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Cape Flattery

I would temper your girlfriends expectation of Twilight-related things.

Yes, there is some, but not that much - a chintzy tour or two, some touristy knick-knacks to buy.

That said, the Olympic peninsula is BEAUTIFUL, although Oct/Nov can get very windy and stormy as that is when our fall storms start rolling in from the Gulf of Alaska (see our weather this week as an example).

Lots to see in and around Olympic National Park - Hurricane Ridge, Crescent Lake, all the beaches along the western coast. The Rain Forest itself. A full drive around the park can be fun (down the west coast, across to Olympia, back up through Gig Harbor, Bremerton, Sequim, Port Townsend, etc. All of those (except Olympia)are small towns with a small town feel.

And bonus is tourist season is dead then, so prices will be as cheap as they get for the year. But it also means may things might have shorter hours or even be closed.

Rialto Beach — you gotta check out Hole in the Wall. Hella tidepools and such. But be sure to plan around high tide. The walk to Hole in the Wall is beautiful, but becomes very difficult/dangerous at high tide.

Please be respectful of tribal lands and traditions when visiting La Push. The locals do not appreciate tourists that do not have respect for their laws and customs. Some information can be found here:

https://quileutenation.org/indian-country-etiquette/

The best, out of a million gems out on the peninsula.

We inadvertently went camping near Forks at the peak of Twilight mania in the area and it was pretty funny. Everything had some kind of Twilight memorabilia, even the equipment rental company had a sign up saying Edward rented a tractor there or something like that. We haven’t been in quite a while so I imagine it’s died down quite a bit, definitely research to see what’s around.

Hurricane ridge, the hall of mosses, sol duc hot springs.

You can go see the twilight spots but it's all really just bushes

Rialto Beach and Hoh Rainforest are gorgeous, must-see places. Twilight was filmed all over the Northwest, much of it in Portland and not in Forks itself.

Was literally just there last weekend and would recommend the following at Olympic:

• Ruby Beach - Iconic views on the beach
• Kalaloch Beach - Tree of life is here and Beach 4 (on Google maps) has amazing tide pools
• La Push - Similar to Ruby Beach with beautiful land masses rising from the ocean and the Hole-in-the-Wall is on the north end (need to have low tide to get close/best view
• Hoh Rainforest - Hall of mosses is an amazing and short .8 mile walk that is endless amazing views. The Hoh river trail is also a great hike afterwards that you take as long or short a walk as you want (it's 17miles long) but there's a sweet waterfall at the 3 mile mark
• Lake Cresent - Marymere Falls on the south side is a 15 minute hike to see a really great waterfall and the Devil's Punchbowl on the north side of the lake is a 20 minute walk along a paved former rail line (the punch bowl itself is 2 min off that trail but super easy) and the colors of the water when the sun hits are fantastic
• Sol Duc Falls - Amazing waterfall that is everything great about Olympic National Park and is only 1 mile from the parking lot

Just know that the distances between some of these places and the fact there's no road (thankfully) straight through Olympic means there's a good amount of driving so factor transit times into the day.

For Forks specifically the restaurants in town are all stupid expensive for what you get (and midling/low quality) but we really enjoyed the Westend Taproom as the beer selection was really good and the paninis there were tasty and we also enjoyed the Golden Gate Chinese restaurant for a quick bite. Multiple coffee huts to get a drink in the AM and there's a good coffee place in the combo grocery/hardware store too.

For Twilight I would only really recommend going to La Push but also the truck from the movie (and the truck described in the books) are both parked at the Chamber of Commerce at the south end of town and the Chamber also has some cool stuff. Otherwise the house in Forks is not where they shot the movie (but it's the location/description in the books) and is close to the main street if interested.

Hope this helps, have a great trip!

Spoons

Bring rain gear, boots, hats, gloves, warm clothes, and get ready for Mother Nature to take a massive shit all over you. Also check tides before you go. Those drift logs are lethal at high tide. Also bring extra changes of clothes incase a sneaker wave hits you like a ton of bricks and tries to bring you out to meet Poseidon.

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Here’s the thing: There’s a ton of roadside tourist trap restaurants and gas stations all along US-101. Before you head out there, top off your tank in either Port Angeles, Sequim, or if you go the other way, Aberdeen. Forks fucking sucks. It’s a shithole. Yes, there’s cool stuff to see out there, but Forks ain’t it. Also: watch your cellphone to make sure it doesn’t connect to Canadian cell towers.

Hike down to 2nd beach in La Push.

And buy some smoked salmon from the dude at Neah Bay.

Just vacationed on the peninsula last week and can confirm - very little actually related to Twilight in Forks. Also OP, please realize that La Push Beach from the movie is actually in Oregon. This was a trip of a lifetime, but definitely wouldn't focus on the Twilight stuff as you'll likely be disappointed.

Some great answers here, especially from u/insom187:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Washington/comments/yfzdna/comment/iu6z7ac/

The rainy season has finally returned to the Pacific Northwest so be sure to bring rain gear. Remember to dress in layers so you can adjust as you warm up.

To the list in the answer above, I would add that all of this stuff is great in the cold, damp, and gray season.

• The Hoh Rain Forest is meant to be seen in the gloom. It looks...not right...in the sun.
• The lodge at Lake Crescent has benches and chairs you can use to admire the view. If the restaurant is open, it's quite good (though pricey). Definitely do the short hikes.
• You should also stop by Hurricane Ridge, uphill from Port Angeles. It's a beautiful alpine meadow and there are some nice hikes there too. Even if it's wet.
• Rialto Beach is across the river mouth from La Push. I've been there during a storm. It was impressive seeing the tree trunks on the beach tossed around like matchsticks.
• In Forks, Sully's Drive-In is great. Takes you back 50 years except for the prices. Pacific Pizza is surprisingly good too.
• The Quileute Oceanside Resort & RV Park at La Push (https://quileuteoceanside.com/) is great. Like everything in the Forks area there isn't much there, just the ocean and the surf. But that's why you go there. Some rooms have covered balconies so you can watch the ocean and surf during wet weather without getting wet yourself.
• The beach scenes in the first Twilight movie were filmed at Cannon Beach, OR, and Indian Beach, which is a little bit north. You won't recognize anything except in a generic PNW way.
• The Italian restaurant from the book (Bella Italia, in Port Angeles) is worth a visit, but again you won't recognize it. The scene was filmed in St Helens OR IIRC. They have a dish modeled after whatever the mopey girl had on her first date with the sparkly guy. I haven't been there since the pandemic started but have heard that it's still good.

Also, if you walk on the beaches, CHECK THE TIDE TABLES. Other people have said this but it bears repeating.