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Fresh snow atop the Olympic Mountains.

← Washington guide · National Park

Three climates, one remarkable peninsula.

Olympic Peninsula · A day that begins with one good stop.

See your first day
Photo: NPS Photo/Dave Turner · NPS source ↗
02 / WASHINGTON

Why this place matters

Olympic Peninsula

With its incredible range of precipitation and elevation, diversity is the hallmark of Olympic National Park. Encompassing nearly a million acres, the park protects a vast wilderness, thousands of years of human history, and several distinctly different ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles of wild coastline.

Read the full NPS story ↗
Large trees and ferns
Photo: NPS Photo · NPS source ↗

A flexible first day

Start here. See where it takes you.

These are ways to explore, not a timed itinerary. Check conditions before you set out.

01 · ARRIVE

Choose a coast, rainforest, or mountain day before you start driving.

02 · GO DEEPER

Explore tide pools at safe low tide or listen to the Hoh forest instead of racing to every region.

03 · BEFORE YOU GO

Tide times, road access, and mountain conditions need checking.

Check current Olympic Peninsula access with the National Park Service ↗

Find your bearings

Explore nearby chapters.

Switch stops to see where this chapter sits in the wider state.

Mount Rainier1Olympic Peninsula2North Cascades3Seattle & the Gold Rush4Seattle–Tacoma Airport: 6.3 inches average annual snowfall1Longmire, Mount Rainier: 143.0 inches average annual snowfall2

Outline: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 cartographic boundary files. Points show guide starting areas and NOAA stations.

Snow markers compare station normals only. They are not a statewide snow cover or forecast map.

NOAA 1991–2020 · monthly normals

A little weather context.

These stations show two parts of the state; neither is a forecast or necessarily local to this site.

Seattle–Tacoma Airport · average temperatureMonthly mean °F
NOAA station data ↗
Show all 12 monthly values
Seattle–Tacoma Airport · monthly mean temperature (°F)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Value42.84447.151.357.56267.167.462.653.846.542

Normal = 1991–2020 average at the named NOAA station. Snowfall is new snow over a month, not snow currently on the ground. A blank NOAA snow series is shown as unavailable, never as zero. See current NOAA snow depth ↗

Weather changes the trip

Let the season shape the day.

Tide times, road access, and mountain conditions need checking. The graph above uses a named NOAA station; conditions at this place may differ with elevation and weather. Check the local NWS forecast ↗

Keep exploring Washington

Where next?

Mount RainierStart with a waterfall. Stay for the mountain.Explore →North CascadesFollow the blue water into the peaks.Explore →Seattle & the Gold RushA city stop with a bigger frontier story.Explore →

Start with Seattle’s waterfront and neighborhoods; save a second day for a ferry or a park. See current events ↗

Make the trip yours

Build around what you want to remember.

Tell WTDO your dates, where you start and how you travel. The first plan is free.

Plan this trip free