Olympic National Park is located in north western Washington state.  Here are some Olympic National Park facts;

  • UNESCO world heritage site
  • You can see Vancouver Island, Canada to the north
  • 70 miles of coastline
  • Mount Olympus is the highest peak at 2,342 meters above sea level
  • The mountain range is visible from Seattle

I hired a car and visited Olympic National Park on a day trip from Seattle.

Olympic National Park Facts

Olympic National Park, Washington

Olympic National Park, Washington

Olympic national park offers 70 miles of Pacific coastline and a view of Victoria, BC, Canada. The true highlight of any trip here is the view of the Olympic mountain range which are visible from Seattle on a clear day.  The highest peak is appropriately name Mount Olympus.  This is 2,432 meters above sea level.  However, the peak you are most likely to see from Seattle is Mount Constance because it is located on the Eastern side of the range.  Mount Constance is 2,364 meters above sea level, so only slightly smaller than Olympus.

Wildlife at Olympic National Park

Wild Deer at Olympic National Park

Wild Deer at Olympic National Park

Wildlife that calls Olympic National Park home includes;

  • Deer
  • Elk
  • More than 300 species of birds
  • Olympic Marmots
  • Salmon (Salmon run is in the fall)
  • Whales (April to May and October to November)
  • Mountain goats
  • Black bears

If you are in the park for wildlife photography I recommend visiting at dusk or dawn when the wildlife is most like to be out.  Read about the spectacular Salmon Run at Ketchikan Alaska.

Hire a Car to Explore Olympic National Park


Port Angeles

A view of Victoria, BC, Canada

A view of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada

The Island of Victoria looks so close that you could swim there!  From the town of Port Angeles to the north of the park it’s possible to take a ferry over to the city of Victoria.  Black Ball ferry line offer package tours, single and return trips to Victoria.    The one-way trip to Victoria takes 90 minutes.  Read about things to do in Vancouver Island.

Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center

Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, Olympic National Park, Washington

Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, Olympic National Park, Washington

It’s from Hurricane Ridge where you get this amazing view of the Olympic range.  There’s information on which peak is which and the height of each peak too.  In the visitor center you can watch a short movie about the park and also receive information on everything in the park.  There are a couple nature trails you can take from the visitor center too.

How to Travel from Olympic National Park to Seattle

Panoramic Seattle View from the Space Needle

From Hurricane Ridge visitor center, I drove through Port Angeles before taking US-101 east and WA-305 south to Seattle.  This is a beautiful drive, there are mountains, Islands and then the city skyline of Seattle.

Seattle to Vancouver