Olympic's three distinct ecosystems each demand their own section. The trails below are organized by zone — choose your entry point based on the landscape that calls you.
Olympic Mountains (Alpine Zone)
Hurricane Hill Trail
One of the finest panoramic summits accessible by trail in the park. From the Hurricane Ridge trailhead, a paved path climbs steadily past wildflower meadows and marmot habitat to a 5,757-foot summit with 360-degree views: the Olympic Range, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Port Angeles, and on clear days, Vancouver Island across the water. Deer walk the trail. Marmots sun themselves on the rocks. A highly accessible alpine experience.
- **Distance**: 3.2 miles round trip · **Elevation gain**: 800 ft · **Difficulty**: Easy-Moderate · **Time**: 2 hrs
High Divide Trail & Seven Lakes Basin Loop
One of the defining backcountry traverses in the Olympics. The loop climbs from the Sol Duc valley to a ridge with unobstructed views of Mount Olympus's glaciers, descends through subalpine lakes, and returns through old-growth forest. The ridge walk itself — several miles of it above treeline — is among the most dramatic above-treeline ridge walks in the region. Bears, marmots, elk. Plan two to three days.
- **Distance**: 18–19 miles loop · **Elevation gain**: ~3,500 ft · **Difficulty**: Strenuous · **Time**: 2–3 days
Mount Storm King
Among the steepest and most dramatic day hikes in the park. The summit involves exposed scrambling and a rope-assisted section near the top. The reward: jaw-dropping views of Lake Crescent's turquoise water far below, framed by old-growth forest. Not for those uncomfortable with heights.
- **Distance**: 4.4 miles round trip · **Elevation gain**: 2,100 ft · **Difficulty**: Strenuous · **Time**: 3–4 hrs
Hoh Rainforest (Temperate Rainforest Zone)
Hall of Mosses Trail
The rainforest's most iconic walk. Bigleaf maples draped in club moss form a cathedral canopy above the trail — one of the most visually striking short walks in the Pacific Northwest. The Hoh receives up to 140 inches of rain a year, and it shows: every surface is alive with fern, lichen, and moss. Combine with the Hoh River Trail for a longer morning.
- **Distance**: 0.8 miles loop · **Difficulty**: Easy · **Time**: 30–45 min
Hoh River Trail
The Hoh River Trail runs 17 miles up-valley from the visitor center toward Mount Olympus. Day hikers can go as far as they want — the first few miles are flat, ancient, and notably quiet. The concept of "One Square Inch of Silence" was developed here — a specific point in the Hoh designated as one of the quietest places in the hemisphere. The deeper you go, the more the forest closes around you.
- **Distance**: Varies (2–17 miles one way) · **Difficulty**: Easy-Moderate · **Time**: 1 hr to multi-day
Pacific Coast (Coastal Zone)
Second Beach (La Push)
A quintessential Olympic coast experience. A 0.7-mile trail through forest opens suddenly onto a wild beach of black sand and sea stacks — spires of rock rising from the surf, dense with seabirds. Sunset light here is particularly vivid. The beach is on the traditional territory of the Quileute Nation.
- **Distance**: 1.4 miles round trip · **Difficulty**: Easy · **Time**: 45 min
Hole-in-the-Wall (Rialto Beach)
A natural sea arch carved by the surf, accessible by a 1.5-mile walk north along Rialto Beach. Tide pools, sea stacks, bald eagles, and the sound of the Pacific. Check tides — the final section to the arch requires a low tide passage.
- **Distance**: 3 miles round trip · **Difficulty**: Easy (tide-dependent) · **Time**: 1.5–2 hrs
Ozette Triangle (Cape Alava / Sand Point Loop)
A 9-mile loop combining a beach segment with ancient cedar boardwalk trails through coastal forest. Cape Alava is the westernmost point in the contiguous United States. The beach section passes Wedding Rocks — a cluster of petroglyphs carved by the Makah people, some of the most significant ancient rock art on the peninsula.
- **Distance**: 9 miles loop · **Difficulty**: Moderate · **Time**: 4–5 hrs
Quinault Rainforest
Quinault Rain Forest Loop
A less-visited alternative to the Hoh with similar rainforest character — same ancient temperate rainforest, a fraction of the visitors. The loop passes through moss-draped bigleaf maple, massive western red cedar, and towering Douglas fir. The world's largest Sitka spruce (over 1,000 years old, 58 feet in circumference) is a short walk from the trailhead. Pair with lunch on the lakefront porch at Lake Quinault Lodge.
- **Distance**: 3 miles loop · **Difficulty**: Easy · **Time**: 1–2 hrs
Makah Coast
Shi Shi Beach & Point of the Arches
The most remote and dramatic beach on the Olympic coast. A 4-mile trail through coastal forest descends to a wild beach where Point of the Arches — a cathedral of sea stacks — is accessible at low tide. Requires a Makah Recreation Pass purchased...