The 5 Best Hiking Trails in Olympic National Park

One of the most magnificent places on earth is Olympic National Park in Washington state. Here you’ll find stunning beaches, verdant rainforests, and majestic mountains covered in snow all in one place. 

But with more than 600 miles of trails, Olympic National Park has so much natural beauty that it might be difficult to select the top hikes. Below you will find the five best hikes in this nature-lovers paradise. 

1. Hall of Mosses

If you’re looking for a short and easy trek, look no further than the Hall of Mosses. The Hoh Rainforest’s Hall of Mosses stroll leads you through unbelievably enormous trees that are covered in moss and ferns that seem like they belong in a Tolkien novel. 

This is also among the most kid-friendly hikes you can take if you’re in the Pacific Northwest with youngsters. In addition to the enchanting forest setting, the path has interpretive signage that offers intriguing facts about the woods, its ecology, and fauna.

The entire hike is just over one mile long with a slight elevation of 78 feet. If you don’t want to travel all the way to Hall of Mosses just to walk for one mile, there are other nearby places in Hoh Rainforest waiting for your arrival. 

2. Hole in the Wall

Next, we have a trail that’s a bit more moderate. The route to Hole in the Wall is quite simple. Visitors essentially just hike across the pebbly shores of Rialto Beach. This is one of the most beautiful beaches in Olympic National Park. 

Here, you’ll traverse sizable driftwood chunks that have been bleached on your path and get breathtaking vistas of angular sea stacks. To get to the hiking trail, you’ll get to see Rialto Beach, which is a favorite among locals. 

After traveling for about 1.5 miles, you will come across a group of impressive sea stacks that protrude from the water. Just beyond those sea stacks is a geological arch formed into the rock. This is where the trail gets its name. 

The archway elegantly frames the nearby sea stacks, and once you’ve passed by it, you’re going to discover a few of Olympic’s best tidepools. These are alive with sea stars, crabs, and other cool creatures. 

The best time to see tide pools is in the early morning hours during low tide! 

3. Hurricane Hill

At just over three miles long, Hurricane Hill is a relatively easy hike for outdoor enthusiasts. You really must include this as a stop on your travel plans for Olympic National Park. The hike will take you up Mount Angeles’ ridge with breathtaking views of the Bailey Range of the Olympic Mountains everywhere you look. 

If you visit during the summer, you can see vibrant wildflowers along the route. There are plenty of animals including blacktail deer and mountain goats. During autumn, this is easily one of the best places to go leaf-peeping in Washington.

The path starts out flat and then gradually ascends for approximately half a mile. After that, you’ll start the four moderately steep switchbacks that will take you to the summit of Hurricane Hill. 

4. Ozette Loop

A really distinctive hike is the Ozette Loop. You may access each path that forms from the parking lot next to the Ozette Ranger Station. The North Sand Point path leads south, and the Cape Alava Trail leads north. 

Whichever path you take, you’ll go along an elevated wood boardwalk that winds through a lush aged-growth cedar and hemlock woodland. The trail will lead you to the Pacific shoreline after a little more than three miles of hiking through an enveloping canopy of massive trees, where there are unending vistas of craggy sea stacks with pine tree tops. 

Visitors can traverse the 3.3 miles of coastline here by walking through huge chunks of driftwood, climbing over stony outcroppings, and navigating innumerable tide pools that are teeming with marine life.

5. Lovers Lane

This hike is filled with gushing waters, hot springs, and rainforests. With gigantic Sitka spruces and an abundance of quirky mushrooms, the southern part of the loop takes you into yet another breathtaking rainforest that looks like it belongs in a fairytale. 

A wooden boardwalk skims across the top of a swamp that has a mystical appearance, and a solitary log tree has been fashioned into a footbridge that you have to climb to get across a trickling brook.

The trail also features two cascading waterfalls. The duration of the hike is the only element that makes it particularly difficult, much like the Ozette Loop. It’s just over six miles long and has an elevation of 590 feet. 

Summary of the Best Hiking Trails in Olympic State Park