First Day Exploring Olympic National Park: Hurricane Ridge Trails

Jul 7, 2025

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in National Park, USA Travel, Washington

July 7, 2025. Brinnon, Washington. Day 47 of 170

To say we visited Olympic National Park today is an understatement. This vast national park covers 922,650 acres, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island. It encompasses almost the entire Olympic Peninsula in western Washington State, sharing the land only with the Olympic National Forest and a few beautifully situated coastal towns. Recognizing its unique ecological significance, UNESCO designated it an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and a World Heritage Site in 1981.

A substantial portion of the park—876,669 acres, approximately 95% of its total area—was dedicated as the Olympic Wilderness in 1988, later renamed the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness.

Unlike many other national parks, Olympic offers limited car access. You can typically only drive a few miles into the park before the mountain ranges necessitate going on foot. Consequently, driving through the park is impossible.

We entered through the northeast entrance at the Main Olympic National Park Visitor Center. Here, rangers are readily available to answer questions and guide your visit. Ranger Jeff was particularly helpful, providing us with hiking maps and many insights into great hiking opportunities.

We then headed up to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, where numerous trails originate. There’s ample parking, and the hikes range from easy to moderate difficulty, all offering spectacular views. To the south, you’re presented with the immense scale of the park itself: snow-covered mountain peaks stretching as far as the eye can see, skirted by lush pine forests and diverse shades of green. As you walk the trails along the ridge, you’re treated to panoramic views in all directions. To the north, you can clearly see Victoria, Canada, beyond the San Juan Islands and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Mount Baker lies to the east, and everywhere you turn is wilderness.

Today was our first of five days at the park. We’ve ambitiously planned to explore it from every possible angle and will report on our adventures in Olympic National Park. Stay tuned!