Fisher Recovery Plan
January 27, 2008	First twelve fishers released in the park
2008 to 2010 seasons	90 fishers from British Columbia released in all
2013 to 2016	Camera and hair snare surveys find founders and descendants
November and December 2021	19 fishers from Alberta added on the Olympic Peninsula

Following fishers through the forest

At first every fisher wore a radio collar. Many collars slipped off, ran out of battery or broke, and by the end of 2011 only two fishers were still known to be alive and tracked. So biologists changed tactics.

They set out baited wildlife cameras and hair snares. A snare pulls a few hairs as a fisher passes, and the DNA in them identifies the individual, its sex and its family line. The cameras also caught more than 40 other species, cougars among them.

A U.S. Geological Survey study of the 2013 to 2016 surveys covered 263 sampling units. Fishers turned up most often along the edge between wilderness and more intensively managed forest. The authors found that the population had not yet settled into its final range, and genetics showed at least two generations born on the peninsula.

How the Pacific fisher is doing now

The news is hopeful. Park studies found ten of the original founders still alive, along with several generations of their offspring. Fishers have spread widely across the Olympic Peninsula and set up home ranges in both managed and wilderness forests.

The work is not finished. The park is still monitoring to learn whether the population reproduces well enough to sustain itself. In late 2021, 19 fishers from Alberta were released on the peninsula to add to it, and WDFW counts 279 fishers reintroduced across Washington from 2008 through 2021, including releases in the Cascades.

Threats and how you can help fishers

Fishers still face risks outside the park’s quiet valleys. One fisher found dead along Highway 101 carried high levels of brodifacoum, a rodent poison. Cars are a danger too, especially at night.

• Slow down on peninsula roads after dark.
• Skip harmful rodenticides and other pesticides around your home.
• Keep forest corridors on your land so wildlife can move through.
• Report a sighting to WDFW, ideally with a photo and exact coordinates.

The park’s fisher reintroduction page has more on the project and its partners. Fishers are shy and mostly unseen, so a sighting is a real gift to the researchers.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group in Port Angeles. We did not run the fisher project, but we share the goal of healthy, connected forests. Our guided nature walks help people enjoy wild places gently, and our stories on Roosevelt elk in Olympic National Park and the mountain goat relocation cover other chapters in the park’s wildlife history. Our guide to the temperate rainforests of Olympic National Park shows the old forest that fishers call home.

Frequently asked questions

Want to help protect the forests where fishers hunt? You can support Olympic National Park with a gift, or explore our volunteer opportunities.

For nearly a century, mountain goats in Olympic National Park were a familiar sight on high ridges above Port Angeles. They were never meant to be here. Between 2018 and 2022 the park and its partners moved hundreds of goats to the Cascades, where the species belongs, and removed the rest. Here is the story in the park.s own figures, and what it means for hikers.

Are mountain goats native to the Olympics?

No. The Olympic Mountains have long been cut off from the Cascades, and several mountain species found there never reached the peninsula on their own, including pika, bighorn sheep, ptarmigan and mountain goats. Historical records describe the release of about 12 goats near Lake Crescent between 1925 and 1929, before the park was established in 1938.

An independent review by the Conservation Biology Institute concluded that the evidence supports the view that the mountain goat has never been native to the Olympic Peninsula. The small herd grew to more than 1,000 animals by a 1983 estimate and spread across the whole range.

Why the park decided to act

The goats damaged soils, threatened rare plants and changed alpine plant communities. That matters in a range whose meadows also shelter animals found nowhere else, like the Olympic marmot of Hurricane Ridge.

Alpine plants are low in minerals, so the goats seek salt wherever they can find it. On the Olympics that meant human urine, sweaty packs and clothing, and they would paw and dig where hikers had relieved themselves. Some became a nuisance along trails and around wilderness campsites, approaching visitors.

In October 2010, a Port Angeles hiker was fatally injured by a mountain goat near Klahhane Ridge, close to Hurricane Ridge. Park staff reached him quickly, and rangers later found and killed the goat. The park.s later plan names public safety, alongside the damage to plants and soils, as a reason to act.

