It was only a few days before school’s spring break and I didn’t have a plan and I had spring fever! With so little time to plan, I knew we would have to plan a trip close to home. I wanted to go somewhere with lots to do and plenty of beauty. That is how I decided to go to the Olympic Peninsula. With so many hiking opportunities, and both the majesty of the Olympic Mountains and the wild beauty of the PNW shoreline, the Olympic Peninsula was calling my name! Watch the video of our trip here, or if you want to watch the extended version that has more information/details you can also watch this video!
My husband and I had been to the Olympic Peninsula a couple of times, but our kids had not. We had a few places that we wanted to take them, but found a few new places as well. As a disclaimer, I wasn’t completely thorough in my research of places, which lead to some hiccups along the way. I am including my errors in this blog, so you can learn from my mistakes. Even with things not going exactly as planned, we still had a wonderful trip!
Sequim, Washington
Due to time constraints, we really only spent one day in Sequim (pronounced “Skwim”). We arrived in the late afternoon/evening and set up camp at Sequim Bay State Park and used that as our base for our short stay.
Tubal Cain/Tull Canyon Trail
While researching places to hike, I discovered a 9 mile hike to a 1952 B-17 airplane crash site (you can read more about it here). I thought that this hike sounded interesting as there is still some of the wreckage to explore, as well as having some beautiful views.
What I didn’t take into consideration was that the beginning of April, the trail would still be above the snow-line. We drove within 600 feet of the trailhead before the road got slippery. I also didn’t take into consideration that a few days before we went, we had a warm spell followed by a cold-snap. This meant that parts of the trail were icy. Like an ice-rink. Seriously. We passed a couple that decided to turn around. We had trekking poles that we thought we could use for balance and grip. The trail narrowed and was at the edge of a steep hill; we worried about sliding down. We tried to climb within the trees to avoid the slippery trail. That didn’t work either. We made it about 3 miles in before we realized the futility of continuing, and turned around and hiked the treacherous 3 miles back out.
I am still intrigued by this hike. I hope to someday make the full trek after the snow melts.
Nourish (Restaurant)
Although I do not consider myself a foodie, I would be remiss in not mentioning this amazing restaurant! Nourish boasts seasonal, organic, and a dedicated gluten-free kitchen. My family does not require gluten-free, but we do have some dietary restrictions (vegetarian/dairy-free), and there were some amazing choices. Besides the food being amazing, the restaurant itself is picturesque. You can also wander their garden while you wait.
Port Angeles, Washington
We had previously decided to spend four days in Port Angeles. Port Angeles is a cute town nestled between the Olympic Mountains and the ocean with a view of Vancouver Island, Canada in the background. It has some cute shops, good restaurants, and a nice waterfront with a Marine Life Center (currently closed due to Covid) and a dock with an observation tower.
Our plan for our first day in Port Angeles was to hike up to Olympic Hot Springs to soak away our sore muscles from our Tubal Cain hike. Although we didn’t make it to the crash site, our bodies were certainly sore from the slipping/falling we had done. My body was worse for wear as I had been struggling with lower back problems, which I exacerbated. Although a hot spring sounded nice, I forgot that it was a 21 mile trek. I also forgot to bring our bikes (to ride the first 9 miles). To say the least, our trip to the Olympic Hot Springs will have to wait until our next trip to the Olympic Peninsula.
Ediz Hook
Because I had not executed my plans well for the Olympic Hot Springs, and also since my body couldn’t really handle a hike, we decided to hang out in Port Angeles on Ediz Hook. Ediz Hook is a 3-mile-long sand spit that extends out into the water and protects the port of Port Angeles. We parked our van, as our kids played in the driftwood or scrambled over rocks, and enjoyed the beautiful views. Not the adventurous day I had planned, but it was a nice quiet, peaceful, lazy day.
Mount Storm King
Mount Storm King is just over 5 miles round trip with approximately 2000 foot elevation gain. It is a steep climb with lots of switchbacks of basically 2 miles uphill, and then 2 miles steep downhill on the return (which is hard on the knees). I climbed Mount Storm King about 5 years ago, and decided this hike was worth doing again. The first time, even though the weather was not ideal (cloudy and windy) and I was afraid I was going to be blown off the top (the climb is aptly named), the view even in partly cloudy conditions was incredibly beautiful. This time we had a beautiful sunny day, and the view was spectacular!
DISCLAIMER: there are some very steep places with ropes to help climb/descend, narrow trails and cliff edges. Not recommended if you are afraid of heights!!! While hiking (and in hindsight) I questioned the suitability of it being a good hike for our kids. Fortunately all’s well that ends well.
Marymere Falls
This hike wasn’t initially on my list. We decided to do it once we came down from Mount Storm King, as it was a continuation of the trail. This trail was definitely more popular. The trail is easy, and has some beautiful large trees, and the falls were pretty, but in my opinion wasn’t a must-do.
Crescent Lake
Crescent Lake is at the base of Mount Storm King, and next to the Storm King Ranger Station (a picturesque log building). The water is super clear, and in the shallow area by the dock, it is a beautiful turquoise color. While we were there, it was quite peaceful, although there were a few other people. We had stayed by the lake to eat lunch and just enjoyed the scenery for a bit. If you are stopping to hike, I recommend taking at least a few minutes to enjoy.
