Directions To The Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park - just beautiful

It’s pretty easy to find the Olympic National Park in Washington State, all you need to do is to search out Highway 101 which circumnavigates the Olympic Peninsula, and sooner or later you’ll get to where you want to be!

Okay, okay, there’s more than one way to travel to the Olympic National Park, let’s go through some of the options.

Traveling to Olympic National Park by Air

The closest airport to the Olympic National Park is the William R Fairchild International Airport which serves the Port Angeles area (close to where the Olympic National Park is located). You can fly there from all over America, and once you’ve arrived you’ll be able to pick up a rental car and drive the rest of the way.

More current news and information on the Olympic National Park Facebook page.

Traveling to Olympic National Park by Ferry

There’s a ferry service available for much of the year which runs between Victoria, British Columbia and of course, Port Angeles. Coho Ferries carry vehicles and passengers all year, with the exception of a couple of weeks in the wintertime when they close for maintenance, and the Victoria Express has a summer service which carries passengers only, between Victoria and Port Angeles.

Traveling to Olympic National Park by Car

I’ve already told you to watch out for Highway 101, but you can actually reach it using several different routes from the I-5 corridor and the greater Seattle area.

  • Hop on a ferry to cross Puget Sound (see above).
  • Drive south to Tacoma then jump onto State Route 16 to cross Puget Sound on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
  • Drive south until you reach Olympia and you can access Highway 101 from there.

If you are planning to travel to Olympic National Park by car, then you’d better take notice of some of these traffic and traveling tips.

  • The only access route to the Olympic Peninsula is Highway 101 (as you might have noticed by now), this is mostly a two-lane highway but there are lots of places where it’s not possible to pass other vehicles. Allow plenty of time for your drive, it’s no good being in a hurry so relax, take your time and enjoy the drive.
  • If you can plan to visit Olympic National Park during the week and avoid traveling on Friday through Sunday, all the better.
  • Make sure that you allow even more time when driving in the wintertime, the winter is often beautiful but it does present some unique traveling challenges. Check the weather forecast before you set off on your journey, and always check your tires.

Remember, that’s a time lapse video which means it’s been speeded up . . . don’t drive that fast really, slow down and take your time.

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