A 2011 action plan dealt with goat behaviour in busy visitor areas. It did not address the damage to plants and soils, and the herd kept growing.

The Olympic mountain goat relocation

The park had tried before: from 1981 to 1989 it removed over 400 goats, 88 percent of them by translocation. The population rebounded to about 725 by 2018. That year the park, the U.S. Forest Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife finalized a management plan with consulting Tribes, after about 2,300 public comments on the draft.

The goal was to remove every goat from the Olympic Peninsula: a five-year active phase, then a 15-year maintenance phase. Capture and relocation came first, because goats are native to the Cascades, where many populations had stayed low. Fertility control was ruled out because no contraceptive is approved for mountain goats, and public hunting is illegal in the park.

How the goats were moved

Crews darted or net-gunned each goat from a helicopter, placed it in a custom sling and flew it to a staging area at Hurricane Ridge, and later also the Hamma Hamma area. Veterinarians checked each animal before state wildlife staff drove it in a temperature-controlled truck to the Cascades for release the next day. Sixteen kids went to permanent homes in zoos.

From capture to lethal removal

Each round got harder: by the last capture round, crews needed more than twice the helicopter time per live capture as at the start. In the fall of 2020, 98 volunteers on 20 teams removed 31 goats under park supervision, using authority Congress granted in 2019. Four aerial operations in 2021 and 2022 removed 192 more, and the last, in August 2022, removed just three goats over two weeks.

Mountain goat removal by the numbers

Phase	Years	Result
Introduction	1925 to 1929	About 12 goats released near Lake Crescent
Early control	1981 to 1989	Over 400 removed, 88% translocated
Capture and translocation	2018 to 2020	325 goats moved to the Cascades
Ground removal by volunteers	2020	31 goats
Aerial removal	2021 to 2022	192 goats
Maintenance	2023 onward	5 sightings reported, 1 confirmed (2023 to 2025)

Mountain goats in Olympic National Park today

Active management ended in 2022 with 548 goats removed, over 59 percent of them translocated. The park says some goats may remain at very low numbers and be hard to detect. From 2023 to 2025, five sightings were reported and one was confirmed.

If you see a goat, note the place and date and tell park staff by email or through the online form on the NPS mountain goat page. Heading into the high country? Our wilderness permits guide covers overnight trips.

The goats did not vanish from Washington. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates fewer than 3,000 live in the state, mostly in the Cascades.

Mountain goat safety on the trail

You are now far more likely to meet goats in the Cascades than here. Washington Trails Association offers this advice for goat country:

• Stay at least 50 yards (about 150 feet) away at all times.
• Urinate at least 50 feet off the trail, on rock if you can.
• Never feed a goat or let it lick your skin or gear.
• If a goat is on the trail, back off and go the other way.
• If one keeps coming, make noise, wave a jacket and, if needed, throw a rock. Report the encounter to the land manager.

In Olympic National Park, the general rule for all wildlife still applies: stay at least 150 feet away, and never feed or approach animals. The same care keeps our Roosevelt elk wild, too.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group. We don’t manage wildlife; the park and its partners do. What we can do is help people understand stories like this one, and you can read about another restoration effort in our post on fisher reintroduction in Olympic National Park. To lend a hand on the ground, see our volunteer opportunities.

Frequently asked questions

If this story matters to you, please support Olympic National Park with a gift to our volunteer work.

Olympic National Park waterfalls are fed by some of the wettest country in the lower 48, so you never have to walk far to find falling water. Some of the best are short, family-friendly walks from the road, from a paved path in the Elwha Valley to an old-growth trail near Lake Crescent. Here are the falls our volunteers send friends to first, with honest notes on trail length, access and the best time to go.