Hurricane Ridge
People have talked about the beautiful views up on Hurricane Ridge, and I wanted to experience it. Hurricane Ridge is also know for having great hiking, however in early spring the trails were still covered with about 9 feet of snow. Since we didn’t bring snowshoes or cross country skis, the trails were not available to us. We spent a couple hours enjoying the view and playing in the snow with a make shift “sled.” We had a clear day and the views were magnificent!
Songoku Hibachi and Sushi
The restaurants in Port Angeles aren’t all open (due to Covid), but I would be remiss if I did not mention the amazing restaurant of Songoku Hibachi and Sushi. The first evening we went, there was no space available for hibachi. We made a reservation for the following evening although my husband was skeptical to go back. Once there, it was all you could ask for from a hibachi grill! The chef was entertaining, and the food was amazing! My kids (who are not big on Asian cuisine) asked if we could go back the next night. Definitely recommend!!!
Sol Duc Falls
As we were heading toward Forks, WA, we made a stop at Sol Duc Falls. Since these waterfalls are an hour west of Port Angeles and a short 1.6 mile hike round trip, it almost didn’t make it on my must-do list. However it isn’t too far off Hwy 101 if you are heading to Forks. It was a pretty hike, but I don’t think I would do it as a stand alone outing. For me it was a nice break as we were heading to Forks.
Cape Flattery
This was the most frustrating of all the mishaps. I thought it would be a fun thing to say I had been at the most north-western point of the continental United States. And supposedly Cape Flattery has beautiful views. After we drove for about 50 minutes off Hwy 101, a sign about 2 miles before the town of Neah Bay informed us the road was closed except to residents. They had a manned station and police to make sure people turned around. We had no option except to turn around and drive the 50 minutes back. It was extremely disappointing! If you decide to go, make sure they are open to non-residents first!
Forks, WA
Hoh Rainforest
The Hoh Rain Forest (pronounced “Hoe”) is a temperate rainforest and has a yearly average of 140 inches of rain. Of course with all that rain, it is extremely green! And many shades of green at that! The moss hanging from the trees is definitely instagram worthy! Of course, be prepared for rain. Fortunately for us, most of the time it wasn’t raining, and even when it did, it was just a drizzle. Also keep an eye out for and enjoy the wildlife!
Hall of Mosses/Hoh River Trail
A couple of trails in the Hoh Rainforest were appealing to me. The first was “The Hall of Mosses” and the second was “The Hoh River Trail.” To be honest, unless you don’t want to go very far, I would skip the Hall of Mosses. The Hoh River Trail had just as much beautiful scenery (or even more), and with far less pedestrian traffic. The Hoh River Trail is quite a long trail, so just do as much as you want to do. We hiked just over 3 miles in, and besides all the beautiful moss and trees, we enjoyed lunch at the river and saw some beautiful waterfalls. Be aware that the trail was definitely muddy in places!
One Square Inch of Silence
One of the reasons I wanted to go on the Hoh River Trail is because I wanted to visit One Square Inch of Silence. One Square Inch of Silence was designated on Earth Day 2005 to protect and manage the natural soundscape in Olympic Park’s backcountry wilderness and is possibly the quietest place in the United States. If you go, look for the splintered tree, and almost immediately after there is a tree off on the left with a hole you can walk through. Once you go through the tree follow the little deer trail over a swampy area, and the One Square Inch of Silence is shortly after that.
I have mixed reviews about the One Square Inch of Silence. While we were there, I only heard natural sounds, which was pretty neat, however shortly after we left the vicinity, I heard jet engines. I read somewhere that they had been successful in rerouting some commercial airlines, however not the military planes. My kids complained that we hiked 6 miles (roundtrip) just to see a red rock. I guess to each, their own.
Rialto Beach
Rialto Beach is a beautiful beach with variety of sand, rocks, driftwood, and definitely beautiful scenery. I also wanted to go to Rialto Beach because of the “Hole in the Wall.” If you are wanting to visit the Hole in the Wall, make sure you realize it is about 1.5 miles (each way) hike down the beach to get there. Also if you are wanting to really explore it, make sure you check the tide tables, and go at low tide. The Hole in the Wall was beautiful, and nearby had some great tide-pooling at low tide as well. Rialto Beach is also a very beautiful spot to watch the sunset.
Ruby Beach
We stopped at Ruby Beach on our way out of Forks as we headed back home. When we stopped it was drizzling a little bit and it was a bit chilly. My husband and daughter decided to stay in the van while my son and I went exploring. (Both my husband and daughter regretted not going after they saw some of our pictures). Ruby Beach does have a lot of similarities to Rialto Beach as it is a sandy beach and there is a lot of driftwood. There are also rocky protrusions, but they are much more accessible to climb on, and it isn’t near the hike that it is to Rialto Beach.
We loved our time in the Olympic Peninsula! While it was a great spring break trip, I look forward to going back once it warms up!
To extend your trip, you can add on a trip to the San Juan Islands of Washington (a favorite of mine)! It would be an easy transition to take a ferry from Port Townsend (close to Sequim) to Coupeville, WA and then drive to Anacortes and take a ferry to the San Juans. Wherever your roaming takes you, I hope you will be inspired!