Wondering where to stay in Olympic National Park? The Olympic Peninsula is a fantastical landscape, home to impossibly tall, moss-covered trees, snow-tipped mountain peaks, and a wild coastline. Highway 101 rings the vast wilderness of the park and there are various entrances along the way. We recommend choosing lodging close to the part of the park you wish to visit…unless you love driving instead of experiencing nature at its finest.
There’s Quinault and Hoh rain forests in the west; Sol Duc Hot Springs, Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge in the north; and Staircase and Dosewallips in the east. You have a wide range of choices when looking for a place to lay your head at night after a day of marvelous vistas: historic lodges, camping and RV sites, charming bed and breakfasts, and nightly home rentals are all options in this area.
Here’s a breakdown of what kinds of lodging you’ll find in Olympic National Park and where you’ll find it.
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Lodging Inside Olympic National Park
You have a few choices that will allow you to stay right in this national park.
The only coastal hotel inside Olympic National Park is Kalaloch Lodge, which dates back to the 1920s. This is set in a rural area, but if you are looking for a cozy getaway, you’ve come to the right place. We stayed here for a night with the kids in the winter, and it was fantastic. You can stay in cabins that face the ocean (perfect for storm watching). They do not have televisions or Wi-Fi, so it’s a great place to disconnect; they do, however, have wood-burning stoves and comfortable beds.
To the south, at the Quinault entrance to the park, you can stay at Lake Quinault Lodge. This historic lodge is nearly a century old (built in 1926) and is open year round.
Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort is located in the northern part of the park, with the mineral springs being its main draw — note this resort is closed from October to March.
Lake Crescent Lodge only operates from April through November, but is located right on the shores of beautiful Lake Crescent, also at the north end of the park.
Log Cabin Resort is also located on the shores of Lake Crescent, open May through the beginning of October, and has camping and RV sites as well as cabins for rent.
Oceanfront Accommodations
If you want to wake up to the waves roaring in your ears, the Olympic Peninsula is a great place to do it. If you stay on the beach at the northern end of the peninsula, you’ll easily be able to visit the beaches of Olympic National Park. Quileute Oceanside Resort in La Push, has oceanfront cabins, plus a real Twilight-focus should you have any vampire-lovers in your family (Forks is nearby).
Sunset Marine Resort in Sequim has cabins right on the Puget Sound. This is the north end of the peninsula, so your water view will be calmer, and you’ll be closer to Hurricane Ridge than to the Olympic Beaches.
Charming Bed and Breakfasts
Once upon a time, back before we had kids, my husband and I took off for the Olympics with a tent in the back of our car and zero plans. Then it started to get dark. Then it started to rain, and we still hadn’t found a campground, and it was cold, and I was annoyed because my husband had been fishing all afternoon, and basically our marriage was saved by a magical sign rising out of the fog for the Misty Valley Inn. We pulled in, and rented their last room for the night, and woke up in the morning to coffee at our door and a magical breakfast spread.
That was ten years ago, and we don’t stay in charming B&Bs anymore because honestly I cannot imagine my monsters in that adorable place. But if you have nice, well-behaved children, there are plenty of small inns and adorable bed and breakfast accommodations to be found on the Olympic Peninsula, some of which are listed here. Other fun options include the Red Caboose B&B in Sequim.
Camping and RV Sites in and around Olympic National Park
There are several campgrounds within Olympic National Park. Only Kalaloch and Sol Duc accept reservations; all the others are first come, first served.
You can also find some decent campgrounds in the Olympic Forests adjacent to Olympic National Park. Campgrounds on DNR land are managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Some of these are really beautiful — we love the Hoh Oxbow campground.
It’s worth checking out Washington State Parks for accommodations, too. Specifically, Bogachiel State Park near Forks and Dosewallips State Park on the east side are close to Olympic National Park.
Vacation House Rentals
There are more vacation home rentals on the Olympic Peninsula than you might expect, so make sure to check Airbnb and VRBO before you go. Just be aware that depending on where you go, cell service and/or Wi-Fi access may be limited…so ask lots of questions.
Standard Hotels
If you prefer to stay in a larger town with multiple restaurant and hotel options, try lovely Port Angeles. It’s just down the hill from Hurricane Ridge and a popular place to plant yourself for Olympic National Park adventures. Here you can find several affordable hotel and motel options, including a Quality Inn and a Red Lion Hotel. The Red Lion Hotel is located right on the waterfront in Port Angeles, next to the ferry dock, and wins the award for best location in Port Angeles, hands down.
If you want to stay in the closest town to Olympic National Park’s famous beaches and rainforests, consider Forks. It was briefly famous for its vampiric stint in “Twilight,” but that doesn’t mean you have to be a teenage girl to appreciate its rainy charms. You can find hotels and motels in both Forks and nearby Port Angeles.
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