When one thinks about spring break, they may think about sandy beaches or trips to the city, even time to see family. When I think about spring break, it is all about adventure. So last year when my friends and I were planning what to spend our week doing it worked so well to end up in Washington state.
As someone who lives in Florida it can grow redundant to end up at the beach. It’s hard to truly relax when the school you teach at is right up the road. Adventure and a change of scenery is a must at these times. What is the opposite of sunny Florida? Rainy Seattle with mountains and beautiful landscapes that are impossible to explore all at once.
Coordinating all the plans to visit Seattle, we thought about the National Parks we may be able to go to. In my internet searches I found videos of Olympic National Park. I believe it was the Hall of Mosses that caught my attention (as it does to most visitors). That is when I knew it was worth it to make the two hour drive from Seattle to Port Angeles, WA to the entrance.
Now when you Google the worst time to visit the park it does in fact say March. I can be a testament that this is simply not the truth in a place like this!
Unfortunately for me I was still not quite an expert on National Parks. If you are an expert on the topic you may laugh at this next statement which is completely warranted. I did not know part of the park was closed during the year.
As someone who does not get any bad weather besides hurricanes I do not think about roads closing for snow. So when we arrived at the Port Angeles welcome center (which is a common mistake I will explain in the itinerary below) we became discouraged quickly.
It is easy to avoid the mistake we made and our trip ended up not being super affected by these facts but be aware if you are going this time of year some of the big aspects of the park may be closed.
If you are a go with the flow person and just need some ideas of what a trip would look like, this is for you. If you are a person who needs a structured plan, this is also for you. Pick and choose what to do!
Day 1
Fly into Seattle Airport later in the evening. It is worth it to get a good night’s rest at a hotel near the airport before your adventure. We extended our trip in Seattle a few days and I will be sharing what we did in another post.
You will also need to rent a car. There are bus options available and they vary from place to place but it is almost impossible to get anywhere in a timely manner.
Day 2
Start the 2 hour and 36 minute drive to Port Angeles from Seattle. This is a beautiful scenic drive (okay and some highway) through the mountains. Even if you are on the highway it is through the mountains so it really is a win.
When you arrive in Port Angeles there is a very cute little town to explore. Unfortunately we went on a Tuesday and a lot of restaurants were closed so be aware of this.
DO NOT make the same mistake we did. Every other article I read told us to go to the Port Angeles welcome center for information to the park. We had an Air BNB booked already but we wanted to get suggestions. This where we were told that we were essentially wasting our time by being here this time of year (which as I mentioned is not the case in the slightest).
The welcome center you are going to want to actually go to is the official National Park visitor center. I knew these existed so I was very confused why I could not find information on it in the first place.
My advice to you is try to find the Port Angeles welcome center on your GPS to get you there but when you arrive in town the actual center is up the hill a bit. There are signs that will show you the way. But I cannot emphasize enough, it is not the one on the water. (If you are a local you will laugh at us for this and I wouldn’t correct you).
At the center you can let the rangers know the areas you are planning to be in and they will most likely have suggestions for you as well. I cannot recommend visiting this place for sure!
They directed us to drive past Lake Crescent to Marymere Falls. I am pleading with you to do this drive. Lake Crescent is easily one of the most beautiful views in the entire county. You can find spots to pull off to take pictures as you are driving. There is also the coveted sign if this is a National Park must for you.
Marymere Falls is just down the road about 20 minutes. It is about a 30 minute hike but be prepared! It is a simple hike however, there are some very steep points of the hike. Nothing crazy like rock climbing but if you have bad knees or young children, be cautious.
After this hike, you will probably be starting to get hungry so it is time to head to the famous town of Forks, WA. This will be about 40 minutes but the drive will be worth it because this will be home base for a while.
If this sounds familiar to you, it is because you probably have watched Twilight. We are not huge Twilight fans but you will probably be convinced to watch the movies if you are staying in this little town.
The reason we picked this location is because it is actually located in the park. It was close to the beaches as well as the rainforest. This is a perfect central location.
Day 3
The rainforests of Olympic National park are a very surreal experience. It is home to the famous Hall of Mosses hike. This is what drew us to the park as I mentioned earlier and boy was it worth the hike.
This is a short one mile hike that is perfect for beginners. Be sure to wear hiking boots only because while we were there in early March there were still some remnants of the snow. You never know if it will be truly snowy or just very muddy.
There are countless stops you can make in the rainforest but I would highly recommend you taking this hike if you are going to be there.
Hopefully you are reading this before it has collapsed but another must visit is the Tree of Life. This is a beautiful tree to see and is predicted to fall through the gap it is currently over very soon.
Day 4
The beaches are famous in this area of Washington. I cannot express enough how much fun we had. But I also cannot express how you need to go at low tide. We went to Second Beach to go view the beach at low tide and it was beautiful. The water was still there but we could run around on dry(ish) land.
When you are at the welcome center is Port Angeles it is worth it to ask for a tide map and your ranger can tell you about your specific day for your visit.
The hike to Second Beach is only about .8 miles but it was a difficult trek for this Florida girl. Not necessarily down to the beach but back up with a few hundred stairs that need to be climbed up.
Ruby Beach is the most famous beach in the area and I have heard it is well worth the hike. We simply did not have time to go. Same deal with any of the beaches you visit it will be the case where you have to check the tides.
Even if a place may say this is simply the worst time to visit, sometimes I find the case is it is just a different experience. My friends and I immensely enjoyed our time in Olympic National Park and we hope you do too!