Marymere Falls: the classic Lake Crescent walk

The park calls Marymere Falls the most popular day hike at Lake Crescent. According to the NPS Marymere Falls trailhead page, the trail runs 0.9 mile one way through old-growth forest to a 90-foot waterfall. It starts at the Storm King Ranger Station, and you can also reach it from Lake Crescent Lodge.

The walk begins with a fun surprise: a stone tunnel that carries the trail under Highway 101. Beyond it, the path follows the forest toward Barnes Creek, which the park describes as the route to the falls. Near the end, the trail crosses Barnes Creek and then Falls Creek before climbing into a ravine.

Washington Trails Association lists the hike at 1.8 miles round trip with about 500 feet of gain. The last stretch is a short loop with stairs and two viewpoints, one on the hillside looking down on the falls and a lower platform facing its base. WTA notes that dogs are not allowed, so leave pets at home for this one.

Make a day of it with our guide to visiting Lake Crescent for more to see and do around the lake.

Madison Falls: the most accessible waterfall

Madison Falls is the gentlest waterfall visit in the park. The trail is 0.1 mile one way, paved and gently sloping, and it ends at a waterfall about 60 feet tall with a bench for resting. There is an accessible vault toilet at the trailhead, and the park says a visit takes about 5 to 15 minutes.

Pets are allowed on this short trail as long as you follow the park’s BARK Rules. The falls sit near the Elwha River in the Elwha Valley, 11 miles west of Port Angeles. Stop at the gravel parking lot for a view of the river at the heart of the Elwha River dam removal and restoration story.

Elwha road status

Madison Falls is also where driving ends in the Elwha. The park closed Olympic Hot Springs Road to vehicles beyond the Madison Falls parking lot because of flood damage and a road washout. The road beyond stays open to bikes and walkers, but there are no visitor facilities past the gate, so check the NPS Elwha Valley page before you go.

Sol Duc Falls in the Sol Duc Valley

Sol Duc Falls is one of the best-known falls in the park. The park says the walk from the parking lot at the end of the road is 0.8 mile and relatively level. For more on the trail and the valley around it, read our Sol Duc Falls and Sol Duc Valley guide.

After a wet spell, small unnamed cascades spill off mossy banks all through the temperate rainforests of Olympic National Park.

A waterfall on the beach at Third Beach

On the coast near La Push, the Third Beach Trail drops through forest to a wide, wild beach. The park rates it easy, at 1.4 miles one way with about 240 feet of elevation loss. Toward Taylor Point at the south end of the beach, a waterfall pours off the headland onto the sand, a sight that surprises many visitors.

This falls is fed by rain, so it runs best in the wet months and can fade to a trickle in late summer. Parking is very limited, and pets are not allowed on coastal beaches or trails. Taylor Point cannot be rounded at shore level, and the park warns never to try rounding headlands at high tide, so carry a tide chart and see our guide to tide pools in Olympic National Park for low tide tips.

Merriman Falls near Lake Quinault

In the Quinault Valley, Merriman Falls sits right beside the South Shore Road on Lake Quinault. It is on Olympic National Forest land rather than inside the park, but it makes an easy stop on a Quinault rain forest drive. Its creek is small, so like the Third Beach falls it looks best after winter and spring rain.

Olympic National Park waterfalls compared

Waterfall	Area	Walk	Good to know
Marymere Falls	Lake Crescent	0.9 mile one way	90 feet; stairs at the end; no dogs
Madison Falls	Elwha Valley	0.1 mile, paved	About 60 feet; accessible; pets allowed
Sol Duc Falls	Sol Duc Valley	0.8 mile one way	Relatively level forest walk
Third Beach falls	Coast near La Push	1.4 miles to the beach	Best in wet months; no pets
Merriman Falls	Lake Quinault	Roadside	Olympic National Forest land

Tips for waterfall hikes on the Olympic Peninsula

• Go after rain. Rain-fed falls are fullest in the wet months, and our season by season guide to visiting the park can help you pick a date.
• Stay behind the railings. Rocks near falling water are slick with spray and moss.
• Check pet rules first. Madison Falls allows pets on leash; Marymere and coastal trails do not.
• Plan for fees. Entrance fees may apply; our entrance fees and passes guide explains the options.
• Leave it as you found it. Pack out every wrapper, and follow our Leave No Trace tips for the coast at Third Beach.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group based in Port Angeles. Busy trails stay welcoming when people care for them, and our adopt-a-trail crew on the Heart O’ the Forest Trail and our beach cleanups are two ways neighbours pitch in. To join a crew, see our volunteer opportunities at Olympic National Park.

