7 Best Things to Do in Port Angeles, WA
1. Olympic National Park→
3002 Mt Angeles Rd, Port Angeles, WA 98362, map
Olympic National Park is a diverse national park featuring the moody PNW coast, rainforests, lakes and mountains. It gives you year-round access to the outdoors and transports you to another world. Before coming here, I didn’t know there were rainforests in the United States.
Olympic Hiking Company We were picked up from our hotel (we stayed at the Red Lion Hotel) and customized our itinerary. Our guide, Betsy, was very knowledgeable about birds, animal tracks, and plants, which gave us an interesting, new perspective on the park. Should we become birdwatchers now?
- visitor center – I always love picking up a Junior Ranger book and getting my National Parks Passport stamped.
- cocoa rainforest (Moss Hall) – If this is your first trip, you can’t miss Hoh Rainforest. There is nothing like it in America. The moss coats everything in a saturated green that looks otherworldly. Keep in mind that in the summer, if you don't go early enough, there will be lines.
- soldek waterfall – An easy 1.8-mile round trip hike to a beautiful 50-foot waterfall. This is one of the most photogenic waterfalls we've seen in the Pacific Northwest (and we do a lot of waterfall chasing). If you're a photographer, you'll want to photograph it. We extended our walk to Lovers Lane, which was much quieter.
- crescent lake – A remnant of the last ice age and Washington’s second largest lake. We had a picnic lunch at Crescent Lake Lodge. Olympic Hiking Company prepared lunch for us from Country Ayre Market and the sourdough bread was delicious. If you have a national park passport, you can also get it stamped at the hotel.
- Salt Creek Recreation Area – We love the PNW rocky coast and tide pools are a great way to slow down and appreciate nature. We saw crabs, sea anemones, sea urchins and more. Occasionally nudibranchs can be seen, but we didn't see any this time.
- hurricane ridge – The scenic drive will take you to 5,242 feet above sea level for panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains. Unfortunately it was closed again due to rockfall, but maybe the third time is the charm? Fingers crossed we come back next time.
Pro tip: pack one Light raincoat Even if you don’t see rain in the forecast. As you would expect from a tropical rainforest, it tends to rain a lot here. we like this Patagonia One It fits in your pocket and is very small. this is a Cheaper alternatives.
See more: 15 things to do in Olympic National Park
