Where to Stay in Olympic National Park (For First Timers)
Olympic National Park, which sprawls across 1,400 square miles in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States, is a land of contrasts. While that’s a bit of a cliche, we think it fits the bill here.
Within that vast area, you have the rocky beaches and towering sea stacks of the Pacific Coast, the alpine regions of the park centered around Hurricane Ridge, some of the best examples of coastal temperate rainforests in the world, and dense evergreen forests as far as the eye can see.
However, speaking as people who have planned numerous trips to Olympic National Park ourselves, we’re intimately aware of how confusing it can be to make sense of the park. Mostly because most of those square miles aren’t always connected to each other.
The question (and strategy, which we’ll cover in the guide below) of where to stay is an important one here, because it can take hours to drive from one region of the sprawling park to another.
For example, it takes two and a half hours to get from Hurricane Ridge to the Hoh Rainforest, two of the park’s most popular places to visit (that’s one-way).
If you want to avoid tacking on hours and hours of needless driving and be more efficient with your time so you can spend more of it exploring, you’re in the right place.
In this guide, we’re going to use our experiences exploring Olympic National Park to do our best to walk you through all the information you need to figure out where to stay near the park for your particular style, budget, and preferences.
We’ll go through a geography overview of the park’s regions up front to help you visualize the park’s layout, take you through our high-level recommendation on how to approach finding a place to stay, then we’ll go through our recommendations in terms of places to stay in each of the park’s regions.
Our intention is that, by the end of this guide, you have everything you need to choose the right place to stay in for you and your travel companions on your Olympic Peninsula adventure.
Sound good to you? Let’s get into it.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and book. That being said, we would never recommend something to you that we don’t stand behind 100%.
A Quick Geography Overview of Olympic National Park
Before we get into any specific places to stay, we think that we need to start this guide by talking about the park’s geography, because it’s fairly unique.
Usually when you think about a national park, you think about a section of land with a clear boundary that delineates the park from the surrounding areas.
With Olympic, it’s a little different.
The park is both big and fragmented, with non-park land cutting in and out of the park’s boundaries to form confusing borders and chunks of the park that are seemingly cut off from the other parts.
For example, there’s an entire city – Forks – that is both technically outside the park boundaries, but right smack dab in the middle of where the park should be just based on location.
To make all of this information more easily digestible, we’re going to break the park up into regions, and use those to talk about how to plan your visit to the Olympic Peninsula.
After we go through those regions, we’ll cover the best approach to planning your trip to make sure you aren’t driving more than you need to.
At a high level, we like to think of Olympic National Park as having five distinct regions. They are:
Hurricane Ridge: The alpine region of the park, this is where you’ll gain some elevation to get up to 5,200 feet above sea level.
That climb means you’ll have incredible views out over the surrounding landscape including the snowy peaks of the Olympic Mountains and Mount Baker, and across the Canadian border to Victoria.
There are no places to stay up here other than one campground and some backcountry camping, so you’ll want to stay in Port Angeles or around Lake Sutherland.
Lake Crescent and the Sol Duc Valley: As you head west out of Port Angeles, you’ll enter the Elwha Valley and pretty quickly you’ll reach the shores of Lake Crescent, the most popular lake in the park.
This is a lush area of evergreen forests and waterfalls, which is a bit of a contrast to both Hurricane Ridge and the rugged Pacific Coast. Port Angeles or Lake Sutherland are, once again, the best place to stay for access to this area.
The Central Pacific Coast: The heart of the Pacific Coast runs from the coastal community of La Push down to Kalaloch, and is lined with countless beaches.
The best, in our opinions, are Rialto (don’t miss the beach hike out to Hole in the Wall!), Second Beach, and Ruby Beach. The best place to stay to explore this section of the Pacific Coast is going to be in and around Forks (yep, THAT Forks).
The Northern Pacific Coast: The more rugged and harder to reach piece of the Pacific Coast is at both the northwestern corner of Washington State and the contiguous United States.
If you’re up for a bit of a journey, you can get all the way out to Cape Flattery, which is the northwest corner of the country. Shi Shi beach, though, is the highlight here.
The best way to access this more remote part of the park is going to involve a long drive no matter which way you slice it. We’d do it on the way from Port Angeles to Forks (or vice versa).
The Coastal Temperate Rainforests: Located in the southwestern corner of the park, the Hoh Rainforest is the most famous example of this natural phenomenon that thrives in the Pacific Northwest thanks to all the moisture and precipitation.
Ferns in a shade of green you didn’t know existed, mosses that look like they belong in Lord of the Rings, and a herd of Roosevelt elk make this a special place.
