Olympic National Park Itinerary: 1, 3 & 5 Days
Olympic National Park
Pick your days. The park sorts itself by region.
Day 1 covers the mountains. Every extra day adds the next region — rainforest, then a second rainforest valley, then the coast — so a 3-day trip is days 1 to 3 and a 5-day trip is all five.
How many days do you have?
Showing all 7 days. Pick a length to see only the days that fit.
Last updated September 4, 2026 How we research
Numbers on the page match the map: as you scroll each day, its stops light up here.
Olympic is really three parks stitched into one boundary: mountains, rainforest, and coast, and none of them look like the others. This plan starts in the mountains because that's the corner closest to the park's main entrance and the first stop most trips reach for. From there it moves into the rainforest — the Hoh first, then a second, quieter rainforest valley — before finishing on the coast, which sits farther out and is worth its own day rather than a rushed stop on the way somewhere else.
A fifth day adds one more mountain valley on the quieter side of the park, along with the gateway towns for anyone who wants a bed instead of a tent for the last night. Every stop below is a real listing on this site with its own page; this itinerary is the order to see them in, not a rewrite of what they already say.
Day 1 Mountains
One Day in Olympic National Park: The Mountains
The mountains are the first thing most trip plans reach for, and this park's are close to where you come in.
- 5 stopsmountains and forest
- 3 trailsshort walks, not summit hikes
- 2 campgroundschoose one for the night
Start in the mountains, on the road nearest the park's main entrance. Heart O' the Hills Campground sits along it and works as a base if you'd rather sleep up here than down at the lake. Take the short hike near the visitor center first — it's built as a quick stretch, not a full outing — then walk the Moments in Time Trail before the road climbs further.
From the high road, drop back down toward the forest and Fairholme Campground, a quieter, tree-lined option for the night if the mountain sites are full.
Finish the day up the adjoining valley at the Sol Duc Falls Trail, a walk built around a waterfall rather than a summit. It's the natural last stop before the rainforest tomorrow.
With kids: The short hike near the visitor center and the Moments in Time Trail are both built as easy, kid-length walks; save the falls trail for legs that can handle a longer outing.
Where to sleep after day 1
Heart O' the Hills is the closer base for the mountain road you'll drive first thing. Fairholme is the alternative if it's full.
Day 2 Hoh Rainforest
Day 2: The Hoh Rainforest
From the mountains the road drops into a different kind of forest, one built around moss and scale rather than views.
- 4 stopsrainforest
- 3 trailsall short walks
- 1 campgroundHoh, at the end of the road
Hoh Campground is the anchor for a rainforest day, set at the end of its own road and worth booking ahead if you plan to stay. Everything here is about scale and moss rather than distance.
Two short, easy walks cover the rainforest floor: the Spruce Nature Trail and the Maple Grove stop off the Hall of Mosses Trail, both built as loops through old, moss-heavy forest rather than as hikes with a destination.
If you're traveling with a dog, save the Pet-Friendly Hike for this stretch — it's the one trail on this itinerary built with that in mind.
With kids: Every trail in the rainforest today is short and easy by name and design, a good set for a family day.
Where to sleep after day 2
Hoh Campground is the real base for a rainforest night on this stretch — book ahead.
Day 3 A second rainforest valley
Day 3: A Second Rainforest Valley
A second rainforest valley, this one built around a river and an old homestead, rewards travelers who already did the Hoh.
- 5 stopsa second rainforest valley
- 3 trailsloop walks, not one-way treks
- 2 campgroundsGraves Creek and North Fork
A second rainforest valley, reached separately from the Hoh, centers on Graves Creek. The campground here is the base, and North Fork Campground nearby is the backup if it's full.
The Graves Creek Nature Trail Loop is the easy orientation walk. The Kestner Homestead Loop Trail adds a stretch built around an old homestead site rather than pure forest, a change of pace from the rest of the day.
