5 days in Olympic National Park with Kids
Hiking in our National Parks is one of my favorite things to do. I've traveled with friends, my mom, and husband to national parks, but after listening to my kids complain while on short hikes here in Missouri, I thought better of making hiking a family vacation. However, as my two girls (ages 10 and 6) grew older, I was determined to make a trip work. After conducting extensive research, I discovered that Olympic National Park might be the ideal choice for my kids' first national park experience. We spent four full days in the park in August 2025 with a travel day on each end. It was a fantastic trip, and I highly recommend this park if traveling with kids!
Day 1: Travel Day. Flying from St. Louis to Seattle, we took the Edmonds/Kingston Ferry, which was a fun experience for the girls, and then continued our drive to Port Angeles. We had a great dinner at Hook & Line Pub, which offered a great kids' menu and avoided the long wait times of other restaurants.
Day 2: We booked a last-minute whale-watching tour the night before, which left from the town of Port Townsend. The tour, which lasted about 3 hours, took us on a scenic journey through the Puget Sound, all the way up to the San Juan Islands in Canadian waters. We were overjoyed to see a pod of Orcas, including Orca babies, puffins, and seals. After the tour, we enjoyed a nice pizza lunch in the quaint town and headed towards Hurricane Ridge after checking into the hotel in Port Angeles. Hurricane Ridge was a great first hike of the trip, as it was brief yet offered scenic views. We got carry-out from Chipotle, which was located across from our hotel, so the kids could spend more time enjoying the hotel pool. We enjoyed our stay at Olympic Lodge by Ayres, which offered a complimentary breakfast buffet, clean rooms, an outdoor pool, and proximity to grocery stores and restaurants. It was an excellent option for families.
Spotted an Orca family on our Whale Watching excursion near San Juan Islands
Day 3: We left Port Angeles and headed towards Lake Crescent, where we hiked to Marymere Falls. Then, we stopped at the Lake Crescent Lodge to enjoy clam chowder and some of the lunch items we had picked up at the grocery store in Port Angeles. The lake was cold, but my kids enjoyed wading in for a brief time. The Marymere Falls hike was the perfect length hike for my kids, with a great waterfall payoff at the end. We then headed to Sol Duc Falls to do the hot springs. My kids wanted to leave about an hour into our time slot. There was a large, cold pool that they preferred to swim in, which they enjoyed, but don't think it is a must-do with kids. We took a short hike to Sol Duc Falls, where we lucked out with an empty parking lot since it was later in the day. We headed on to Forks, Washington, where we stayed at the Olympic Suites Inn. The inn had a kitchen and renovated rooms, but I don't think it was worth the price.
Scenic views on the hike to Marymere Falls
Day 4: We consulted the tide chart and were fortunate to have some very low tides in the mornings for the last few days of our trip. We checked out Rialto Beach and headed towards the far left end of the beach, where my kids were thrilled to explore the tide pools. After lunch, we headed back to our hotel and then towards the Hoh Rainforest. We arrived around 2 pm, but spent another hour in our car inching along towards the entry gate—signs recommended arriving before 9 am or after 5 pm to avoid the crowd. We hiked the Hall of Mosses trail and then continued for a mile on the River trail until we reached a path leading to the river. My kids were disappointed that I didn't pack a bathing suit to wade in it a bit, since it was a hot day. Hiking the rainforest felt similar to hiking at Marymere Falls, but with a more dramatic atmosphere. It is a must-see in my opinion. We ate at The In Place both nights, given their large kids' menu and range of options for Adults. It was excellent service with no wait.
Hall of Mosses trail in Hoh Rainforest
Day 5: This was another great tide pool day! We started the day at Ruby Beach, heading to the right end of the beach at low tide. We saw many colors of starfish, anemone, and little creatures like shrimp and crabs. My kids loved playing in the soft black sand and didn't seem to mind the cold tide coming in. They wore bathing suits underneath their pants and were quickly running around in them. We stayed here for a bit and then headed to Kalaloch Beach for our picnic lunch, but we arrived at high tide and didn't have much room to walk along the beach. We checked into the Kalaloch Lodge, which ended up having availability at the last minute (keep checking their site!). I'm so glad we were able to stay here. It has a fantastic restaurant, a little shop where the girls could get ice cream, and my husband and I enjoyed walking along the beach in the evening. If available, I would have tried to stay here longer.
Sunset at Kalaloch Lodge
Day 6: We returned to Kalaloch Beach/Beach 4 in the morning to explore the tide pools, this time heading to the right end of the beach—another fantastic experience, so we were happy to go back in low tide. We then briefly stopped back at Ruby Beach for my daughter to explore the 'villages' created from driftwood. We then headed back to Seattle for the evening and flew out the next morning. I had left this day up in the air since it was a longer drive back to Seattle. My kids enjoyed spending more time at the beach, but we rushed through the experience of downtown Seattle, missing the time the Market was open. This trip was a testament to the importance of flexibility when traveling with kids. We may have missed out on some things, but we also had the freedom to explore at our own pace, and that's a trade-off we were happy to make.
Low tide at Ruby Beach
Day 7: Travel day back to St. Louis!
My kids loved this trip. The hikes we did were manageable, with big payoffs in the end (waterfalls, rivers, and a view of Port Angeles). We brought snacks for the trip and stopped at grocery stores in both Port Angeles and Forks to cover lunch for all the days (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for days!). The combination of swimming, wildlife (tidepools and whale watching), nature hikes, and downtime for iPad on the longer drives (haha) made it a memorable and enjoyable trip for all. Where should we go next?