It’s a bit crazy the way we squeezed in a day trip to Olympic National Park from Seattle even though it is almost a three hour drive just to the park entrance. We were determined not to miss visiting this fascinating National Park so we decided to just appreciate whatever we get to see during the few hours we were there. The park is huge and since the roads circle the park it can be a really long drive from one side to another. Olympic National Park has very diverse landscapes within the park. There are mountains, rainforests and beaches. I knew I wanted to get to see the rainforest area and the beautiful beaches.

We left Seattle in the morning and drove more than three hours to our first stop, The Quinault Rain Forest. We parked at the Quinault Rain Forest Trailhead Lot and headed to the Quinault Rain Forest Loop Hike.  We crossed a small bridge at the beginning of the trail and entered what seemed to be an alternate universe, a beautiful rainforest right in Washington State.  There were tall trees with branches spiraling and linking one tree to another. Everything all around us was covered in green. We stopped for some great photos and enjoyed the nice quiet forest until we returned to the car quickly and drove a short distance to the Merriman Falls a magnificent waterfall right on the side of the street. The tall waterfall is framed by beautiful rainforest greenery. The waterfall was deserted and there was a peaceful vibe. We enjoyed some stone stepping before heading back into the car. Merriman Falls was definitely worth the short detour.

We drove within the park for about an hour and hoped to still make it to the Majestic Ruby Beach during low tide. The tide was still quite low and we got to see some anemones which were caught in the tide pools. The beauty of Ruby Beach is breathtaking. The huge crashing waves slapping against the large rock formations are awe inspiring. We had a very hard time tearing ourselves away from the gorgeous Pacific Ocean.

Although it was a whirlwind of a day and we were in the car more hours than we were at the park it was worth the trip to get a sampling of the beauty at Olympic National Park.

Posted: January 11, 2026