Make the most of Port Angeles and Olympic Park

PIn this article, I will go through how to make the most of Port Angeles and Olympic Park. First, Port Angeles is a cute seafront city located in the upper north and east of Washington state. To get there from Seattle, there are 3 options. You can either drive all the way there which is about 2h45, depending on the traffic. You would need to drive down to Tacoma and then go all the way up. Crossing the Hood Canal floating bridge and keep going until Port Angeles.

You can also get the ferry in downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island and drove up there which takes about the same time. You would need to check the ferries’ timeline. There are normally leaving every 1h45, it takes 35 min to get there and it costs around $15 during the peak season to cross with a car. Or the last option is to take the Edmonds – Kingston ferry in Edmonds. The journey takes about the same time too, you also need to look at the ferry schedule ahead of the trip.

We drove all the way to get there as we missed the ferry and it’s not the best. You will lose some time with the traffic between Seattle and Tacoma and the road is not that beautiful. However, on the way back, we took the ferry on Bainbridge Island and this was perfect. The island is gorgeous and if you have a little bit of time before the ferry, you can take a walk to the city center full of art and cute independent shops. There also are lovely places for a drink or a bite to eat. Then when you’re on the ferry, you’ll have a good view of Seattle and the surrounding. I would advise getting the ferry at least one of the ways.

Once you get to Port Angeles, you will see the seafront is beautiful. There is a wonderful walk to do all along the sea. If you are looking for a place to eat, I would warmly advise https://www.saporofpa.com/. It’s a lovely place with extremely nice people and the food is divine.

Apart from this place we also tried http://www.kokopelli-grill.com/ for dinner and it was really good. We tried http://www.nextdoorgastropub.com/ for lunch enjoyed it and https://www.facebook.com/LaBelleCreperie for breakfast, I would recommend it.

Aside from the food, the area is just stunning, you will be spoiled by choices of things to do and see. But there are two places you can’t miss.

First, lake Crescent. You can drive around by taking the Olympic Hwy, the lake is about 30 minutes away from Port Angeles. There are areas around the lake where you can stop for a photo or a picnic or event to camp. The color of the water is unbelievable. You can rent kayaks during the season to explore it. It’s so beautiful and then you have to stop at the Lake Crescent lodge. The view from there is worth it but more importantly, from there you can take a walk to Marymere Falls. It is an easy walk and it takes about 1h to go and come back. The falls are quite big and the scenery is grandiose. If you go there during the season, just be prepare as it gets crowd, the earlier you get there the more peace you get.

The second place you have to go to is Hurricane Ridge. Located 40 minutes away from Port Angeles. If you don’t have a National park pass, you’ll have to pay $30 to enter. The road is extremely steep, and in wintertime, it gets proper snowy. We were there during the summer and got there easily just make sure you drive slowly as there can be animals on the road such as dears. Once you get to the top, there is a visitor center with bathrooms, a memories shop, and information about the place. You can then choose between different trails and start climbing to the top. There are different ones, some longueur than some other, depending on how much time you have ahead.

Again, I would advise getting there early as it’s pretty popular. You shouldn’t struggle to see wildlife, at lease dears as they seem so used to people. They come very close, but also squirrels and if you’re lucky marmots. We saw two of them they are pretty big over there. You can also see black bears and coyotes. You would need to be careful if you do so. On top of the animals, there also are a large variety of plants and flowers that you can see and learn about all the way. And, if you climb to the top, you will have a stunning view of the area. It’s surrounded by mountains and even in the middle of the summer a lot of them still have snow at their tops.

Other activities possible in Port Angeles would be wales watching starting from the Port Angeles harbor, and take a day to Victoria island or just chill on the beach and visit the Feiro Marine life center. For more stunning areas in Washington State have a look at the article: https://elvinechloe.com/a-weekend-away-in-whidbey-island/ and https://elvinechloe.com/one-of-the-most-beautiful-spots-near-seattle/.