There is parking up on the Ridge. So that was great. The hike can be easy or hard. You can choose…read moreto go up the hills or down the hills. It was cool and we had a nice breeze. The views are beautiful, it's a National Park so Veterans and military retirees get in Free! I recommend going early because when we left there was about 50 cars waiting to get in!

Let's start with positive: Well-maintained road driving up and walking trails, lots of parking,…read moreplenty of beautiful pine trees. Unless you have a PERFECTLY clear day and detailed maps/directions, guides; I would recommend some other locations in Olympic National Park (listed towards the bottom of my review). The fog was SO dense up there, you could barely see 200 feet in front of you, if that. The only map/signs were at the bottom of the hill where the parking lot meets the start of the trail. There was no signs on any of the trails and the maps at the bottom weren't particularly helpful. There was also no mention of the lodge being non-existent before we drove up. There was a lot of construction around, which you could hear. Most exciting thing we saw was the deer that was only 5 feet away! I would go to these locations instead: 1. Kalaloch Lodge/Ruby Beach & beaches, 2. Lake Quinault, 3. Hoh Rainforest, 4. Sol Duc Falls trail.

The main Visitor Center and Wilderness Information Center is in Port Angeles, which is a great town…read morefor picking up any last minute supplies. Part of the building is dedicated to exhibits and historical information. There's also a park film being shown (I did not watch this). The gift shop is well stocked with books, souvenirs, and the usual NPS offerings. I made the walk (it's pretty flat, and less than 2 miles long) out to Sol Duc Falls and also spent some time at Lake Crescent. Wow, Lake Crescent is absolutely beautiful, with clear water and it wasn't crowded. You get a real sense of peace hanging out by the water. Up at Hurricane Ridge, I found Klahane Ridge trail to have amazing views. It was more crowded, but there was good camaraderie. I unfortunately didn't have enough time to check out Hoh Rain Forest, but I'll be sure to do some hikes there next time!

1. This review is for Marymere Falls Trail which was a ~1.8 miles round trip that took ~1 hour to…read morecomplete. This was short and easy hike with a spectacular rainforest and waterfall in Olympic National Park, Washington. Trail was mostly a flat dirt path that becomes an incline up the stairs towards the waterfall. If you're used to Oregon waterfalls, Marymere Falls would be considered somewhat dry. Make a detour to the Lake Crescent docks for some stunning views! Beware of yellowjackets; randomly got stung near the ankle in the forest. Limited parking area at the trailhead. Restroom available at the parking lot. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/FPgMOt1G5tk 2.This review is for Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge which was a ~3.5 miles round trip that took ~2 hour to complete. Located 1 hour from Marymere Falls Trail, Hurricane Hill was a strenuous hike with stunning views of the surrounding mountains in Olympic National Park, Washington. Trail was mostly paved with steep inclines towards the top with little to no shade. Parking can be a nightmare. Small parking lot at the trailhead; additional small parking lot 0.25 miles away and larger parking lot 1+ miles away. Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/0bxivXIqy4A

This is a 1.5 mile trail through a wooded area within Port Angeles. It's a very easy trail, good…read morefor toddlers or anyone with difficulty walking. The perfect place for a nature walk without driving out of town. There are a few parking spaces at the trailhead on Wellman Road (From Hwy 101, take Pine Street to Black Diamond Road and drive about 1 mile to Wellman; you'll find the trailhead where the pavement ends on Wellman).

Such a great little trail. Quiet and beautiful and so close to the main road but you would never…read moreknow it

Beautiful campground so close to town, yet feels very secluded. We drove through each loop multiple…read moretimes searching out a spot. Best suited to tent camping as a majority of the sites have shorter paved drives that are quite uneven. Would definitely be hard for longer rigs. First come only, and to get your site you must either log into the system (with limited cell service) or write your entire credit card info onto the form and leave it to be processed...no cash. Not so much a fan of that notion. We took the Heart o the Forest trail available from the top loop, although we didn't take it to the end. An out & back, narrow, with lovely trees. Overall a nice forested campground, with loads of sites of varied shapes and sizes and levels of privacy.

On our tour of the Olympic Peninsula this was our first stop. It made for a great first night and…read moreis just outside of Port Angeles. We arrived late on a weekday night after working a full day on the Eastside. This campground is first come first serve so we couldn't really plan ahead and had to hope there would still be something available. Even though we arrived only a few hours before dark we were able to find a really nice campsite nestled in the woods. There are several loops with nice sized camp sites for both tent and Rv camping. We found a lovely private site that was clean and free of litter and well maintained of debris. Each site is surrounded by gorgeous trees for privacy, mossy rocks, and peaceful forest views. After getting set up we enjoyed a restful and quiet night. The bathrooms were well maintained and there was also water for cleaning our dishes. Each loop seemed to have its own bathroom and garbage sites which was super convenient. We saw several deer, birds, and other little critters on our brief night's stay and look forward to coming back to visit them soon.