Frequently asked questions

Love these trails as much as we do? Become a member of Friends of Olympic National Park and help us look after them.

Sol Duc Falls is the payoff at the end of one of the gentlest walks in Olympic National Park. The trail starts at the end of Sol Duc Road, deep in a valley of old growth forest, and ends where the Sol Duc River drops into a narrow, mossy canyon. Here is how to plan the walk, what else the valley offers, and what to check before you drive in.

The Sol Duc Falls trail

The park’s page for the Sol Duc Falls trail calls this “perhaps the most picturesque waterfall in Olympic,” and the walk to it is an easy one. From the trailhead it is about 0.8 mile (1.3 km) one way on a relatively level path through big old trees. The park’s Sol Duc brochure puts the elevation gain at about 200 feet.

Near the falls you pass Canyon Creek Shelter, one of the historic trail shelters featured in our guide to historical structures in Olympic National Park. A footbridge crosses the river at the falls and is one of several viewpoints, upstream and downstream.

Sol Duc valley walks compared

The falls are only the start. These distances come from the park’s Sol Duc area brochure and are one way unless noted.

Trail	Distance and gain	Highlights
Ancient Groves	0.6 mile loop, flat	Self guided nature trail
Sol Duc Falls	0.8 mile, 200 feet	Old growth forest to the falls
Lover’s Lane	6.0 mile loop, 200 feet	Links the resort and the falls
Mink Lake	2.6 miles, 1,500 feet	Climb through dense forest
Deer Lake	3.8 miles, 1,700 feet	Climb through dense forest

Seeing Sol Duc Falls safely

The Washington Trails Association describes the falls splitting into as many as four channels, depending on how much water is flowing, before dropping 48 feet into a narrow, rocky canyon. The park asks visitors to watch from the designated viewing areas and to keep children under close supervision, because the falls can be dangerous.

• Stay on the trail and in the viewing areas, even for a photo.
• Leave dogs at home: pets and bicycles are not permitted on any Sol Duc trail.
• Expect spray near the falls; WTA suggests bringing a towel.

The Sol Duc valley forest

The Sol Duc valley is a world of tall conifers and moss. The 0.6 mile Ancient Groves loop is the easiest way to stand among them, and Sol Duc Campground sits right in the forest. The campground has 82 sites, including one group site and one accessible site, and is run by the resort, with summer sites reserved through recreation.gov.

Strong hikers use the valley as a gateway to Seven Lakes Basin and the High Divide, with views of Mount Olympus. Snow can linger there into late summer, and it is a quota area, so overnight trips need a permit; our guide to Olympic National Park wilderness permits explains how.

Salmon at Salmon Cascades

On the drive up Sol Duc Road, stop at Salmon Cascades, where coho leap the rapids in autumn. According to the park, Chinook and coho climb the river in late summer and spawn in late fall, while cutthroat trout and steelhead run in fall and winter. The Sol Duc is one of the few places where salmon run in every season.

These fish hatch in the Sol Duc, spend most of their lives in the Pacific Ocean, then return to spawn. Watch quietly from the overlook and give the fish room.

Sol Duc Hot Springs, then and now

The Quileute and other peoples of the peninsula knew these springs long before settlers arrived. HistoryLink’s history of Sol Duc Hot Springs tells how timber baron Michael Earles bought them after homesteader Theodore Moritz died in 1909. Earles opened a grand resort on May 15, 1912, with a 165 room hotel and a 100 bed sanatorium.

