Exploring Olympic Peninsula in Just 48 Hours

Here is how my Birthday Surprise really went. I jam packed our two days with lots of Olympic fun. The total driving time was 8 hours the first day and 4 hours the next day. Thankfully, I spaced out each hour drive with a different activity so we could see the sights and stretch our legs. It was a LOT of adventuring in a short time, which made us really tired on the first day, but find out how we stayed comfy and adventured on. (For the route, go all the way to the bottom)

Day 1:

It took about 2.5 hours to get from our house to the Washington coast. Our first stop was at the

Tree of Life:

We got there around 8am on Saturday. We were one of the two cars in the parking lot and the walk down to the tree took 5 minutes. The stairs down are steep, but other than that, getting to the tree was simple. The tree itself was surreal. Erosion has caused it to be suspended between two cliff banks.

We then drove 10 minutes up Highway 101 to

Ruby Beach:

Getting there so early, we were the only car there and enjoyed the rocky beach to ourselves. The 10 minute hike down was relatively easy and the view was well worth it. The clouds and misty fog set in to give Ruby Beach serious Pacific Northwest vibes. I loved how the rocks shot out of the ocean. This rocky wonderland was one of my favorites.

Next, we took a 1 hour drive to the

Hoh Rainforest:

On our way over, Gabe spotted some herds of elk. We respectful watched from a far distance.

At the Hot Rainforest there is so much to explore. I recommend stoping at the visitor center to see what trails will best fit your trip. We hiked an easy 1 mile loop trail called the Hall of Moss. Once again the views were unreal. There is so much life and lush scenery in this forest. I stoped after that hike, but Gabe continued to the Hoh River Trail and noted that the trees got even funkier in size and shape.

Our next stop was to the

Town of Forks

It took 40 minutes to get here. At this point we were really hungry so it was the perfect pit stop for some food. We stopped at a pizza parlor and ate two large slices of pizza each, then took a large pizza with us for dinner.

Next, we drove 1 hour to

Sol Duc Hot Springs:

This was our first experience with a man made hot spring. My honest review is that I didn’t really like it. At Sol Duc, groups are admitted every hour and a half and you can enjoy the springs for that long. The hot springs looked like regular swimming pool, but because of the sulfur present, it gave off an eggy odor. It was a nice point in our trip to relax from all of the driving we’ve been doing. On our way out, we stopped at the salmon cascades hoping to see some jumping salmon, but it was too early.

I do recommend hiking Sol Duc Falls if you have time.

Next, we took a 40 minute drive to

Lake Crescent:

Another personal favorite of mine. The lake is absolutely stunning. It’s perfectly for rock skipping and the water is clear enough to see fish swimming by. We spent a while here just relaxing by the water and having a rock skipping contest.

Finally, to end our day, we stayed in an airbnb just 10 minutes outside of Port Angeles. It was a

Cozy Tiny Home...

and it was so adorable! I was super excited to find this place and even more excited when we arrived.

All of the amenities were great, a hot shower, tv, comfy bed, tiny kitchen. It truely was the perfect rest place for us. In fact, after we got there, we both took a very long nap being exhausted for the day's adventures. I even woke up thinking it was the morning. There was a nice patio and fire place area to roast some s’mores. This Cozy Modern Tiny Home was another favorite of the trip.

Day 2:

Donuts and Pier

Still recovering from the long day of Day 1, we decided to sleep in (if you count till 9am sleeping in). Starting off our day, we drove 10 minutes to Port Angeles. Our first stop was getting donuts at Sasquatch Bakery. We got three kinds, and ate them all

before we got back to our Car. So, of course we had to

go back to get more delicious donuts. Port Angeles is a great tourist town with cute shops and restaurants. We enjoyed a walk along the pier and we kept an eye out for orcas, but unfortunately didn’t spot any.

Our last stop was into another part of the Olympic National Park to get to

Hurricane Ridge

Every turn was a new "WOAH" or "WOW", The mountains ranges were covered in snow and as we drove up higher up it got even better. At the top, people were skiing. We walked along the snow trail briefly, but because I am just one-month post-op of knee surgery, we thought it best to just enjoy the view. From Hurricane Ridge, we could many Olympic mountain ridges, including Mount Olympus. This park is great for backpacking and Gabe and I are already planning our next backpacking trip here. Within the mountain ranges, there are alpine lakes, ridgeline forests, medows, valleys, glaciers, and more. We couldn't see it all in our 48 hours, but we look forward to returning.

I hope this post inspires you to think of your next trip. If you need help creating an itinerary, I have set up a contact page under "Itineraries" > "Plan My Adventure" to help you with your planning process.

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