Located on the waterfront. Port Angeles as a whole does a poor job in profiting off of the tourism…read moreas a small town / city; it needs to learn from Colorado and Banff on how to spruce up your streets to be more friendly and encourage tourists to spend more money on shops and food. There was a decent homeless population hanging out along the beach and we didn't feel the most safe while walking around outside of the two main streets.

The pier is definitely worth a stroll if you're in the downtown area. There are tons of waterfowl…read moreso it's great for all you birders out there - and you'll get beautiful views of the inner harbor and the Olympic mountains. Apparently the fishing is really great too and the pier is well suited to it. It's located in the heart of downtown on the waterfront near most of PA's shops and restaurants. It's right next to the Wharf which is also worth a visit as it has restaurants and art galleries. There's a map of the historic waterfront trail near the entrance to Hollywood Beach which is also right off to the right of the pier and a nice stroll too. Theres a Marine Science Center which is probably really fun for the kids (was closed when I visited). Alongside the pier there's seating and a covered stage - the city holds a "Concerts on the Pier" series Wednesday nights in the summer. And the pier and stage can even be rented for public events! There's a small-ish parking lot right at the entrance with free, timed parking. But there can be some shady characters milling around in that area so I would recommend keeping an eye on your vehicle and don't leave anything valuable inside.

we had an excellent experience with the Olympic Hiking Co last week. Daniel led us on a walk thru…read morethe rain forest and his comments and observations absolutely enriched the hours we spent with him. We had never been in that part of the country before and it was a spectacular experience. And to top it off, Daniel even spotted a bear on the way back!

Daniel was very professional, a great driver, lots of local knowledge and a great hiking/nature…read moreguide.

On our recent family vacation to the Olympic Peninsula, we spent a day hiking, birding, and tide…read morepooling with Carolyn Wilcox of Experience Olympic as our guide. She was wonderful! Her extensive knowledge of the area and its flora and fauna made the entire day a first-rate experience that was educational, immersive, and fun!! If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Olympic National Park and are looking for a guide to enhance your exploration of the park's natural diversity, please do yourself a favor and spend a day, or more, with Carolyn.

What a wonderful experience! Carolyn tailored a 2-day hiking tour based for my wife and I based on…read morethe sights we wanted to see and the activity level we were craving. We got to explore diverse areas of Olympic National Park and experienced some beautiful views. Carolyn is super knowledgeable about area wildlife, captured great photos and was pleasant and entertaining throughout. 5-star experience, highly recommend.

Great cottage stay with just the right amount of charm and care that isn't found in many places…read moreanymore. The private beach is crawling with crabs and hermit crabs, and the Dungeness NWR 10 minutes away is a great spot to recreate.

Clean, comfortable, outstanding view. Staff easy to get in contact with. One of the best ever…read moreplaces I have ever stayed at. The furnishing were attractive, bed was very comfortable. Overall staying at Juan De Fuca cottages will be a memorable experience.

Originally booked the 130pm half day sea kayaking tour online. Received a call the next day saying…read morethe 130pm tour was already full for the next few days (not sure why it let me book online then). But luckily I was able to be flexible and switch to the morning tour (they gave me a day's notice). The staff on the phone said it would be much less windy anyway...which definitely turned out to be true and I was so glad for it bc it would've been chilly otherwise! They're doing great on the Covid safety measures as much as possible. Instead of parking at the office and riding a bus to the bay, they just have you either follow the guide in his vehicle with the kayaks or give you an address/coordinates for your gps. It was easy to keep up with our guide. Everyone wore masks until we got into our own individual kayaks. Very easy to practice social distancing in this setting! The office was very easy to find, right off the highway and even has a winery right next door (and was highly recommended by the host at my inn). Plenty of parking everywhere we went. After a brief safety talk and bit of equipment orientation, we launched from a rocky beach in Freshwater Bay and went out into the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. It was absolutely gorgeous weather - sunny and calm and a perfect temperature. The water was insanely clear! We saw jellyfish and kelp crabs and all manner of birds! We even sampled a little bit of the kelp haha! Our guide, Chris, was so knowledgeable and he made the tour interesting and really fun! There's even a little cave you can swoop through if you have one of the smaller kayaks! I highly recommend you bring sturdy water shoes and waterproof camera!

Absolutely amazing! We kayaked on Lake Crescent and had the best time. Everyone at the shop was so…read morekind getting us ready. Our guide was so much fun and very knowledgeable about the area. Kayaking Lake Crescent was the highlight of our trip! We saw bald eagles, lots of birds, baby geese, and baby ducks!

Super easy walk through the forest near Lake Crescent and the lodge…read more About an 0.8 mile loop, you'll get beautiful views of the surrounding forest, and you'll learn all about the surrounding trees and plants through the various plaques scattered throughout the trail. We were the only people on the trail when we walked, and it was so peaceful and serene as we explored. If you have the time, a super enjoyable hike while exploring Lake Crescent or spending time at the lodge.

Beautiful and easy trail to walk in amazingly natural beauty. Near Port Angeles on the way to Forks.read more