Submitted by brer2019 t3_yw1q89 in Washington
I’m planning a trip to Olympic anywhere between mid May to mid July in 2023. Looking for any and all recommendations from where to fly in (from Columbus, Ohio) to where to stay and MUST see/do while there. Planning to stay for at least 8-9 days with 5 people total. Everyone can be considered an experienced hiker so please, any and all hikes! I was also wondering about the surrounding area? I’m really interested in going to Mt. Rainer but I’m not quite sure how that will work yet. Two of us are really interested in seeing the coast, specifically going to forks. Thanks in advance! I appreciate it.
zh3nya t1_iwh4pdr wrote
That's plenty of time to see all the various ecosystems of the park. If you want to hike around in the high country, or visit Rainier or other equally beautiful parts of the Cascades, then definitely try to come in July at the earliest. If you're fit hikers and want to do an all-day hike, then the High Divide - 7 Lakes Basin loop is a great choice. That's definitely a July hike. Check out wta.org for more hike suggestions, and consider posing questions/doing research at NW Hikers as well.
The classic short trip to ONP is some combination of Hurricane Ridge/a beach/Hoh Rainforest. You'll have more time so definitely go deeper than that. Forks is a good gateway to the Hoh and some coastal areas but is a pretty run down place with not much to do.
Port Angeles area will have most lodging options and is a good town to stay in but it's much closer to the Hurricane Ridge area and the northern Olympics than to the coast (check out Grand Ridge and Royal Basin for a great long hikes in the northern Olys). Just check out drive times from there to places you wanna visit.
Fly into SeaTac and consider taking the ferry from Seattle or Edmonds to get across the sound to add some novelty to the journey, but you can also just drive around through Tacoma.