The Olympic Peninsula is beautiful and varied, containing rocky ocean beaches, mossy rainforests, mountain vistas, and many endemic plant species. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can hike from temperate rainforest to high alpine meadow in one day.
Public recreation land on the Peninsula includes Washington State property and land owned by both the National Forest and National Park systems. From the east side of the Peninsula, you can drive into the National Park at Staircase in Hoodsport, the Dosewallips Road (currently closed) or Hurricane Ridge in Port Angeles. You can access the National Forest via the Hamma Hamma Recreational Road (located 1 mile north of Eldon) and the Penny Creek road up in Quilcene.
Hiking
Information about trail conditions and maps to trailheads can be found at the Olympic National Park website, the Olympic National Forest website, seasonally at the Staircase Ranger Station, or year round at the visitor’s center in Hoodsport (150 N. Lake Cushman Rd., Hoodsport, WA 98548 360-877-2021) or the ranger station in Quilcene (295142 Highway 101, Quilcene, WA 98376, 360-765-2200).
A few popular day hikes are listed below. For descriptions of more hikes please visit the Washington Trails Association or purchase a hiking guide to the Olympics.
Lower Lena Lake: Hamma Hamma Recreational Road. An easy hike in Olympic National Forest, approximately 3.2 miles with 1800 feet of elevation gain, to a beautiful lake. Camping available at the lower lake. The hike to Upper Lena (pictured at left) is considerably longer and steeper…
Shady Lane Nature Walk, Staircase. A 3.0 mile round trip loop beginning across the bridge from the Staircase Ranger Station, offering access to virgin old growth timber. (There’s also a 1 mile loop for people looking for a shorter walk).
Wagonwheel Lake, Staircase. One of the steepest hikes in the Olympics, with 3000 vertical feet gained in 3 miles.
Waterfall Watching (from North to South)
For more information about Olympic Peninsula waterfalls, please visit the Olympic Peninsula Waterfall Trail website.
Rocky Brook Falls Located a ways north of Hoodsport in a town called Brinnon, the 229 foot waterfall fall is easy to get to and worth the drive. Take the Dosewallips Road off of Hwy 101 in Brinnon. About 3 miles in, you’ll come to the Rocky Brook Bridge. Park to the left of the bridge and follow the short, easy, but often slippery trail to the falls.
Address: 3000 Dosewallips Road, Brinnon WA 98320
Hamma Hamma River Waterfalls: Eldon. Located at the end of Forest Service Road #25, this waterfall is beautiful and very photogenic, but unfortunately hard to get to. The road is in very bad repair, so only 4×4 vehicles with high clearance should attempt it, and only during the summer. Please check with the Forest Service first.
Boating
The Canal is a beautiful, quiet place to boat, and there’s no better vantage point than a boat to watch sunset over the Olympics. Boating on the Canal can be tricky, however, because of tidal fluctuations, hazards such as buoys and stakes (particularly over oyster farms), and the occasional windstorm.
There are public boat launches at Triton, Potlatch and Twanoh State Parks, and moorage available at the Port of Hoodsport and Pleasant Harbor Marina, in Brinnon. You can launch, moor, and fuel up your boat at the Hood Canal Marina, in Union.
If you don’t have a boat, but still want to get out on the water, check out Hood Canal Adventures. Based out of Union, Hood Canal Adventures offers kayak tours, evening cruises, and corporate retreats. Further north, Good Life Charters in Port Hadlock also offers charter service, including a chartered shrimping expedition during shrimp season.