The two and a half hour drive from Downtown Seattle to Olympic National Park was probably the most scenic drives we’ve ever taken. The drive starts out with a car ferry ride across Puget Sound to Bainbridge island. Once on Bainbridge, you’ll cross over a number of bridges to get to the Olympic peninsula where you’ll pass through tunnels, cruise along the coast and finally criss-cross your way up the windy road to the visitor center.
Trip Report
- Trip Planning And Delta Flight
- Mountain Day up to Olympic National Park
- Pike Place Market And Space Needle
- San Juan Islands Day Trip
- Winery Day
Drive To National Park From Seattle
The Seattle car ferry service has a number of routes. We took the ferry from Downtown Seattle across the water to Bainbridge island.
If you are concerned about traffic, you can view the ferry terminals online here.
The drive included a few bridges to get across to the Olympic peninsula.
There were a few tunnels along the way as well which made for a nice drive. The drive is made for a car commercial.
Olympic National Park
After a stop for lunch in Port Angeles, we finally made it to the Olympic National Park visitors center. We parked and were immediately greeted by a friendly deer.
This deer was so friendly it came within a few feet.
After our dalliance with the deer we headed off on our hike. There are a number of hiking paths to take, we chose the one to Hurricane Ridge.
The path led us to Sunrise Point which was about a half mile loop.
We had the ridge all to ourselves on this clear day. Is it always this sunny in Seattle? We snapped a few pictures of us with a tri-pod and took in the views.
Bottom Line
Our day trip to the Olympic National Park was a great way to spend the day. Even though it was a sunny August day, it was quite cold at the top. Don’t forget to bring a sweater and a camera if you visit Olympic National Park.
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The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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Shhhh…. don’t tell everyone. Seattle in summer is the best weather in the country – sunny days & cool nights.
@Dave its no secret my friend, I believe PDX and Seattle consistently get rated as having the best summer weather in the country, people just don’t believe theres anything worth seeing above SF….. but thats okay with us!
I also was in Olympic National Park in August, except that I flew into Portland, drove to the Oregon Coast for a few days, then up the Washington coast, then into the park and ended my trip in Seattle. Wonderful trip! I plan to visit Vancouver Island on my next trip to the region.
This has been very useful as I plan my weekend trip to Seattle. Thanks!
Hi James – Glad you liked it. Let me know if you have any questions.