No time? No problem. Here’s a look into how to spend a short 48 hours in Olympic National Park and utilize your time to see as much as possible.
Where To Stay
There are many different options for lodging in Olympic National Forest depending on when you’re visiting, how far in advance you’re booking, and your price point. Some classic options are the Quinault Lodge, Lake Crescent Lodge, and the Quileute Oceanside Resort. These all have the benefit of being near water right inside the park but are popular so if you’re hoping to book these you’ll need to do so in advance especially in the summer months. These are also the more expensive options. Personally, I am more of an in the moment traveler and chose to find something last minute which led me to the cutest little Hipcamp right in the middle of Forks, Wa. The site we booked was called “Just Fork It” on Hipcamp although I believe they can be found on AirBnB as well. This site was located right in town but off the main drag on a forested property setting. I had my doubts getting to this place because you’re driving right through a residential area but upon arrival I was pleasantly surprised. The hosts were amazing as was the property and they had multiple camping options including, tent, trailer, and cabin options. They had a shower, bathroom, on-site firewood, and even a little dish washing area. It was the perfect location to hit multiple spots in a short amount of time.
Day One
First, Second, and Third Beach are how we chose to spend the majority of our first day in the park. These are located just outside of Forks about 20 minutes from the town itself. If you choose to stay at the Quileute Ocean Resort you will have the luxury of staying ocean front on First Beach. All of them are beautiful but we spent most of our time exploring Second Beach. The hike down to the beach was so beautiful with old growth forest and candelabra trees throughout. The last stretch was a long staircase which did come into play getting back up to the parking lot so keep that in mind if you have any disability that makes stair climbing not a possibility-this won’t be the best option for you. The trek is worth it though as this was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever set foot on. After dinner, once the sun had went down, we drove up Highway 101 back toward Kalaloch to see the stars. The beautiful pitch back night rewarded us with a gorgeous view of the Milkyway spread over the coast. I highly recommend going out to see the sky while visiting the park!
Day Two
We had a lot planned for the second day so we woke up really early and drove about an hour north to Sol Duc Falls trailhead. Getting here early was a must as it fills up quick. There is a decent sized parking lot but this is a popular spot so be prepared. Luckily we got there at 9 am and the lot still had a few spaces. This trail is short and sweet to the falls. There are other trails connected to the falls if you’d like to spend the entire day adventuring here but we opted to do the quick hike to the falls and then hop back in the car and head to lake crescent. It was another 45 minutes or so to the lake but the drive was so beautiful through lush forest following the Sol Duc River. Once we hit Lake Crescent we pulled off into one of the several day use areas and had a quick bite and used the restroom. From there we headed to the Devils Punchbowl Trail. This was another fairly quick hike on a paved trail. It leads you to a bridge over the Punchbowl with some of the most amazing water you’ve ever seen. For more details on this specific hike check out my other post for summer Washington hikes. We crossed paths with a really cute salamander and made it back to the car around 1pm. It had gotten pretty warm so we drove right up the road and found a pull out with lake access and a little beach area. Here we pulled out the kayak and set up our area to hangout for a few hours until the drive home. The water was cool and refreshing and so clear you could see straight to the bottom. It was perfect for an afternoon of kayaking and swimming and the backdrop of the lake was breathtaking. Afterward we packed up and headed home and felt like we really had gotten a lot accomplished in our 48 hours in Olympic National Park.
As a side note, Forks is also known for it being the setting of the popular “Twilight” book series. Although not much of the actual movie was filmed in the town, there are many opportunities for some classic photos wether your team Edward or team Jacob. They even have Bella’s orange truck parked at the visitor center.
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