At more than 1,400 square miles, the vast wilderness contained in Olympic National Park boasts a diverse variety of terrain for visitors to experience, from the Hoh Rain Forest to the Pacific coast and into the peaks of the Olympics. Find everything you need to know:
Webcams & Weather | About the Park | Fees & Passes | What to Do | Support the Park | Olympic Blogs
Check out weather conditions and take in the view from Olympic National Park’s live webcams:
Lake Crescent
Kalaloch Beach
James Island
Hurricane Ridge
(This webcam was brought back after the Day Lodge fire with funding from WNPF donors!)
For snow depth at Hurricane Ridge and other current conditions, check the park’s weather page.
(click to enlarge)
Home to 60 named glaciers, this national park boasts 73 miles of wilderness coast and more than 600 miles of trails to interest any visitor. Whatever strikes your fancy — camping, hiking, fishing, biking, sight seeing, animal viewing, and more — you’ll find it here.
On fee-free days, the National Park Service (NPS) at Olympic opens the gates and welcomes all visitors at no cost.
2023 Fee Free Days:
A park pass is a great option to save costs. If you’re planning a trip that includes multiple national parks, consider the $80 annual pass that provides entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and many other federal lands – more than 2,000 in all.
Just interested in Olympic? You can purchase an annual pass for $55, or a single-day pass for $30. Find fees and pass options here. And an important note: when you buy your pass inside the park, Olympic receives a greater share of the funds compared to when you purchase online!
There are a number of special passes you can look into. For example, the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is offered free to all active-duty military members and their dependents. Passes are also available for people with permanent disabilities and volunteers with 250 service hours with federal agencies that participate in the Interagency Pass Program. And fourth-graders can access the parks for free all year by obtaining an Annual 4th Grade Pass through Every Kid Outdoors.
To learn more about all of these passes, go to nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.
Find helpful information about the parks, historical sites, national landmarks, and other federally owned areas at the National Park Service WA Index.
The park offers plenty of resources to get you started on trip planning on their Things to Do page. Looking to hit the trails? Check out Olympic’s Day Hiking guide to get started. Our friends at the Washington Trails Association also have tons of great resources, interactive maps, guides, and more to help you find the perfect trail.
Interested in wilderness camping or backpacking? Start with our guide to reserving a backcountry site in Olympic. Prefer frontcountry over backcountry, or not sure about the difference? Start with our “Backcountry Beginners: Backcountry, Frontcountry, and How To Decide” article.
Or if you prefer to stay indoors, consider a historic national park lodge like Log Cabin Resort, Lake Crescent Lodge, Kalaloch Lodge, or Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort — all of which support the park through a guest donation program.
More interested in mountaineering and learning how to summit the peaks of the Olympics? Consider participating in one of our fundraising climbs through Climb for a Cause, like Lauren. She shared her story in our blog.
ON THE BLOG
At the end of the trip, we had all faced a fear or worry, whether that was backpacking a high mileage approach (~20 miles!), being on a glacier for the first time, or climbing the summit block; we overcame it with our own perseverance and support of the others. And for the record, I didn’t cry on the mountain!
Read On
Climbing a peak isn’t the only way to give back to the park. You can volunteer your time, purchase a national park license plate, donate to support priority park projects — the options are practically endless! Explore all the ways to give.
No matter the season, Olympic has a lot to offer. Find our top recommendations for visiting the park in summer, fall, winter, or spring, or check out our blog for more inspiration:
November 15, 2024
October 22, 2024
October 7, 2024
August 23, 2024
June 21, 2024
May 23, 2024
Park photos: Klahhane Ridge and peaks of the Olympics by Nate Brown