On May 26, 1916, a fire from a defective chimney flue destroyed nearly all of it within three hours, and the main buildings were never rebuilt. The National Park Service bought the site in 1966, and the resort was rebuilt in the 1980s.

Today the resort offers cabins, an RV park, a restaurant and seasonal day use of three mineral pools and one freshwater pool, which the park says are tested daily. The pools are open only while the resort is open, and it closes in winter. Hours, rates and season dates change, so check the NPS hot springs page and the resort’s website before you go.

Planning your Sol Duc day

Sol Duc Road is open year round, weather permitting, but snow and ice often close it in winter. Call the road and weather line at 360-565-3131 or check the park’s current road conditions page on the morning you go. You will need a park pass; see our guide to Olympic National Park entrance fees.

Lake Crescent is less than half an hour away, so it pairs well with the falls. Our Lake Crescent history and visitor guide covers the hikes, paddling and places to stay there.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer led friends group based in Port Angeles. Our adopt-a-trail crew cares for the Heart O’ the Forest Trail, and our volunteers help with cleanups and guided walks. If trails like the one to Sol Duc Falls matter to you, explore our volunteer opportunities.

Frequently asked questions

Lake Crescent sits in the northern foothills of the Olympic Mountains, about 18 miles west of Port Angeles inside Olympic National Park. Its deep, glacier carved basin holds some of the clearest, bluest water on the peninsula. Here is how the lake formed, what happened along its shores, and how to spend a good day there.

How Lake Crescent formed, and why it is so clear

Ice sheets carved this steep valley thousands of years ago, and it filled with water as the ice pulled back. Later, landslides from the surrounding mountains split one larger lake in two. The park dates the slide that isolated Lake Crescent from neighbouring Lake Sutherland to roughly 7,000 years ago.

The famous colour has a simple cause. According to the park’s Lake Crescent area brochure, the water holds very little nitrogen, which limits the tiny floating plants that cloud most lakes. In some places you can see 60 feet down, and that clarity plus reflected light gives the lake its blue green glow.

Trout found nowhere else

Cut off for thousands of years, the lake’s fish went their own way. The Beardslee trout and the Crescenti trout live here and nowhere else in the world. The U.S. Geological Survey notes that because the lake is so low in nutrients, even small increases could trigger algal blooms, and that the Beardslee trout is at particular risk because its spawning habitat is limited.

Lake Crescent history: resorts, ferries and a wartime railroad

Lake Crescent history as a destination starts with fish. A historic structure report for the park records that Admiral Leslie Beardslee visited in 1895 and publicised the trout that now carries his name, which helped make the lake a sport fishing spot. Small resorts followed, from log cabins at East Beach in the 1890s to Ovington’s on the north shore in 1905 and Marymere on Barnes Point in 1906.

Getting there was half the adventure. A county road from Port Angeles reached the lake in 1911, and in 1914 the county commissioners authorised a ferry, the Marjory, to carry travellers across. A larger ferry, the Storm King, followed in 1915 and could carry thirty vehicles.

The best known survivor is Lake Crescent Lodge at Barnes Point. Its story, along with Rosemary Inn and Storm King Ranger Station, is told in our guide to historical structures in Olympic National Park, so we won’t repeat it here.

The Spruce Railroad

Along the north shore runs the grade of the Spruce Railroad, built in 1918 to haul Sitka spruce for World War I biplanes. The line was nearly finished that fall, but the war ended in November before any spruce was processed. It was sold and ran as a common carrier and logging railroad until it was abandoned in 1951.

Today the grade is a paved, universally accessible trail. In 2020 the park and Clallam County finished restoring about 10 miles of the Olympic Discovery Trail along the north shore, including the 450 foot McFee Tunnel and the Daley Rankin Tunnel.

Things to do at Lake Crescent

There are plenty of things to do at Lake Crescent, from flat strolls to stiff climbs. Distances below come from the park’s area brochure and are one way unless noted.

