Olympic National Park is on the Olympic Peninsula, across Puget Sound from Seattle. You cross by ferry in about 30 to 35 minutes, then drive to Port Angeles, which NPS suggests as a home base. We read the NPS and Washington State Ferries pages on 14 October 2026.
NPS does not give a Seattle to park mileage. Sources that are not official put the drive to Port Angeles at roughly 2.5 to 3 hours with a ferry. We did not confirm that. NPS does give the drive time from Port Angeles to each part of the park. Those times are in the table below.
The ferry from Seattle
Note: Seattle to Bainbridge Island: crossing time about 35 minutes. Edmonds to Kingston: about 30 minutes. Both pages are on the WSDOT schedule site and show the Fall 2026 timetable, read 14 Oct 2026
Price: Fares for 14 Oct 2026 on both routes. Adult passenger (19 to 64) $11.35, senior or disability $5.65, age 18 and under free. Standard vehicle under 22 ft with driver $20.25. Vehicle under 14 ft with driver $16.05. Motorcycle and driver $9.00. Paying by credit or debit card adds 3% since 1 March 2026 (WSDOT fare and ticket information pages, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: Passenger and vehicle fares are paid at Seattle or Edmonds. At Bainbridge Island and Kingston only the vehicle fare is paid (WSDOT fare pages). WSDOT's reservation page says you can only reserve on the Port Townsend/Coupeville and Anacortes/San Juan Islands routes, so these two are first come, first served (read 14 Oct 2026)
NPS's directions page (updated 22 September 2025) gives two ways in from the ferries. From Kingston, join US 101 from State Route 104. From Bainbridge Island, use State Routes 305, 7 and 104. It adds that State Route 104 crosses the Hood Canal Bridge, which closes from time to time for boat traffic. If you want to ride the train into Seattle first, read our Amtrak Cascades page.
On the Edmonds to Kingston route, a WSDOT bulletin on the schedule page says vehicles need a boarding pass, but only on weekends and holiday weeks until May 2027. We did not read how the pass is handed out. Check the ferry page before you go.
How far things are inside the park
The sights are far apart. NPS's mileage chart gives the distance from the Port Angeles visitor center.
Note: NPS Getting Around mileage chart and Trip Ideas page, read 14 Oct 2026. Miles from the Port Angeles visitor center, with the drive time on the Trip Ideas page. The chart's own times for Mora (1 hour 30 minutes) and Kalaloch (2 hours 15 minutes) differ from the Trip Ideas page, so allow the longer figure
| From Port Angeles to | Miles | Drive time | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ridge | 17 | 45 minutes | Mountain views at about 5,200 feet |
| Lake Crescent | 21 | 30 minutes | Lake, and the short hike to Marymere Falls |
| Sol Duc Valley | 40 | 1 hour 15 minutes | Sol Duc Falls, 1.8 miles round trip |
| Mora (Rialto Beach) | 70 | 1 hour 15 minutes | Beach, best at low tide |
| Hoh Rain Forest | 91 | 2 hours 15 minutes | Hall of Mosses and the Spruce Nature Trail |
| Kalaloch (Ruby Beach) | 95 | 2 hours 30 minutes | Sea stacks |
NPS's FAQ page says rush hour traffic around Seattle and Tacoma is "intense" and US 101 is one lane in each direction, so drives can run slow. Add time.
What to do: a one-day plan
Note: NPS's full-day plan from Port Angeles is Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, Mora for Rialto Beach and the Hoh Rain Forest. It says Lake Crescent is on the way to the rain forest or the coast (NPS Trip Ideas page, last updated 13 Nov 2024, read 14 Oct 2026)
From Seattle that is a long day. Count the ferry, about 2 hours 15 minutes one way to the Hoh from Port Angeles, and the trip home. Our advice is to pick two stops, not four.
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Early start, short version: Lake Crescent and Sol Duc Falls. Both are within 1 hour 15 minutes of Port Angeles, and the falls trail is 1.8 miles round trip.
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Rain forest day: Drive straight to the Hoh. NPS's conditions page says entrance waits can reach 2 hours and advises arriving before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Its summer page says 1 to 2 hours between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
What to do: a two-day plan
NPS does not print a two-day plan. Its "multiple days" advice is to split your nights between Port Angeles and the west side, which cuts driving. This is our version of that advice.
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Day 1, north side. Hurricane Ridge in the morning, then Lake Crescent and Sol Duc Valley. Sleep in Port Angeles or near Lake Crescent.
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Day 2, west side. Drive to the Hoh Rain Forest (2 hours 15 minutes from Port Angeles). Then either Rialto Beach by Mora or Ruby Beach near Kalaloch. Drive back to the ferry in the afternoon.
