Since we’re staying on Whidbey Island for over a month, we decided to spend a long trip exploring as much as we could on the Olympic Peninsula for a full 6 days. We stayed at 4 different spots (having added an extra one at the end.) Here I’ll share each destination, each stay, and the food we ate (both good and bad.)

We also share some of the mistakes and triumphs along the way.

5 Days in the Olympic Peninsula with our Kids!

We ran a full counterclockwise loop from Port Townsend Ferry and back. Our first mistake was not reserving ferry tickets from Coupeville to Port Townsend. Since the Mukelteo/Clinton Ferry is first come first served and doesn’t do reservations, we assumed the same for this ferry. We had to wait a few hours to get on via stand-by. This threw a bit of a wrench in our first day plans. So instead of heading straight to Port Angeles and then into the forest, we spent a good portion of the day in Port Townsend. Not a big deal, as we really love this town!

 

We had a really good lunch at Silverwater Cafe, then we walked around and did some shopping. This town is awesome, especially in the summer. Plenty of great coffee shops, ice cream, loads of fun shops, and beautiful views of the water. We also stumbled upon a town party with live music and beer garden. We’ve spent time in this town before, a few mini trips over the last few decades, and it was nice to see that it hadn’t changed much.

We then drove to Port Angeles where we’d rented a tiny house as a single night stay. It was truly a highlight of the trip for the kids. It’s pretty amazing just how much room there is in a tiny home like this. I’m sure living there full time would be different, but for one night, it was perfect! We then ran out to have our last really good meal for a few days at Kokopelli Grill. It was delicious, and our server was great! She gave us some excellent tips for a hike the next day.

Elwha River Hike

We followed her suggestions and went to the Madison Falls Trailhead and followed the Elwha River upstream. We were told getting to the old dam is gorgeous and worth the trip. Though we didn’t make it (it was HOT), we had the best hike! We took some side trails down to the river, and one of them led to a rock beach with absolutely no one around. The river is just so picturesque. It’s beautiful and the glacial runoff is crystal clear with a bright blue tint. Just spectacular! We skipped rocks, and I decided to jump in. This water is colder than any cold-plunge I’ve ever attempted. I couldn’t speak, could barely breath, and though I intended on floating for awhile, my limbs were out of my control and forced a quick exit. Wow! Glad I did it though. I felt great afterwards. We found a few footprints that were likely from a black bear too.

We hiked and stopped wherever we wanted, making for a perfect experience. We only say a few other people. If you’re willing to camp overnight, this hike runs all the way to some pretty impressive natural hot springs. We’ll have to do another trip with more preparations someday.

We finished the hike by heading back to our car, then taking the very short hike to Madison Falls. Wow, what a great way to finish the day! The falls are covered in moss and just idyllic. I think waiting till the end of the day was a good idea too, because very few people were there.

On the way to our VRBO in Forks, we stopped at Lake Crescent. This lake is massive and beautiful! We wish we had the time to spend a few days just enjoying the lake via kayak, swimming, and at the beaches. Relative to the glacial stream I screamed out of, the water felt like a jacuzzi.

Once we got to Forks, we grabbed dinner at Longhouse Cafe. This is a Salish Indian restaurant serving native cuisine. The fried bread was good, but we were a little underwhelmed. We want to support Native American businesses while here. It wasn’t bad, just not a lot of options and mostly all fried. Our server was really nice, though she was the only one handling every table in the place.

When booking our place in Forks, we went bigger than we wanted to. Every place we checked out looks pretty gross. It’s our fault for taking so long to book, but the photos of most places looked nasty. I mean, I could almost smell the rooms from the photos. So we booked a nice big house on a few acres just a few minutes from downtown. It was great! 4 bedrooms, a big kitchen, really nice living room, fire pit for s’mores, and the neighbors had cows and a bunch of elk! It was beautiful and a perfect home base as we explored nearby beaches and hikes.

La Push

The next morning, we headed straight towards La Push’s 2nd Beach We heard it was the best for tidepools, so we made sure to go on a low tide. On the way, we were stopped by the local sheriff for speeding. The speed limit changes twice, rapidly in succession, within a few miles. We admitted to our fault, and he let us go with a warning and some police stickers for the kids. Unreal! We were really grateful, but we also recognized that it was clearly a speed trap. I’m sure if we had been rude or argued, we’d have a ticket.

Second Beach

Not only was the beach beyond any expectation I could have had (I’m glad I didn’t see photos beforehand), but the trail to the beach was impressive. A lush, damp, mossy, fern riddled forest straight from the Ewok Village. It opens up to a massive beach with a few overnight campers and eroded islands dotting the horizon. As the marine layer burned off, we saw more and more islands. And the tide pools did not disappoint! It was a rainbow of starfish and anemones. The abundance of life in this area is staggering. The waterline reveals hundreds of crab corpses and every rock is covered in shellfish and/or sea grasses. We loved it, and I kept imagining what it’d be like on an oversized, clean swell. The surf report said it was 4-5 feet. I didn’t see this, but was longboardable at the 1st Beach where we had lunch. Though it looked like a cold hell.