Lake Crescent day hikes compared

Trail	Distance and gain	What to expect
Moments in Time	0.6 mile loop, flat	Self guided old growth walk
Marymere Falls	0.9 mile, 400 feet	Old growth forest to a 90 foot waterfall
Spruce Railroad Trail	4.0 miles, about 100 feet	Paved shoreline path with two tunnels; bikes and leashed pets allowed
Mount Storm King	2.2 miles, 2,000 feet	Steep switchbacks to big lake views
Pyramid Peak	3.5 miles, 2,600 feet	Climbs to a World War II spotting tower

The Spruce Railroad Trail is the only trail in the area open to bikes and leashed pets; elsewhere both stay off the trails. Marymere Falls is a favourite short walk, and our roundup of waterfalls in Olympic National Park covers it with other falls. Pyramid Peak has a steep section across a landslide, so check conditions first.

On the water

Boat launches sit at both the east and west ends of the lake, and rentals are offered at Lake Crescent Lodge, Log Cabin Resort and, in summer, the Fairholme Store. The lake is very cold and very deep, so wear a life jacket every time you go out. Alcohol and glass aren’t allowed on public beaches such as East Beach and Bovee’s Meadow.

Please clean, drain and dry every kayak, canoe, paddleboard and boat. New Zealand mudsnails and Asian clams have already turned up in the lake, and in 2024 the park added free cleaning stations at the Fairholme, Storm King and Log Cabin Resort launches. It is the same idea behind our work on invasive plant removal on the Olympic Peninsula: stop the spread before it starts.

Where to stay: Lake Crescent Lodge, Log Cabin Resort and Fairholme

Two park concessions offer rooms and cabins by reservation: Lake Crescent Lodge at Barnes Point, off Highway 101, and Log Cabin Resort on East Beach Road. Both are generally open from late spring to early fall and closed in winter. Opening dates change from year to year, so check the NPS page and the lodges’ own websites before you go.

Campers can head to Fairholme Campground at the west end, with 87 sites (one accessible), potable water and animal proof food lockers, open late spring to early fall. Storm King Ranger Station opens in summer when staffing allows. You will need a park pass, and our guide to Olympic National Park entrance fees explains the options. The Sol Duc valley, covered in our Sol Duc Falls and valley guide, is less than a 30 minute drive away.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer led friends group based in Port Angeles. Our volunteers run cleanups, guided walks and programs for young visitors, and our members help fund that work. If Lake Crescent is one of your favourite places, become a member or browse our volunteer opportunities.

Frequently asked questions

Olympic National Park tide pools are some of the richest on the Pacific coast, full of giant green anemones, ochre sea stars and spiny urchins. The trick is timing: the pools only open up when the tide drops low. Here is our local guide to where to go, when to go and how to leave every pool as you found it.

When to go: reading the tide

Tides rise and fall twice a day, and each low tide is different. The park’s tidepool activities page says the best tide pooling comes on a minus tide, one lower than normal, and recommends tides lower than 1 foot. A 3-foot low tide is not great for tide pooling.

The park’s summer newspaper adds that a tide of about 2 feet or less shows most tide pools. Summer generally has the lowest low tides, which is why it is the favourite season; our guide to the best time to visit Olympic National Park covers the rest of the year.

• Find a tide table: online at NOAA Tides and Currents, at visitor centers, or posted at Kalaloch, Mora and Ozette.
• Look for the lowest number: a negative figure, such as minus 1.0 feet, is a minus tide.
• Arrive early: be at the trailhead at least 30 minutes before the lowest tide, and allow for the walk.

The best Olympic National Park tide pools

The park’s 73 miles of coastline hold many rocky reefs, but a handful are easy to reach and reliably rich. Trail distances below come from the park’s summer newspaper.