The Quinault Rainforest is further south, and is another worthwhile stop (though not as impressive in our minds).
Here’s a map to help you visualize what we’re talking about here.
The biggest implication to consider here is the fact that, because of the size and spread out nature of the park’s regions, drive times can be LONG.
For example, the drive between Hurricane Ridge and Forks – the two most popular parts of the park – takes one hour and 45 minutes one way.
So, if you stay in one of those places for your entire trip, you’d be driving nearly four hours to get to the other one (and the popular Hoh Rainforest is even further from Hurricane Ridge).
Our strong recommendation is to split your time in the park in half, basing yourself in one part of the park for the first half of your trip, and then moving to another part of the park for the remainder.
The two places we’d recommend basing yourself around are Port Angeles (& nearby) and the small town of Forks, and we’ll cover both in the guide below.
The area around Port Angeles at the northeastern corner of the park gives you good access to Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge, while Forks is central for the entire Pacific coast and the Hoh Rainforest.
If you can’t make that work, it’s not the end of the world, but you’re probably going to be spending a little more time in the car to get from place to place.
Exactly Where to Stay in (and Around) Olympic National Park
For this guide, we’re going to jump right into it, because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.
Now, before we get into the details, we are well aware that half of you reading are ready to throw your left shoe at the screen, screaming “JUST TELL ME WHERE TO STAY ALREADY!”, so here’s a quick summary of the much longer guide you’ll find below.
As we already covered, we think you should split the time you have dedicated to the park in half, spending half of it staying near Forks, which gives you great access to the Pacific Coast and Hoh Rainforest, and the other half near Port Angeles, which is closer to Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent.
In Port Angeles, you have a choice to make.
If you want to be right in town with the amenities of a big city (like restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations), look at the Olympic Lodge, which is clearly the best hotel in Port Angeles (we think).
For a more rustic experience, stay at one of the cabins between Port Angeles and Lake Crescent (we like this cozy studio for couples, or this house right on the edge of the park for bigger groups), or one of the houses on the shore of Lake Sutherland.
In Forks, you have a couple of options right in town (the best is the cabins at the Woodland Inns), along with some nice cabins along the road out to La Push, which will give you a more rustic experience.
For what it’s worth, we like this cozy tiny home with a hot tub for couples, and this beautiful craftsman in Forks for bigger groups.
Port Angeles: Best for Visiting Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent
As we mentioned above, because of the size and sprawling nature of Olympic National Park, our high-level recommendation in terms of allocating your time is to split your trip in half and stay in two different places for each of those halves.
Port Angeles, which is on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula just outside of the park, is the biggest city on the border of Olympic National Park, which makes it a good home base if you’re looking to be close to amenities like gas, restaurants, and grocery stores.
It’s about 30-40 minutes from both Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent, which makes it a nice location with proximity to both, a range of hotel and vacation rental options, and the best amenities on the western half of the Olympic Peninsula.
You have a choice when it comes to places to stay here that basically boils down to whether you want to be right in the middle of town or out in the forest to the west of the city (which would be our preference).
Once you head west into the park, the options for those things start to get few and far between (read: nonexistent until you get to Forks).
Lake Sutherland is another good option, because it is right along Highway 101, between Port Angeles and Lake Crescent. We’re calling this area Lake Sutherland, but we’re really talking about the entire stretch from Port Angeles into the Sol Duc Valley.
It’s more rural – there are no restaurants, grocery stores, or gas stations here – but you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the natural beauty while you stay here.
Choose between a cabin on the shores of Lake Sutherland, which are a good blend of modern amenities and beautiful location, or a more rustic stay nearby.
Here are the best options, in our opinions, anyway, when it comes to hotels and guesthouses on the northern edge of the park.
The Olympic Lodge: The Best Hotel Option in Port Angeles
If you’re looking for a comfortable place to stay right in Port Angeles, the Olympic Lodge is probably your best bet.
It’s the best hotel in town, and we’d say it’s not particularly close.
The floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby bring in all of the natural light, even on the grayest of days (it’s the Pacific Northwest, so it’s sometimes a little dreary).
Parking is included in the room rate, as are the outdoor heated pool and hot tub onsite. The lodge rooms here are not the most hip and up-to-date, but they have everything you need for a couple of nights of exploring.
They have a couple of configurations – two queens and one king are the most common – and some rooms have views of the water, while others have a view of the golf course behind the lodge and the Olympic Range beyond.
Some rooms are pet-friendly too, though you should know that pets aren’t allowed in Olympic National Park (except for parking lots, basically).