Close the day at the Quinault Big Sitka Spruce Tree Trail, a short walk built around a single tree rather than a view or a summit — the kind of stop that's easy to skip and easy to regret skipping.
With kids: The Graves Creek loop and the homestead loop are both built as loop walks, the easiest shape for kids who don't want to just turn around and retrace their steps.
Where to sleep after day 3
Graves Creek is the base for this valley; North Fork Campground nearby is the backup.
Day 4 Coast
Day 4: The Coast
The coast is a different park again: sand and driftwood instead of trees and switchbacks.
- 7 stopsthe whole coast
- 5 campgroundssand, river, and forest sites
- 2 trailsboth lead to a beach
The coast is a different park: trade the trees for sand and driftwood. Kalaloch Campground is the biggest base here, with the Kalaloch Creek Nature Trail as an easy walk right nearby.
South Beach Campground and the Go to the Beach trail do exactly what their names say — the most direct routes to sand on this itinerary. Queets Campground sits a little apart from the rest, a quieter river-and-forest option if the beach sites fill up.
Farther along the coast, Mora Campground and Ozette Campground are the two other bases out here. Pick whichever is closer to where you spent the afternoon rather than doubling back.
With kids: The beach itself is the reward — both trails today lead straight to sand, which is usually enough incentive for kids on its own.
Where to sleep after day 4
Kalaloch is the largest coastal base on this itinerary. Mora and Ozette are the alternatives if you're spending the day farther along the coast.
Day 5 A quiet valley and gateway towns
Day 5: A Quiet Valley and Gateway Towns
One more mountain valley, on the quiet side, plus the towns where a bed replaces a tent.
- 3 stopsa quieter valley and two towns
- 1 campgroundStaircase
- 2 townsa bed instead of a tent
One more mountain valley, away from where Day 1 started: Staircase Campground is the only stop out here, a smaller, quieter base for anyone who wants one more night away from the busier corners of the park.
Maple Grove and Piedmont are gateway towns rather than park stops — the places to look for a bed, a meal, or supplies once the trip winds down, if a tent isn't the plan for the last night.
With kids: Staircase is the smallest stop on this trip, a good choice for a low-key last day before heading into town.
Where to sleep after day 5
Maple Grove or Piedmont are the beds-over-tents options for a last night, if Staircase Campground doesn't fit the plan.
Good to know before you go
Dates and rules below are drawn from the official sources listed at the end of the page.
Questions people ask before a Glacier trip
Is one day enough for Olympic National Park?
One day covers the mountain corner in this plan — Day 1 above — with a couple of short trails and a choice of two campgrounds. The rainforest and the coast each need their own day.
How many days do you need in Olympic National Park?
Three days covers the mountains and the Hoh Rainforest. Five days adds a second rainforest valley, the coast, and one more quiet mountain valley near the gateway towns.
What are the best day hikes in Olympic National Park?
This plan uses the short, named trails in the park's own listings rather than ranking hikes against each other: a visitor-center walk and the Moments in Time Trail in the mountains, the Spruce Nature Trail and the Maple Grove stop off the Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh, the Graves Creek and Kestner Homestead loops in the second rainforest valley, and the beach-access trails on the coast.
Does Olympic National Park have rainforest and coast in the same park?
Yes — this itinerary treats them as separate days because they're different environments and different drives: the Hoh on Day 2, a second rainforest valley on Day 3, and the coast on Day 4.
Where should you stay in Olympic National Park?
Camping is built into every day of this plan, with a listed campground as the base each night. Maple Grove and Piedmont, the gateway towns on Day 5, are the options if a bed matters more than a tent.
Can you bring a dog to Olympic National Park?
One trail in this plan, the Pet-Friendly Hike on Day 2, is set up for it. Most other trails here aren't built with pets in mind, so plan around that one if you're traveling with a dog.
This plan is built from Olympic National Park's own listings and the trip data already on this site, not from a firsthand visit — there's no field-note layer for Olympic yet, so use the drive order and pacing here as a starting plan and confirm current conditions with the park before you go.