Tide pool beaches compared

Beach	Getting there	Effort
Beach 4, Kalaloch	Short trail from Highway 101	Easy
Ruby Beach	0.25 mile trail from the parking area	Easy
Second Beach	0.7 mile forest trail from La Push Road	Moderate
Third Beach	1.4 miles one way from La Push Road	Moderate
Hole in the Wall	1.5 mile beach walk from Rialto Beach	Moderate

Hole in the Wall, Rialto Beach

This sea arch north of Rialto Beach stands above some of the park’s most popular pools. The walk from the Rialto Beach parking area takes about an hour each way. Do not cross through the arch once the tide starts to cover its floor, avoid lingering underneath, and if you hear falling rock, cover your head and move away.

Beach 4 and Ruby Beach, Kalaloch area

Beach 4 is the easy classic, a short walk down to rocky shelves just off Highway 101. To the north, Ruby Beach pairs pools with big sea stack views. Its short trail is steep with drainage dips, and the park says there is no accessible route to any of its coastal beaches. Both have accessible viewpoints.

Second Beach, Third Beach and Shi Shi

Near La Push, Second and Third Beaches reward a forest walk with excellent tide pooling. The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary also names Shi Shi Beach among its world class tide pooling spots. For a longer coastal outing, see our Ozette Triangle and Cape Alava loop guide.

What lives in Olympic’s tide pools

The park sorts the shore into zones. The splash and high tide zones hold barnacles, limpets and mussels. The mid tide zone is where pools are most vibrant, with giant green and aggregating anemones, ochre sea stars, chitons and hermit crabs. The low tide zone, uncovered only on the lowest tides around the new and full moon, adds sea urchins and nudibranchs.

Look closely and slowly. Many animals hide under ledges and in crevices, and octopus and small fish sometimes slip into the pools. If you find a stranded or injured marine mammal, do not try to rescue it; tell a ranger or call the West Coast Marine Stranding Hotline at 1-866-767-6114.

Tide pooling tips for safety

The ocean here is powerful and the rocks are slick. These are the park’s core tide pooling tips:

• Watch closely for the returning tide and sneaker waves.
• Algae and seaweed make rocks very slippery, so test each new surface.
• Wear sturdy shoes you do not mind getting wet.
• Keep children close; a fall on rock can cause severe injury.
• Do not leap from rock to rock. Keep at least one foot on the ground.
• Keep dogs off tidal rocks, where barnacles and mussels cut paws.

Tide pool etiquette

The intertidal zone lies inside the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and its etiquette protects animals that cannot move out of your way.

• Step on bare rock. It is less slippery and spares the life on other surfaces.
• Use the touch test. If an animal clings tighter, leave it be; never force one off its spot.
• Put rocks back. Return any rock you lift to its original position.
• Take nothing. Intertidal animals should not be collected for bait.
• Carry a bag. Pick up any trash you find.

Our Leave No Trace guide for Olympic coast beaches has more on camping, fires and wildlife along the shore.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group in Port Angeles. Our volunteers join beach cleanups in Olympic National Park, including our April 2026 Spring Coastal Cleanup in the Kalaloch area, to keep debris off the shore these animals call home. Every bag of litter helps.

Frequently asked questions

Love the coast? See our volunteer opportunities at Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Park entrance fees guide before your trip.

The best time to visit Olympic National Park for most people is July through September, when the high country is open and the weather is at its kindest. But this park has glaciers, rain forest and 73 miles of wild coast, so every season has something to offer. Here is how we, as locals in Port Angeles, think about each one.

Olympic National Park weather by month and season

Weather here depends as much on where you stand as on the calendar. The park’s weather page says the coast and west-facing valleys get 100 to 170 inches of precipitation a year, while Port Angeles, in the rain shadow, averages 25 to 30 inches. Hurricane Ridge traditionally records 30 to 35 feet of snow a year.

The park does not publish month by month averages, so think in seasons. Conditions can also differ wildly across the park on the same day.