The Emerald Valley Inn: Mid-Range + Good Location
The Emerald Valley Inn is a couple of minutes east of Lake Sutherland, between Lake Crescent (~10 minute drive) and Port Angeles (~15 minute drive).
It’s also right on Highway 101, the main route through the park, which is nice.
We know of it because, in the summertime, they open the field in the back to campers, and we spent a couple of nights there with friends.
It’s… just a field, so we’d recommend camping elsewhere if you have the choice.
The inn itself is nice and, crucially, affordable. They have a mix of basic hotel-style rooms and bigger suites (with more room, a fridge, and a microwave).
It’s a good value for the location, and the restaurant out front – Granny’s Cafe – is fun (particularly for the soft serve in the summer).
Vacation Rentals near Port Angeles
There are a bunch of vacation rental options around Port Angeles, and the ones we’d focus on are out towards the west, which will put you closer to places like Lake Crescent and Sol Duc Falls while still being close to Hurricane Ridge.
The exception is this incredible treehouse that sleeps 4-6, which has been on our bucket list for years. It’s out on the peninsula east of Port Angeles, which means a few extra minutes of driving, but look at that treehouse!
There are also a bunch of lakefront cabins on the shores of Lake Sutherland, which is just before you get to Lake Crescent on Highway 101.
Most of them are bigger houses with docks and access to the lake for paddleboarding or kayaking, which is a great amenity for the summer.
If that sounds good to you, we like the look of this one bedroom lakefront cabin (perfect for couples), and this bigger lakefront cabin (perfect for groups and families).
Here are a few other options near Port Angeles that stood out to us.
Peaceful Retreat with Sea Views (Studio): This cozy little studio is tucked away in the forest out to the west of Port Angeles and has everything you want in a home base for exploring the park.
A full kitchen, a nice little outdoor patio, and friendly hosts – all around 20 minutes away from both Lake Crescent and the entrance to the park at the base of Hurricane Ridge.
Olympic National Park Hiker’s Cabin (One Bedroom): A compact, cozy cabin perfect for a couple exploring the park.
We really like the location here because it’s right off of Highway 101 halfway between Port Angeles and Lake Crescent, which gives you great access to both that area and Hurricane Ridge.
It has an excellent deck with views of the snowcapped peaks of the Olympic Range, too, along with a hot tub.
Hurricane Ridge Retreat w/ Hot Tub (2 Bedrooms): The thing that stands out about this cabin is the location.
It’s right on the border of the park, just outside the entrance at the base of the road to Hurricane Ridge, which makes it the second closest place to stay (the closest being the campground just across the road) to access the alpine section of the park.
Two separate bedrooms (plus a sofa bed), a full kitchen, and great outdoor spaces with a firepit and BBQ make this an excellent group getaway.
Coastland Elwha Cabin with Ocean Views (3 Bedrooms): Perfect for a bigger group, this place has three bedrooms and stunning ocean views (of the Salish Sea) from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. Great kitchen, too.
It’s outside of Port Angeles to the northwest, which is a good location to access both Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge.
Lake Crescent Lodge: A Historic National Park Lodge
You can’t really cover this topic without talking about the historic national park lodges in the park. They’re rustic and charming, and are definitely worth a visit if you find yourself nearby.
However, as we’ve covered in other national parks guides, they’re usually not a great place to stay because the value isn’t there.
While the location inside the park is bound to be phenomenal, the price and facilities are almost always going to leave something to be desired.
When you think about it, it kind of makes sense.
These lodges are at full capacity for most of the year – that’s why they’re so hard to book – which means there’s not a whole lot of time for renovations.
Then, consider who’s doing the renovating, and where that money is coming from. There are certainly more pressing issues to direct funds to in national parks than whether the carpet or tile needs to be replaced in one of the lodges.
So, while they’re fun to visit, we wouldn’t recommend staying in one of them.
You’ll pay more than it’s worth, you’ll have a hard time getting a reservation in the first place, and you’re bound to be disappointed by the facilities (for example, paying for WiFi – what is this, 1997?).
All that being said, the Lake Crescent Lodge is the best of the bunch here because of the great location on the shores of Lake Crescent, this is the only one we’d even consider staying at.
They have a combination of historic lodge rooms and rustic cabins (that are on the lakeshore).
Crucially, none have kitchens, so you’ll be eating at the (expensive) onsite restaurant because there are no other options within 30 minutes. Open from the end of April through the end of the year.
Campgrounds Near Port Angeles
If you’re camping, there are a couple of good options in this section of the park to choose from.
Heart O’ the Hills Campground is at the base of the road that climbs up to Hurricane Ridge, which makes it the closest place to stay near the alpine section of the park.
