We recently completed a round trip around the Olympic Peninsula with my in-laws over a course of 3 nights and 4 days, starting from Seattle. We planned a rough outline of things we were going to do and accommodation, but apart from that, the itinerary was pretty open. Read along to know more about our experience!
Day 1: Seattle - Port Angeles - Sequim
Our trip started with a short 30-minute ferry ride crossing the Puget Sound on a ferry from Edmonds to Kingston, on which we witnessed splendid views of the waterfront shrouded in mist. From Kingston, we drove up the US-104 to get to our main destination - Cline spit - for clamming! A quick detour to pick up clamming equipment allowed us to drive through Port Townsend, an idyllic maritime town worth spending a few nights in. Once we had a bucket full of clams, we decided to break for lunch in the scenic Dungeness County park.
After lunch, a 45-minute drive got us to Port Angeles, known as the gateway to the Olympic National Park. We had enjoyed the sunny day so far but we were pretty pooped after all the clamming so we decided to skip exploring the main city (for now) and head to our accommodation in the nearby town of Coville. In the evening, we drove up to the Freshwater Bay for a short walk, followed by a light dinner at our cabin.
Day 2: Piedmont Lake Crescent - Forks
We decided to take up on some local recommendations and check out Piedmont, the lesser known but equally beautiful side of Lake Crescent. Despite an overcast day, we were met with beautiful views of the serene lake at the log cabin resort. We had the option of hiring a boat here but instead, we decided to continue our drive down to the Lake Crescent Lodge, where we hoped to trek up to Marymere Falls. Unfortunately, the park rangers informed us about potential delays due to increased tourist activities, so we ended up doing a shorter 30-minute hike and a picnic. Then we continued further along west to reach Forks, our next stop.
Day 3: Forks, Hoh Rainforest, Ruby Beach, Kalaloch Lodge
Forks itself is a sleepy little town, and apart from spending the night there, we did not explore it much. We started early and headed east into Hoh rainforest, a large temperate forest known for beautiful hikes. We did the ‘Nature Spruce Trail’ and admired many ancient spruces and hemlock trees, most of them covered in large clumps of moss. The scenic beauty of the peninsula continued to amaze us as we drove up to Ruby Beach, a very popular destination on the western coastline. For lunch, we decided to visit the Creekside Restaurant at the Kalaloch Lodge, known for great food and hospitality, and I’m pleased to say we weren’t disappointed! From there, it was a 2-hour drive back towards Seattle, with a coffee break in Aberdeen (highly recommend: The Tinderbox Cafe) and a night stop at Lake Mason.
Day 4: Lake Mason - Vashon Island - Home!
The last day of the road trip was encountered with mixed feelings as we drove out from Lake Mason via Belfair and Southworth. Here, we boarded the ferry for Vashon Island, the largest island on Puget Sound. The key attraction here is the Point Robinson lighthouse - but we took our time and drove around the island, circumnavigating the waterfront driveways. The lighthouse made for a picturesque location nestled in a rocky beach with an occasional seal sighting and distant views of the Seattle skyline. We stopped at the Glass Bottle Creamery in Vashon as our last break and started our journey home.
Final thoughts:
I would say 3 nights is ample time to complete the loop in a relaxed, no-rush manner. If you read my earlier post, our initial accommodation plans did not work out due to the long weekend rush. While our trip was great and the stops were enjoyable, I would recommend driving down from Port Angeles to Lake Quinault on Day 2 and then heading down to Mason or Hood Canal for Day 3. That being said, we had a lot of fun and came back with many happy memories!