Olympic National Park is such a beautiful part of the USA and we absolutely LOVED exploring it with our little ones. We found so many awesome easy hikes in Olympic National Park and had a blast hiking through one of the best parks we’ve visited.

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There is a lot of driving involved to visit Olympic National Park, so taking short hikes along the way can be a great way for everyone to stretch their legs and see the beauty this park has to offer. You definitely don’t need to do long difficult hikes to see the epic landscapes of this park, these short hikes will show you a lot of what the park has to offer.

I’ve also included a map at the bottom of this post to help you plan out your trip since the park is so spread out. We didn’t stray too far off the road from the major highlights of the park, so most of these hikes will be near the areas you plan on visiting anyways!

Easy Hikes in Olympic National Park

1. Sol Duc Falls

Distance: 1.8 miles
Elevation: 262 feet
Stroller friendly? No

Sol Duc Falls was probably our favorite hike we did in Olympic National Park! This trail has so much to offer from beautiful mossy trees along the way, to cool and unique mushrooms on the ground, and of course the STUNNING waterfall at the end. If you love waterfall hikes you’ll have to make this hike a priority.

This trail is popular so make sure to go fairly early if you want to find a parking spot and have some solitude along the way. Sol Duc is part of our epic 2 day Olympic National Park itinerary and three day itinerary that you don’t want to miss!

sol duc falls in september. in this photo you can see two waterfalls with the river in the back. There are green and yellow trees along the river because it was fall

2. Moments in Time Trail

Distance: 0.7 miles
Elevation: flat
Stroller friendly? Yes

The Moments in Time Trail is located long the shores of Lake Crescent. This hike was hardly on my radar during our trip, but I’m so glad we did it! It was surprisingly a really cool trail with lake views, beautiful mossy trees, and interpretive signs so you can learn more about the area.

If you’re not planning to drive all the way to the Hoh Rainforest, this hike would be a good substitute for the Hall of Mosses Trail.

If you only have one day in Olympic National Park, the Lake Crescent area is a great place to explore!

an old, moss covered bench sits in front of ferns and moss covered trees moments in time trail in olympic national park

3. Second Beach

Distance: 1.4 miles
Elevation: 291 feet
Stroller friendly? No

The hike to Second Beach was another unexpected favorite hike of the trip for us. This short trail leads down through a beautiful and lush forest to an incredible beach (probably one of our favorite beaches we’ve ever visited)! We timed our hike with low tide so we got to spend a lot of time down here at this beach playing in the sand, watching surfers, and tide pooling.

We were lucky enough to see starfish, lots of anenomes, snails, and so much more. Make sure to check the tide schedule before you go!

large rock formation mirrored in the sea water at second beach in olympic national park

And make sure to check out some of the other beaches in Olympic National Park – here are 5 of the best beaches for families in Olympic!

4. Hall of Mosses

Distance: 1.1 miles
Elevation: 82 feet
Stroller friendly? No

The Hoh Rainforest is known for the unique and beautiful mossy trees. I truly have never seen trees like this in my life and they are definitely worth seeing. This one way loop trail takes you across a little bridge and up the hill through the mossy trees. Make sure you take the little trail to the viewpoint for some of the most impressive trees.

The Hall of Mosses is located in the Hoh Rainforest near Forks, Washington. To get here, you’ll have to drive about an hour from Forks to the Hoh Visitor Center. The drive can be longer if you’re visiting during peak times because there could be a very long line at the entrance station.

moss dripping from the tree in the hoh rainforest. This massive tree is completely covered with moss and can be found on the hall of mosses trail

5. Madison Falls

Distance: 0.2 miles
Elevation: 49 feet
Stroller friendly? No

Madison Falls is a very short walk, to a waterfall viewpoint. I actually visited mid morning and had this spot entirely to myself, so I had such a peaceful visit. The waterfall itself is beautiful and from the parking lot you can also see views of the Elwha River.

surrounded by moss and trees, madison falls runs down a rock face in olympic national park

6. Ancient Groves Nature Trail

Distance: 0.5 miles
Elevation: 59 feet
Stroller friendly? Yes

The Ancient Groves Nature Trail is definitely worth checking out if you’re in the Sol Duc area. Another beautiful hike that was less crowded than others, and had some really cool features. It’s a great way to see a classic old growth forest with nurse logs, fungi, and some really unique trees that have grown on top of each other.

