Olympic National Park

Jun 19

Merriman Falls, Lake Quinault, Olympic Naitonal Park

Day One

On the first day, we made the 10-hour drive all the way to the Log Cabin Resort on Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park. We reserved the last available cabin at the resort; this was a nice 2 bedroom cabin with a kitchen, which worked out perfectly for us. After getting checked into the cabin, we headed over to the Spruce Railroad trailhead which is a paved trail along the shores of Lake Crescent. After the hike we ate some dinner and then enjoyed the sunset at the resort.

Spruce Railroad Trail

Log Cabin Resort

Boat Rental

Reserved for those who can walk on water

Day Two

On the second day, we got up early and drove around the lake to the Storm King Ranger Station to hike the Marymere Falls trail before breakfast. After the hike, we walked to the Lake Crescent Lodge for breakfast. Lake Crescent Lodge is a historic national park lodge with a beautiful structure and location. Breakfast was fantastic!

After breakfast, we drove over to the Sol Doc Falls trailhead and made the short hike to the popular waterfall. This is an amazing waterfall with a footbridge that crosses the creek just below the falls. The falls have three separate channels to make the waterfall before dropping into a ravine underneath the footbridge.

Next, we drove to the Elwha River basin and took an even shorter hike to Madison Falls. This is a stunning waterfall and in a very accessible and peaceful setting.

Lastly, breakfast was so good at the Lake Crescent Lodge that we went back for dinner and enjoyed the area before heading back to our cabin. Day two was the day of waterfalls, with visits to Marymere, Sol Duc, and Madison Falls.

Storm King Ranger Station & Marymere Falls

Lake Crescent Lodge

Sol Duc Falls

Madison Falls

Lake Crescent Lodge Take 2

Day Three

On the third day, we drove to one of Olympic National Park’s main attractions, Hurrican Ridge. We spent the first morning walking the trails around the main parking lot and the old ski area. Then, we hiked the Hurricane Hill trail, which was paved to the top. The weather was decent until we reached the summit, when it turned into a full snowstorm.

We finished our day back at the Log Cabin Resort for dinner and a rainbow to bless our day.

Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Hill

Port Angeles Overlook

Go Cougars!

Log Cabin Resort

Day Four

On the fourth day, we took the Black Ball Coho Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria and Back. The smooth ferry ride was only about an hour and a half. We toured Victoria Harbor for about an hour until our tea reservations at the historic Empress Hotel. After tea, we hiked the hill behind the Empress to Abigail’s Hotel, where Jolie and I stayed on our honeymoon twenty-five years earlier. It was really fun taking the kids by and reliving some of our memories. After Abigail’s, Jolie and Tessa shopped along Government Street while Bridger and I shared a beer.

We took the 3 O’clock ferry back to Port Angeles and drove to the southern end of Olympic National Park. We apparently had to stop in Forks for a quick photo, apparently this town is famous for some reason…. We ended the day arriving at the Lake Quinault Lodge. This lodge is another historic national park lodge and a wonderful place to stay. We checked into our lake view room and were treated to a fantastic sunset over the lake.

Ferry to Victoria

Jolie, Bridger, and Tessa aboard the Coho

Forks

Lake Quinault Lodge

Day Five

On the fifth day, we woke up and jumped on a boat tour around Lake Quinault. This tour was just for our family and was relaxing. After the boat tour, we had lunch at the lodge and then spent the day exploring the Lake Quinault River region. This included stops at the world’s largest Sitka Spruce tree, Merriman Falls, other unnamed waterfalls along the road, and a hike on the Quinault Rain Forest trail.

Lake Quinault Boat Tour

Lake Quinault Lodge

World’s Largest Sitka Spruce

Merriman Falls

Quinault River Rain Forest

Day Six

On the sixth day, we spent the day at the Pacific Coast section of Olympic National Park around Kalaloch Beach. We started the day by visiting the Big Cedar before hiking to Ruby Beach. Ruby Beach is the spectacular junction of the Cedar Creek confluence with the Pacific Ocean at the base of the towering Abbey Island landform. We spent a few hours at Ruby Beach and then drove a few miles south to the Kalaloch Beach 4 parking lot. We ate a quick lunch and hiked to Beach 4. We spent a few hours on Beach 4 exploring all the rocks and tidepools. We had a long stretch of the beach to ourselves for over 2 hours. Once the tide went out, many people showed up to check out the tidepools, which were absolutely worth the wait.

The Big Cedar

Tessa in front of a one thousand year hold Western Red Cedar tree, Olympic National Park

Ruby Beach

Kalaloch Beach No. 4 and Tidepools

The Tidepools

Seal swimming by

Day Seven, The Last Day

On the Seventh Day, we rested… Mostly in the car. We drove from Quinalt Lodge in Olympic National Park to Kennewick, Washington. Along the way, we drove through Ranier National Park, which included a brief and crowded stop at the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center on the south side of Mount Ranier. We also stopped at the Muddy Fork Cowlitz River Box Canyon to stretch our legs for a few minutes.