The Most Fun 2 Days in Olympic National Park For Families
Only have 2 days in Olympic National Park, but want to enjoy some of the highlights of the park with your family? I’ve got you covered with the best two day Olympic National Park itinerary for families with a focus on Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, and Sol Duc – which are some of my favorite parts of the entire park! This itinerary will help you spend time outside enjoying the scenery without spending your entire day in the car.
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How to Spend an Epic 2 Days in Olympic National Park
Where to Stay for 2 Days in Olympic
This itinerary will have a couple options for where to stay. You can choose to stay in Port Angeles for both nights. This will allow you to stay in one place, but will add a little bit of drive time on to your trip with the drive back and forth. Port Angeles is a bigger town compared to other Olympic National Park towns so there will be more dining options and larger selection of hotels.
The second option would be to stay in Port Angeles night one and then stay in Sol Duc the next night! This will allow you to explore the Sol Duc area early in the morning and be able to spend a bit more time in the area. Either option is totally reasonable and fun. We were lucky enough to explore this park with a roadsurfer campervan so we had flexibility to pack up and stay wherever from night to night.
Or for maybe the best option if you’re camping….you’ll get to be pretty central to these activities if you are able to snag a stay in the Fairholme Campground on Lake Crescent – make sure to book very far ahead of time!
AND… this 2 day itinerary is based on late spring, summer, or early fall weather. Some of these spots can get snow in the late fall, winter, or early spring (especially Hurricane Ridge) so plan accordingly and always check the weather before you go. Now we’ll get on to the fun 2 day adventure in Olympic National Park below!
Places to Stay in Port Angeles:
- RV at Olympic – if you’re okay with RV park vibes, the location of this spot is great. It’s a gravel lot, but has really easy access to the park and all the amenities (shower, laundry, playground)
- Emerald Valley Inn – Perfect location right between Lake Crescent and the Olympic National Park visitor center
- Red Lion Port Angeles Harbor – beautiful views (and has a pool!)
- Poulsbo is a nearby town that is super cute – the “Little Norway of Washington” it’ll add drive time but it’s very charming!
Places to Stay in Sol Duc
- Sol Duc Campground
- Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort
Overview of Your Two Day Olympic National Park Itinerary
If you only have two days in Olympic National Park, you will want to spend your time wisely. The park is pretty massive, so if you tried to explore the whole thing in only two days, you would end up spending most of your time in the car and not enjoying the beautiful sights, smells, and sounds that Olympic National Park has to offer.
This 2 day itinerary for Olympic National Park will highlight some of my favorite areas in the park – Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, and Sol Duc. Truly if I was visiting Olympic National Park again, I would hit those places first because we had such an amazing time there and you will too!
I know it will be tempting to try and drive around the whole park to see it all, but I would highly recommend getting to know these few areas since you only have two days. You can enjoy your time without feeling rushed and get a few EPIC family friendly hikes in.
2 Days in Olympic National Park – The Itinerary!
If you are traveling from Seattle, you’ll have to get an early start since this will add a few hours onto your drive time for the day. If you can start day one off in Port Angeles, that would be best – but if not, just make sure to get started early so you can enjoy as much of the park as possible.
Day 1 in Olympic National Park: Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge
Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge – Drive Time 45 minutes
Morning:
- Drive up to Hurricane Ridge
- Hike the Cirque Rim Nature Trail
- Visit the Port Angeles Olympic National Park Visitor Center
Afternoon/Evening:
- Drive to Lake Crescent – make sure to stop at Granny’s Cafe
- Stop at the Lake Crescent Lodge
- Play in Lake Crescent – swim or kayak
- Hike the Moments in Time Trail
Start your day by driving from Port Angeles up to the top of Hurricane Ridge. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Port Angeles to the parking lot, with beautiful views along the way. If you’re feeling like it, you can stop at one of the many overlooks on the drive. However, the top has the most epic views, so I recommend just getting there and stopping on the way down if you want additional viewpoints.
Things to do at Hurricane Ridge:
Once you reach the top of Hurricane Ridge you should definitely just walk along the parking lot and check out the view for a bit.
Then, if you’re hikers like us, I would highly recommend doing one of the best family friendly ONP hikes at the top. The Cirque Rim Nature Trail is perfect (less than a mile) and one of our favorite easy hikes in Olympic! You’ll get to experience views from both sides of the mountain and it’s even stroller friendly.
NOTE: Keep your kids close on this trail, there have previously been cougar sightings. One of the most important things to know before visiting Olympic is about wildlife safety before visiting Olympic National Park.
The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center
Unfortunately, the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center burned down in 2023 and as of early 2026 has not been rebuilt. There are still bathrooms at the top, but you won’t be able to stop in for a passport stamp or souvenirs (go to the Port Angeles Visitor Center for this!) They do plan to start rebuilding and demolishing the burned down visitor center in 2025 so that may impact the road status.
NOTE: If you are driving up in the fall or spring, make sure to check the road status before going. This road does close for some of the year because of snow.
If you only have one day in Olympic National Park or 3 days in the park we’ve also got an itinerary for you!
Make your way back down the mountain and visit the Olympic National Park Visitor Center. It’s located at the base of the mountain and is on your way to the next stop. I would recommend stopping on the way down vs the way up so you can get to the top earlier and beat the crowds.
The Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles
This visitor center is great for kids, it’s one of the first I’ve seen with a special room dedicated just to children. There is a cute little ranger cabin, activities and even a pretend cougar they can sit on. Go take a break to get a passport stamp – get your National Parks passport, souvenir, and talk to a ranger if you have any questions.
We also did a short hike at the visitor center along the Peabody Creek trail. It’s only about a 0.5 mile loop. It’s nothing I would recommend prioritizing but if you have extra time it’s a fun little trail.
On the Way to Lake Crescent:
Hurricane Ridge to Lake Crescent – drive time about 1 hour 15 minutes
The next destination is Lake Crescent, but there is a great stop along the way that you WON’T want to miss. Granny’s Cafe is a totally underrated spot for ice cream and lunch along the way to Lake Crescent. It’s a fun vintage cafe with soft serve ice cream and some lunch food like chicken strips and burgers. The food isn’t anything too special, but the real surprise is when you walk out back.
The property in the back of the cafe has a whole little farm that was so unique and unexpected. You can take your ice cream cone and walk around looking at farm animals. My favorite part? The EMUS! You can see one of the biggest birds in the world and they are so interesting (but maybe a little creepy). Definitely one of the most unique ice cream experiences I’ve ever had.
Lake Crescent:
Lake Crescent is the most famous Olympic National Park lake and it’s the best place for kids to swim in the park. The water is a bright blue color and it’s absolutely stunning. The best area to enjoy the beach is at the shores of the Lake Crescent Lodge. We did try one of the other beaches on the lake (East Beach) and it wasn’t nearly as nice or clean.
There are several things you can do on Lake Crescent. Check out the historic Lake Crescent Lodge – enjoy dinner on the deck if you’re wanting to dine in a restaurant. And I would highly recommend spending some time on the beach. It’s one of the best beaches in Olympic and one of our kids favorite things to do in Olympic National Park.
If you’re up for a hike, we loved the Moments in Time Trail. You can access this 0.8 mile trail from the Lake Crescent Lodge parking lot, or one of the three other trailheads. It’s a short, interpretive loop trail with several access points. There are some really unique mossy trees here that give a similar experience to exploring the Hoh Rainforest. You can also access some more private beach areas from this trail.
Day 2 in Olympic National Park:
Exploring Sol Duc
Morning:
- Hike to Sol Duc Falls
- Soak in Sol Duc Hot Springs
- Quick stop at the Salmon Cascades
Afternoon/Evening:
- Hike to Madison Falls
- Play on Lake Crescent and enjoy the sunset
Sol Duc is one of my favorite sections of Olympic National Park and it’s truly a can’t miss spot. This stunning old growth forest has incredible mossy trees, a beautiful river winding through it, and a relaxing hot springs. You might see the spelling “Soleduck” on some of the signs, but the name was officially changed to Sol Duc in 1992 to more accurately reflect the Quileute name.
Hike to Sol Duc Falls
Start the morning with one of our favorite hikes in all of Olympic National Park to Sol Duc Falls. This is a popular trail, so I would recommend getting an early start if you can. This hike is 1.8 miles roundtrip (262 feet elevation) and totally kid friendly. The waterfall here is really beautiful and unique and the hike. Along the way, make sure to look down – you will probably find some really cool mushrooms and slugs!
Soak in Sol Duc Hot Springs
After a beautiful hike, head a few miles back towards the main road and you will find the perfect family friendly hot spring, Sol Duc Hot Springs. This hot spring is the perfect way for you and the kids to relax after a hike. They have 3 mineral soaking pools and one freshwater pool. The temperatures vary between the pools at 99, 104, 101 and the freshwater pool ranges from 50-85 degrees depending on the season.
The hot springs do not take reservations, but they do have a first come first serve policy. Each soaking session is two hours long, so you can show up before the start of the session and get your tickets. I was told they never sell out (but maybe get there a bit early during busy times just in case!)
NOTE: Kids under 4 are not allowed in the two hotter pools, this did cause a few issues for our little guy – but we still had a blast!
Salmon Cascades & Madison Falls
NOTE: Both of these stops I would consider optional, they are still cool but not as impressive as the other things you’ll do this day!
Before you leave the Sol Duc area, you can check out a few more quick stops. The Salmon Cascades is a really cool stop just off the road if you want to see fish jumping up river. You might see fish between March – May and September – October. We weren’t lucky enough to see them this time, but we’ll be back!
Another quick stop that is worth seeing if you have extra time is Madison Falls. It’s a beautiful waterfall that you can access by a really short 0.1 mile trail. It’s not stroller friendly, but even tiny legs can make it on this hike. You’ll come to a viewing area where you can see the waterfall and near the parking lot you can also see the beautiful Elwha River.
If you still have time to spend at the end of your day, you could head back to Lake Crescent and enjoy a beautiful sunset. We visited Lake Crescent multiple times during our trip and could have spent an entire day there. Renting kayaks or paddleboards at the lake is a great family friendly activity if you are up for a little more adventure.
I hope you have the best trip ever for your two days in Olympic National Park. It’s a truly massive park, so by keeping your trip to Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, and Sol Duc you will have a ton of time to explore and enjoy nature and less time in the car. There is so much to know about this park which we can help you with in our Full Guide to Olympic National Park with Kids.
