Olympic National Park

On Washington's Olympic Peninsula, about three hours from Seattle, Olympic National Park packs three completely different worlds into one park. Glaciated peaks rise above the moss draped Hoh Rainforest, and 73 miles of wild Pacific coastline end in sea stacks and tidepools. It is one of the only places in America where you can walk through rainforest in the morning and watch the sun set over the Pacific. July through September is the season, when the high roads are fully open and the mountains shake off their snow.

Firsthand Pick, HannahOutThere

Why this one matters

Hurricane Ridge delivers the park's signature moment, a panoramic sweep from glaciated peaks to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, often with black tailed deer grazing nearby. Down at sea level, the Pacific coast feels like a different park entirely, sea stacks, driftwood beaches, and tidepools crowded with purple sea stars, green anemones, and scuttling crabs.

Olympic National Park

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