Most of this trail is very flat and safe for kids, but there is a part of this hike that has a very steep drop off, so don’t let your little ones get too far ahead.

dad and two young kids standing on the path of the ancient grove nature trail. Surrounding them is a bunch of very tall trees

7. Cirque Rim Nature Trail

Distance: 0.8 miles
Elevation: 49 feet
Stroller friendly? Yes

When we visited the Hurricane Ridge area, we wanted to hike, but weren’t quite up for the 3.5 mile hike to Hurricane Hill. So we opted for the Cirque Rim Nature Trail which gave us a good taste of the Hurricane Ridge area with some pretty epic views on a short hike.

We saw some grouse, an old chairlift, and some cool views from the trail. There have been mountain lions in this area, so read the signs ahead of time to make sure you are prepared in case there is a mountain lion encounter (rare but good to be prepared!)

In addition to doing this hike, I would recommend also walking along the parking lot where the visitor center used to be (it burned down). It’s a great spot to see endless mountain views and maybe take a family photo for your next Christmas card!

mom and toddler son walking along the cirque ridge trail in olympic national park. This easy hike in olympic national park is located in the hurricane ridge area. This photo shows a paved path with beautiful mountains in the background

If you’re planning a trip to Olympic National Park, check out our FULL GUIDE to Olympic National Park with kids so you can plan the most epic vacation ever!

8. Big Cedar Tree Trail

Distance: 0.3 miles
Elevation: 49 feet
Stroller friendly? Yes

Another random stop we decided to make after seeing it on the National Park map was to see the Big Cedar Tree. The drive to this trailhead is short, but it was very bumpy. We definitely saw people there in cars (we were in a campervan) but you’ll have to drive very slowly because of the potholes.

The Big Cedar Tree Trail is a very short, stroller friendly trail that will take you to see maybe one of the craziest trees you’ve ever seen. There are so many different trees all growing from the same tree and it’s a really awesome sight.

small toddler walking along the path to the big cedar tree in olympic national park. This easy hike is very short and paved and leads to one of the craziest trees in the park. This tree has many different trees growing out of the same area.

9. Peabody Creek Loop

Distance: 0.5 miles
Elevation: 91 feet
Stroller friendly? No

The Peabody Creek Loop is the first hike we did in Olympic National Park because it leaves from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. While Dane was cooking pancakes in the campervan, I took both kids on this short loop by myself.

This loop goes down through the forest to a small creek. It was a great intro hike to our trip! It’s probably not worth driving out of your way to do, but we did see some fun stuff. At the trailhead, we did see a sign to watch out for bees, so we spent our time “going on a bee hunt!” Thankfully, we didn’t run into any bees ourselves.

interesting shaped downed log with a sunburst behind it. This log was located on the peabody creek trail in olympic national park. the trailhead is right by the visitor center in port angeles. This log is covered in moss

I hope you enjoy all of these easy hikes in Olympic National Park! Leave a comment with your favorite hike, or if there are any others you did that were great options for families. We can’t wait to visit again and keep adding more family friendly Olympic hikes to the list.

Easy Hikes in Olympic National Park Map

And if you love hiking with your kids, we do too! We have tons of resources for you on our hiking page from easy national park hikes to all the gear you’ll need and tips for making it as fun as possible. Stay tuned for more Olympic National Park content!

9 Stunning Easy Hikes in Olympic National Park (Plus a Map!)