First Beach

We had lunch at the River’s Edge Restaurant, where the First Beach and the Quileute River meet. The brussel sprouts were great an so was the salmon. Everything else was subpar, including the burger and the service. The smash burger was an inedible rock. But the view was great.

Elk Creek Reservation Hike

We then decided to check out a local hike that’s a bit under the radar: Elk Creek Reservation Hike. It was an easy, beautiful forest hike. We stopped along Elk Creek and had a mini picnic. Kind of everything we look for. We really soaked up the nature!

That evening, we had a great sunset that lasted FOREVER and then made S’Mores and enjoyed the chilly weather.

Drag Races

Heading out of Forks, we stumbled on the Drag Races and stopped to watch a few. This is ran 4 times per year and shuts down the local airport. We met a seasoned racing resident and cheered as his brother and his grand nephew raced each other. It was great to learn about the area and racing history from him. Everyone has been really nice in since we’ve been here.

Ruby Beach

This beautiful beach had some unique rock formations and a ton of visitors. If it hadn’t been so busy, and the weather was clear, it would have been amazing. We just caught it on the wrong day.

The Tree of Life

We then when to Kalaloch Beach to check out the Tree of Life. It’s one of those impressive pieces of nature that finds a way to survive in a challenging environment. Really impressive. The walk about the beach was other-worldly, as the marine layer here is often straight out of a sci-fi film.

Queets River Trail

We then went to the Hoh Rainforest, something we’d heard was a must-see while in the Olympic National Park. Sadly, we couldn’t stomach waiting in line to park for 2+ hours. There are some days were our time is too valuable to waste on waiting. So, instead we went to a much lesser traveled trail called the Queets River Trail. We were the only ones there! We began our hike and say some really beautiful, mossy rainforest. We made it probably a mile in and had to turn back due to prickly weed plants impeding our trail. The bugs were also pretty merciless. I was sort of prepared to trample on, but my wife and kids wanted nothing to do with the bugs.

We then headed towards what was supposed to be our last stay: The Quinault Lodge.

Lake Quinault

We got to the historic Quinault Lodge only to find our 2 queen bedroom was actually an ATA single queen and they were sold out. The staff were really nice, but it was definitely a big problem. Their computer system messed up. But, the staff arranged a single mattress (from their own home!), and a bunch of blankets for kid #2. It worked out, but it was a little annoying. The lodge is pretty amazing and the lake is just as pretty as can be.

After sorting out the mishap, we washed off the anxiety buy jumping in. The water felt amazing, as it was a hot evening. We played on the floating swimming dock, and really enjoyed the water. We then had a very good diinner at the on-site restaurant. Grateful to find good food again! We explored the lodge and its history, and I wish we had another night or 2 here. SO, we decided to spend the next full day here and get a room on the way back instead of driving all day back to Port Townsend. This also afforded us time to book a ferry and spend more time in Port Townsend.

Breakfast at the lodge was equally good. We rented an over-priced canoe and made our way to some little beaches around us. The water was colder today but crystal clear. Another highlight. These lakes are just as good as they could be. After our kayak session we spent more time relaxing at the lodge playing lawn games, grabbing drinks and appetizers, and enjoying the dry sauna and taking more lake dips.

Hoodsport

In order to extend our stay, we took a room at the Glen-Ayr Resort, which is a canal-side RV park. The room was great, easy, and well-priced. Though the area of Hoodsport isn’t on the radar, we loved it! A tiny little town on the canal with great views and an epic restaurant called El Puerto de Angeles. I love accidentally finding spots like this.

Mount Walker

The next day, we drove to the peak of Mount Walker to see the views. You can hike it, but it was really, really hot. We’re glad we skipped this hike, though ordinarily it would have been great. The views were spectacular! We mot some locals that do the hike once a week. They said they once came in winter and got to see aurora borealis! I can’t imagine how jaw-dropping that would be! The kids loved seeing the eagles and all the hundreds of dragon flies.

Port Townsend

Once we made it back to Port Townsend, we found one of the best restaurants yet! Owl Sprit was epic! The cauliflower bowl was exceptional, the kind of meal I could eat for lunch everyday for the rest of my life. They also had some tasty local beers. We checked out the maritime museum, more shopping, the old Bell Tower, and finished the day at Doc’s Marina Grill. I think it’d be hard to find a spot in Port Townsend with bad food. Great food, and even though they were packed, we got a table. Service wasn’t great, but at least friendly.

All in all, it was a highlight of our month in the Pacific Northwest! Grateful for this amazing protected parks!

Next, we’re off to Whidbey Island and Seattle!