Olympic seasons compared

Months	What to expect	Best for
March to May	Cool to mild; snow and heavy rain can last into June up high	Rain forest, quiet trails
June to August	Mild to warm; coastal fog, mountain thunderstorms possible	High country, full services
September to October	Cooling; high country snow possible from late September	Color, elk, fewer people
November to April	Wettest stretch; heavy snow at elevation	Storm watching, snow play

Spring: green, wet and quiet

Spring is the park’s second most popular season, and it is easy to see why. The rain forests of the Hoh and Quinault glow with new moss and fern, and the rivers run full with snowmelt. Seasonal campgrounds begin to open as the weeks go by.

Pack for rain, though. Up high, snow and heavy rain can continue into June, and many high-elevation trails may be impassable until it melts. Our guide to the temperate rain forests of Olympic National Park suggests low trails that are lovely in any spring weather.

Summer: the high country opens

Summer is mild to warm, though temperatures can vary by at least 10 degrees with elevation and location. It is the season for subalpine meadows, long ridge hikes and beach camping. The high meadows bloom as the snow melts; see our Hurricane Ridge wildflower season guide for how the timing shifts from year to year.

Expect some weather even now. Rain and thunderstorms are possible in the mountains, and fog can persist along the coastal strip. Summer also brings the lowest low tides of the year, so it is the prime season for Olympic National Park tide pools.

Olympic National Park summer crowds

June, July and August are the three busiest months, and the park’s summer visiting page warns that lots at Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh can fill completely. When Hurricane Ridge is full, cars are metered at the Heart O’ the Hills entrance station, and waits can reach two hours.

• Hurricane Ridge: busiest from 10 am to 2 pm. Arrive before 10 or after 2 (after 3 on holidays).
• Hoh Rain Forest: busiest from 10 am to 5 pm. Arrive before 10 or after 5 (after 6 on holidays).
• Skip the drive: the park suggests the summer Clallam Transit bus from downtown Port Angeles; buy your park pass ahead.
• Try somewhere else: Heart O’ the Hills, Deer Park, the beaches or the Quinault.

The Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge burned in May 2023, so there is no food service up top. Bring snacks and water. Fees and passes change, so check our Olympic National Park entrance fees guide and the NPS site before you go.

Fall: color, elk and mushrooms

Many of us think early fall is the sweet spot. Summer crowds thin, maples turn gold along the rivers, and Roosevelt elk enter the rut in September. Our Roosevelt elk guide explains how to watch the bugling bulls from a safe distance.

The weather turns as the season goes on. Snow can reach the high country as early as late September, rain and wind reach the lowlands by late October, and some campgrounds and roads close for winter. When the rains return, the forest floor fills with fungi; our mushroom season guide covers what to look for.

Olympic National Park in winter

Visiting Olympic National Park in winter takes flexibility, but the rewards are real. Most precipitation falls from November through April, and low elevations stay cool to mild. Most areas remain open, though there are few ranger programs and many facilities are closed.

Hurricane Ridge is the focus for snow play, with snowshoeing, cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding and tubing. Weather permitting, Hurricane Ridge Road opens Friday through Sunday in winter, but storms or avalanche hazard can close it at any time. It also closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Down on the coast, beaches stay mostly snow-free and winter storms bring strong winds, stronger tides and big waves, which makes for dramatic storm watching from a safe spot. The Hoh and Quinault rain forests are good destinations once a bit of snow melts. Conditions change fast, so call the road and weather line at 360-565-3131 before you set out.

How to choose the best time to visit Olympic National Park

• First visit, want it all: July to September, with early starts.
• Want solitude: spring or late fall, in rain gear.
• Love snow: a winter weekend at Hurricane Ridge.
• Tide pools: summer minus tides on the coast.

Whatever the month, start at a visitor center. Our Olympic National Park visitor center guide explains where to get maps, current alerts and advice from rangers.

How Friends of Olympic National Park helps

We are Friends of Olympic National Park (FONP), a volunteer-led friends group based in Port Angeles. Our crews help in every season, from beach cleanups in Olympic National Park to our Winter Perspectives lecture series in the darker months. If you love this park in all its weather, come and give a few hours back.

Frequently asked questions

Want to spend your next visit giving back? See our volunteer opportunities at Olympic National Park.