5 days in the Olympic peninsula

Go to the Olympic peninsula! Do it. What are you waiting for? Book your tickets now.

I spent 4 nights and 5 days solo, car camping and hiking in the Olympic peninsula in September and had the most incredible time. I went to visit my friends who moved to the area a year ago, and tacked on an extra week to do some solo exploring.

Here's the itinerary I followed, where I camped each night, and if you stick around to the end (or just scroll down the page) I'll tell you where to get raw oysters that will blow your mind.

When to visit the Olympic peninsula

I have been to the Olympic peninsula once, so naturally I'm going to tell you that's the best time to go. It's a very scientific vetting process.

I knew I wanted to go in the shoulder season when the crowds wouldn't be quite as bad. I originally planned to go at the end of August, very beginning of September. But plans changed and I ended up pushing the trip back a couple of weeks, so I was there middle of September (Tuesday - Saturday).

My friends who live in the area told me not to be afraid of rain and cold, that Olympic is great into late September and even early October.

Don't let people scare you - you don't HAVE to book campsites way in advance

I am not a big planner. I have a flexible job and so I love to travel for longer periods of time and then just go with the vibes once I'm there.

I left Tacoma for Olympic on a Tuesday and did not plan a single thing until Monday. I found a couple of blog posts with recommended itineraries and made notes of what I might want to do each day, booked a couple of campsites, and then had a list with some other potential options.

I was worried because I waited so long I wouldn't be able to book any National Park campsites and would have to make do with more remote options. But by traveling in the middle of the week during the shoulder season and staying flexible about where I went each day I had no problems booking campsites. I spent 3 out of 4 nights in National Park campsites.

And there are TONS of other campsites on state parks and public land all over the peninsula. Here are a few good resources:

Don't spend too much time driving

One piece of advice my friends gave me before my trip - don't spend too much time driving. You're here to be in NATURE not to be in your car.

I'm so glad I listened. Part of the beauty of Olympic is that it's not THAT big an area, but it has an incredible variety of landscapes. So you can easily spend 5 days or more on the peninsula, never drive more than 3 hours in a day, and see a ton of incredible sights.

Itinerary

Day 0 - Pick up rental car

Day 0 I picked up my rental car, in my case a Subaru Outback I rented through Turo. A note on Turo - I always forget that your credit cart rental insurance will not cover Turo so you will want to buy insurance through them which increases the cost of the car.

In my case it was still easily worth it, especially because it meant I could rent a Subaru Outback which I know will handle any tough terrain I come across and I can sleep in the back (it's 6 ft long with the seats down exactly!) if I need to.

Day 1 - Ruby Beach and Upper Clearwater Campground

Day 1 I hit the grocery store near my friends' house in Tacoma, loaded up a cooler with food for 4 days (knowing I would also stop at least once or twice to get a meal along the way) then hit the road.

My first stop was Ruby Beach, one of many gorgeous beaches on the peninsula with huge rock formations towering out of the surf and tide pools teaming with sea anemones, hermit crabs, and starfish. I packed lunch to eat on the beach, took a dip in the Pacific, and walked the shore taking pictures until I was ready to head out.

From there it was a 45 or 50 minute drive to Upper Clearwater Campground, a state forest campground that's first come, first serve. It's one of many campsites on the peninsula covered by the Washington Discover Pass, a pass that gets you access to all Washington State Parks and DNR recreation lands.

The campsite is beautiful. Nestled into the edge of the Hoh Rainforest it's filled with huge mossy trees and situated alongside a beautiful, clear creek.

The only downside is that it just so happens to be 6 miles from a state prison, and was completely deserted on a Tuesday night. It made for an interesting first night of solo camping.

Day 2 - Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach, and Mora Campground

Day 2 I packed up camp and made the 45 minute drive to the Hoh Rainforest ranger station. The Hall of Mosses trail was packed with tourists, so I skipped it and opted to hike along the longer but equally beautiful Hoh River Trail. While there were still plenty of people, they were much more spread out and so you could really take your time and soak in the old forest.

I had blue skies overhead all day, so the rainforest was more of a... forest. But it was perfect hiking weather and the moss and ferns were stunning.