What is open and closed in October 2026
Note: Hurricane Ridge Road is open. Hurricane Hill Road is open past the parking area but is not suitable for RVs or buses. Construction in the main parking lot can cause rolling closures. There is no drinking water at Hurricane Ridge. Hoh Rain Forest, Lake Crescent (including Lake Crescent Lodge) and Sol Duc are open. NPS lists no timed entry (NPS Alerts and Conditions page, last updated 13 Oct 2026, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: Mora Road to Rialto Beach: "closed to all traffic for construction from July 8 to Oct. 15, 2026." NPS suggests Ruby Beach as another beach while it is closed (same page)
Note: Hoh River Bridge on US 101 south of Forks: closed from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. each night from 13 October, with the last closure ending at 5:30 a.m. on 19 October. Three six-day closures ended on 13 October. There is no detour across the river. NPS says the Hoh Rain Forest stays reachable from Forks (NPS closure page, last updated 9 Oct 2026, and WSDOT's Hoh River Bridge project page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: Outside the closures, WSDOT runs the bridge as one lane with signals at each end, at 25 mph (WSDOT project page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: The Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge burned down on 7 May 2023. There are restrooms, but no food, souvenirs or drinking water, so fill your bottles before you drive up (NPS Hurricane Ridge post-fire page, updated 5 May 2026). Road line: 360-565-3131 (NPS Current Road Conditions page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: In winter, generally late November to the end of March, Hurricane Ridge Road is usually open uphill 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday to Sunday and some holidays. All vehicles must carry tire chains above the Heart O' the Hills entrance from 1 November to 1 April. NPS had not posted 2026 to 2027 dates (NPS Hurricane Ridge in Winter page, updated 4 Apr 2026, read 14 Oct 2026)
The bridge matters for the west side. When it is closed, US 101 is cut in two, and NPS says going around the east side of the peninsula adds at least 4 hours. If you drive to or from the west side at night before 19 October, check the NPS closure page and the road line first.
Where to stay
Note: NPS suggests Port Angeles as a home base for Hurricane Ridge and Sol Duc, and a base near Forks for the Hoh Rain Forest. Rangers often suggest splitting nights between the north side (Port Angeles) and the west side (Forks, Kalaloch or Quinault) (NPS Directions page, updated 22 Sep 2025, and Trip Ideas page, read 14 Oct 2026)
| Where | Why pick it | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Port Angeles | Closest town to Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent. Ferry to Victoria, BC | Not checked |
| Lake Crescent | Lake Crescent Lodge is open per NPS | Not checked |
| Forks | Closest town to the Hoh Rain Forest | Not checked |
| Inside the park, camping | See the next section | See the next section |
We did not check any hotel rates or booking sites.
Camping
Note: Reservations on Recreation.gov for 2026. Hoh $24 a night, required 12 Jun to 6 Sep, first come outside it. Kalaloch $24 plus a $10 dump fee, required 15 May to 20 Sep. Mora $24 plus a $10 dump fee, required 15 May to 20 Sep. Sol Duc campground $33 and RV park $58, required 20 Mar to 1 Nov. First come, first served all year: Heart O' the Hills $24, Graves Creek $20, North Fork $20, Ozette $20, Queets $15. Fairholme and South Beach were closed. Page last updated 10 Oct 2026 (NPS Camping page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Heart O' the Hills is the closest year-round campground to Hurricane Ridge and has 97 sites on first come, first served. NPS says it is walk-in only during heavy snow. There are no showers listed on the NPS page we read. Wilderness camping permits are reserved on Recreation.gov.
Fees for 2026
Price: Private vehicle $30, motorcycle $25, per person on foot or bike $15, valid 1 to 7 days. Olympic annual pass $55. America the Beautiful pass $80 for residents and $250 for non-residents. The park does not take cash. Fee-free days for US citizens and residents include 27 October and 11 November 2026 (NPS Olympic fees page, last updated 19 Dec 2025, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: NPS's non-resident fee page lists 11 parks that charge non-US residents aged 16 and over an extra $100. Olympic is not one of them. The page was updated 15 July 2026 (NPS, read 14 Oct 2026)
What we checked and what can change
Checked on 14 October 2026: NPS Olympic pages on directions (22 September 2025), getting around (25 September 2026), trip ideas (13 November 2024), FAQs (18 March 2025), alerts and conditions (13 October 2026), visiting in summer (22 May 2026), the Hoh River Bridge closure (9 October 2026), Hurricane Ridge after the fire (5 May 2026), Hurricane Ridge in winter (4 April 2026), current road conditions, camping (10 October 2026) and fees (19 December 2025); the NPS non-resident fee list; WSDOT's Hoh River Bridge project page; and the WSDOT schedule, fare, ticket information and reservation pages for Seattle to Bainbridge Island and Edmonds to Kingston.
Not confirmed: the Seattle to Port Angeles distance and drive time from any official source, the ferry wait on the day, which of NPS's two drive times for Mora and Kalaloch is right, bus times and fares, hotel rates, the 2026 to 2027 winter dates for Hurricane Ridge Road, and whether Mora Road reopened on 15 October. Road work, fares, camping rules and fees change, so check NPS and WSDOT the day before you go.