It’s all first-come, first-served, which makes it a little bit difficult when it comes to planning a trip in advance.
Fairholme Campground is on the western edge of Lake Crescent, which makes it fairly far from Hurricane Ridge but an excellent base for both Lake Crescent and the northern Pacific Coast.
You must reserve in advance between May and September, and they have rolling reservation periods (six months, two weeks, one week) to make it more accessible.
Forks: Best for Visiting the Pacific Coast & Rainforests
Forks – yes that Forks, Twilight fans – is the main city on the stretch of Washington coast that runs through Olympic National Park.
This is one of the weird parts about the park – the city of Forks is technically not inside the park, but the coastline nearby is part of the park.
While Forks has always been on the map for visitors to Olympic National Park, it really got famous in the 2000’s when it was the main setting for the movie Twilight.
Today, there’s a small Twilight Museum, but that’s the only thing that remains from all the hype it got over a decade ago.
Forks is a great home base for exploring the Pacific Coast and the Hoh Rainforest, both of which are within 30-45 minutes.
There’s a grocery store, a gas station, a couple of restaurants, and a handful of hotels in town, but not much else.
Our advice here is to find a place to stay that has a kitchen so that you can cook for yourself, because the restaurant options in Forks are a bit uninspiring.
It is worth noting that we also think the area west of Forks along the road to Rialto Beach is a nice place to stay, though it will add a few minutes of drive time to places further south along the coast.
Here are the best options, in our opinions, anyway, when it comes to hotels and guesthouses in and around Forks.
The Woodlands Inn: The Best Hotel in Forks
The Woodlands Inn is our top pick when it comes to hotels right in Forks for a few reasons.
First, the facilities are relatively new, which can’t be said of all the places in Forks. They’re the newest option in town.
Second, the units are all standalone cabins with full kitchens (stovetop, no ovens), which means you can cook meals for yourself rather than relying on the (uninspiring) food option in Forks.
They have a range of cabins just off of Highway 101 right in town, and they’re spacious and feature a fireplace for those cozy offseason nights.
They’re all studio-style, which means it’s all one space, but they have configurations with two queen beds or one queen bed.
They also have deluxe cabins, which are a one bedroom layout with a separate sleeping space (though no door, so it’s still a studio) from the living room and kitchen.
No pets allowed here. Which, again, makes sense since there are no pets allowed in the national park anyway.
Misty Valley Inn: A Charming B&B Just Outside of Town
The Misty Valley Inn is a true bed & breakfast in the sense that, included in the room rate, you get both a comfy place to sleep and a made-to-order breakfast.
Which is rarer and rarer these days, and it’s something we love.
It’s five minutes outside of town to the north in a beautiful meadow and they have a handful of rooms – which usually means great service – that book up quickly in peak season.
The rooms are relatively basic, with fireplaces and comfy beds, but the quiet location means you’re going to be able to get a good night’s sleep.
As we mentioned, a big highlight here is their made-to-order breakfast where you can choose from a range of options from waffles and french toast to omelettes and biscuits and gravy.
Worth noting that they also have a to-go option if your plan is to hit the road early to get out into the park (which we’d recommend).
Vacation Rentals near Forks
As you might imagine, there are a BUNCH of options when it comes to vacation rentals around Forks.
Most of them are a bit outside of town, but we actually view that as a good thing because it means a more rustic, immersive experience in the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula than staying right in the middle of Forks.
Here are a few places around Forks that stood out to us for a variety of group sizes.
Coastland Camp with Hot Tub (Studio): This relatively newly built tiny home is along the road out towards Rialto Beach in a nice clearing in the forest.
Lots of good outdoor space, plus brand new appliances (a full kitchen) and a lofted bed to use the compact space more effectively. A great option for couples!
They have another unit that you should look at if this one is booked.
Wild Coast Craftsman in Forks (2 Bedrooms): A beautiful two bedroom craftsman right in the heart of Forks, walkable to coffee, restaurants, and groceries.
Two separate bedrooms, a sofa bed in the living room (so you can accommodate up to six people), and a truly beautiful kitchen make this a nice home base for Olympic if you have a group.
The Salty Bear Cottage (3 Bedrooms): Another spacious option right in Forks, where you’ll be walkable to the amenities that Forks has to offer. Really nice design, plus a full kitchen with new appliances to cook for yourself and a private sauna.
Hoh Valley Cabins: Nice Cabins in the Rainforest
The location of these cozy cabins isn’t as good as the other places on this list in the sense that it’s a little further from the beaches and the coast (about 20-30 minutes away).