After spending the afternoon hiking, I drove through Forks of Twilight fame to the Mora Campground. I set up camp then went to nearby Rialto Beach to watch the sunset over the Pacific.

The sites at Mora were well-spaced out so that you didn't feel like you were crowded in with everyone else.

Day 3 - Climbing Mt. Storm King and soaking in Sol Duc Hot Springs

Day 3 I got up early to start the hike up Mt. Storm King before it got too hot. The hike is only about two miles up and back (4.1 miles total), but they are STRAIGHT UP. You cover 2100 ft of elevation over those two miles and the last section is unmaintained and very exposed. You grab a pair of gloves from the pile of donors, then pull yourself up some old climbing ropes to get to the top.

I consider myself a pretty strong hiker, I like to rock climb and backpack, but the trail absolutely kicked my ass (in the best way). At the top I made friends with a handful of other hikers hanging out, enjoying the view. I stayed long enough to get a few pictures and soak it all in, then headed down with one of my new friends, Joanna.

I made a quick pit stop by Marymere Falls and then started the drive to Sol Duc campground to where I had a reservation for the night, and was eager to take a dip in the Sol Duc hot springs. The national park service maintains a small resort built on top of natural hot springs. The springs are walkable from the campgrounds, and you pay $18 for 1.5 hours, extra to rent a towel. It's also a great opportunity to take a shower if you've been camping without shower access for several days like me.

I book a slot in the last available session, then set up camp and got a little more hiking in. When I showed up for my session, Joanna was there getting ready to go in. We enjoyed catching up and soaking in the springs before heading to our respective campgrounds for the night.

Day 4 - Swimming in Lake Angeles and stargazing on Hurricane Hill

Day 4 I had only a very rough plan to find somewhere new Port Angeles to camp and possibly find a hike to an alpine lake.

My new friend Joanna recommended the Heart O' the Hills Campground. It's a National Parks campground, but unlike most that require reservations it's first-come, first-serve. Heart O' the Hills is just outside of Port Angeles, and near the trailhead for Lake Angeles which checked all of my boxes. Plus, she tipped me off that the ranger service hosts stargazing nights at the top of nearby Hurricane Ridge on clear nights.

On my way out of Sol Duc, I swung by a Salmon overlook setup by the park. After nearly an hour sitting on the cold ground amongst a small crowd, staring intently at a stretch of rapids I managed to spot a single Salmon make his leap upstream searching for a spot to spawn. Worth it.

I stopped at Fairmount Diner to get a full meal and actual cup of coffee (instead of the atrocious espresso concentrate I for some reason chose to bring with me on this trip) then got to the campground early to snag a spot before the weekend crowd got there.

After setting up camp, and inspecting the sign warning of cougars in the area, I took off for Lake Angeles. The trail was nearly as steep and a little bit longer than Mt. Storm King, although thankfully far less exposed. The banks were rocky, but I eventually found a good spot to jump in and cool off after the hike.

That night I made my way up to Hurricane Ridge, which takes about half an hour or 45 minutes from the campsite. There were 40 or 50 people standing in lines in the dark for 5 different telescopes, chatting in low tones. Throughout the night the rangers would point the telescope at different parts of the sky and tell everyone about the nebulas, planets, and constellations there. The experience was absolutely magical.

Day 5 - Drive back with a pit stop at Hama Hama Oyster Saloon

Finally it was time to head back.

On my last day I stopped for a delicious cinnamon bun and coffee at Buena Luz Bakery then began the 3 hour drive back to Tacoma to return the car and spend one last night hanging out with my friends.

I stopped for lunch at Hama Hama Oyster Saloon where I had some of the best oysters of my life. You could get a dozen raw oysters prepared for you for $37.50 or shuck them yourself for $24. I happily went with the shuck your own, added the baguette and herb butter, and a cold beer.

If you get the chance to make it out to Olympic Peninsula, I highly recommend it. The landscape is absolutely stunning, and this itinerary is barely scratching the surface. There's so much I didn't see, that I'm sure I could have happily spent my entire two weeks just on the peninsula. But I hope this is a helpful start if you're planning a trip.