RV Camping in Olympic National Park

Posted at h in Locations, US by

Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is an extraordinary tongue of land. Its glacier shrouded mountains were born in and raised from the sea—in turn, giving life to dense forests, lush meadows, clear rivers and sparkling glacial lakes. The Olympic National Park is the heart of this unique and beautiful peninsula. Known for its biological diversity, vast wilderness and rugged coastal zone, the park has maintained most of its pristine character. It is a park of wilderness and exquisite beauty, just waiting to be explored.

About the Park

The Olympic National Park is located about 90 miles northwest of Seattle. From Aberdeen to Olympia, Washington, U.S. Highway 101 loops the park and provides access to all the parks entrances. Olympic’s park headquarters and main visitors center is located in Port Angeles, Wa. The park remains open year round with some area roads closed at times in the winter. Washington State Ferries cross Puget Sound from Seattle and Tacoma to Highway 101 and the Coho Ferry provides transport between Victoria, British Columbia and Port Angeles.

The interior wilderness area comprises 95 percent of Olympic’s 922,653 acres—accessible only by foot. As Highway 101 circles this massive park, a number of spur roads lead to a diverse collection of park areas and visitor facilities. This scenic highway enters the park from the southwest at Kalaloch. Following the Pacific coastline, the highway runs past Ruby Beach, then along the Hoh River. The amazing Quinalt, Queets and Hoh Rain Forests are accessible along this section of the highway. Quinalt and Queets are south of Kalaloch, while the Hoh spur is about 25 miles north. In these primeval rain forests, tall Sitka spruce, western red cedar and western hemlock are draped with moss and surrounded by fern; the air is heavy with moisture and the world is displayed within a bright-green glow.

Continuing north of the town of Forks, Wa. Highway 110 runs west from 101 to the Mora area and fabulous Rialto Beach. Along the rugged coast, tide pools are teaming with a variety of fascinating sea creatures and waves thunder against the rocky shore during high tide. (On the far northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula, the Ozette area also has some great beaches with scenic shorelines. Ozette Lake offers some very good fishing and boating.)

Still further north, near Olympic National Park’s northern boundary, the highway passes through the picturesque Lake Crescent area—then east to Port Angeles. Hurricane Ridge Road runs south from this quaint city and rises 5,200 feet into Olympic’s mountains. Wildlife is abundant on these heavily forested slopes. Pullouts provide spectacular vistas of the Elwha Valley and glacier-clad Olympic Mountains. This is the most visited area in the park.

Traveling east from Port Angeles, Highway 101 passes through Sequim, Wa. and heads south along Olympic’s eastern boundary. Spur roads run west through Olympic National Forest to the Dosewallips and Staircase park sections.

Olympic National Park Attractions and Activities

For outdoors enthusiasts and nature lovers, there are unlimited things to do and see in Olympic National Park. There are some 600 miles of trails within the park. Short walks and hikes lead through lowland forests, rainforests, meadows, along lakes and rivers and to waterfalls and dramatic ocean beaches. Wilderness trails lace the park’s interior and provide backcountry access to backpackers and climbers.

Wherever you may drive on the Olympic Peninsula, it is a scenic experience. However, for a wonderful tour of the whole region, the 454 mile Olympic Peninsula Loop Drive is an awesome endeavor.

All of Olympic’s roads are open to biking. Fresh and saltwater fishing on the peninsula is excellent, as is river rafting. Boating and swimming are available at a few park lakes. The Sol Duc/ Hot Springs area offers visitors a resort style experience. There are also many exciting and diverse ranger-led activities available throughout the park.

Campgrounds and Facilities in Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park supports 16 campgrounds, with a total of 910 sites. There are, however, no hook-ups, showers or laundry facilities. Some campgrounds have a dump station. These are very nice but basic campgrounds. Trailers and RVs are mostly limited to less than 21 feet in length. We did manage to find a site at Hoh Campground for our 27-foot travel trailer. On another camping trip, we camped in the park, but drove to a nearby state park for a shower.

There is one private RV Park in Olympic. The Log Cabin Resort and RV Park is located on the shores of Lake Crescent and provides reservations, full hook-ups, a laundry, groceries and great lake recreational activities. We thoroughly enjoyed our camping stay here. Also, it is very well located for trips to park attractions and local communities.

Area Private RV Parks and Campgrounds

There are many fine full-service private RV parks located in the small towns that surround Olympic National Park. Most provide recreational facilities and activities. At Forks, Wa., the Three Rivers Resort offers some excellent fishing and many other amenities.

Area Attractions and Activities

The Olympic Peninsula is rich with outdoors pleasures. The Olympic National Forest virtually surrounds the park and offers outstanding outdoors opportunities. Also, there are a number of Washington State Parks on the peninsula. They have great campgrounds and scenic beauties that rival Olympic’s wonders. For detailed information on the Olympic Peninsula’s towns, waters and visitor’s facilities consult the links listed below.

The Olympic Peninsula is a world unto itself. The forces of nature have given us a special land of mountains, forests and coast. Mount Olympus rises from the park’s center—climbing to 7,965 feet. There are 266 glaciers on these beautiful mountains. The rain forests receive up to 14 feet of rain every year. There are five species of animals and eight plants here that are found no where else on earth! Sea stacks and arches poke from the 60 miles of coastal water, while the tidal zone displays a diversity of marine life. This is truly a special and extraordinary park. We love it at Olympic National Park and plan to return often!

Where do you want to camp tonight?