However, the next time we make it up to Olympic National Park we’re going to book a couple of nights here because we love the location and the cabins themselves.
While you’ll be further from the coast, you’ll be closer to the Hoh Rainforest, which will benefit you because the road out there gets closed when the parking lots fill up in the summer, and you’ll have a 20-30 minute head start to beat the crowds because you’re halfway there.
The four cabins themselves are relatively new, and have modern appliances and a one bedroom layout.
They all have queen beds, full kitchens, and spacious high-ceilinged living areas.
Campgrounds Near Forks
There are a few campgrounds up and down the Pacific Coast near Forks.
We’ve camped at Mora Campground multiple times, and it’s a great home base for the beaches near La Push (Rialto, First, Second, and Third) because it’s out near the coast (it’s right near Rialto Beach).
That does mean it’s a bit further from the Hoh Rainforest and the beaches to the south (like Kalaloch and Ruby), but overall this would be our top choice. You need to reserve in advance between May and September – more information here.
Further south, you have two options. Kalaloch Campground is big, and is right on the beach at the southern edge of the park.
It’s further from the Hoh Rainforest and La Push beaches, at about an hour away from either one, but it’s a big campground and is likely to have more spots available than others. Reserve in advance here between May and September too.
Last is the Hoh Rainforest Campground, which is deep in the Hoh Rainforest at the trailheads for the Hall of Mosses and the Hoh River Trail (both of which we like and recommend doing).
While it’s as close as it gets to the rainforest, the drive from 101 into the campground takes about 30 minutes, which means it’s a bit of a drive if you’re going to stay here and do the beaches. Reservations here are required between late May and September.
Planning a Trip to Olympic National Park? You won’t want to miss our detailed guides to visiting the Olympic Peninsula that are all based on our own personal experience exploring the park.
- All of our Favorite Things to Do in Olympic National Park
- How to Plan a Perfect Olympic National Park Itinerary (3-4 Days)
- Where to Stay in Olympic National Park: A Complete Guide
- The Best Hikes in Olympic National Park: A Helpful Hiking Guide
- Hiking the Enchanted Valley Trail: A Perfect 2-3 Day Backpacking Trip in Olympic National Park
Hi! My daughter and I are planning a trip to Olympic Nat’l Park early June 2023. Flying from Chicago to Seattle and renting a car- staying approx 8 days. We love your itinerary- Hurr Ridge, Hoh, Lake Crescent to Lake Quinault. Any recommendations after Lk Quinault or should we make that our last stay before heading back to Sea-Tac airport?
Hey Rhona,
Since you have so much time, I’d recommend making it up to the northwestern corner of the park (Shi Shi Beach and Cape Flattery) while you’re there.
There’s not a whole lot going on between Lake Quinault and Seattle. There are some smaller towns like Aberdeen (where Kurt Cobain is from), and some bigger cities along I-5 like Tacoma and Olympia, but none of those are our favorites.
One other thing you could do is spend a day on Whidbey Island, which we really enjoy. There’s a ferry from Port Townsend (on the northern side of the Olympic Peninsula).
Hope that helps! You’re going to love that particular corner of Washington.
Cheers,
Matt & Alysha
Hi Matt! Thanks for the great article. Is Kalaloch a good alternate option to visit the beaches and rainforest? Planning a trip in July/August 23 and nothing is available in Forks. We will be coming from Port Angeles and then heading to Ashford to explore Mount Rainer.
Hey Niki, Kalaloch is nice, but it really isn’t quite the same as the Hoh Rainforest and La Push beaches. You could totally do a day trip to either of those places from Kalaloch though, which is what we’d recommend in that scenario.
Hi, so happy I found your recommendations! My daughter will be taking this trip summer of 2025, driving from Nebraska. Is it possible late May/early June or will snow/roads, etc negatively effect our trip?
Also, is it worth going to Vancouver, WA?
We will have approximately 8-10 days once we get to the area.
Thank you!!
Hey Stacey! Olympic National Park is one of the more accessible areas in Washington, so May/June shouldn’t be too much of an issue. The only place you MIGHT run into trouble is Hurricane Ridge, but it should be snow-free by then (and if not, there’s plenty to do elsewhere in the park).
In terms of visiting Vancouver, WA, we’d say it is NOT worth visiting Vancouver, but it IS worth visiting Portland and the Columbia River Gorge, which are just across the river from Vancouver (we live in Portland). If you have 8-10 days, it’s also worth looking at our guide to planning a Washington road trip (or a Pacific Northwest road trip), because we have plenty of suggestions for how to spend that time.