Day 9 of the US and Canada road trip my friend Jen and I took was a day in Olympic National Park. The first three days were in Montana, the next few in Canada, followed by a day in the North Cascades National Park.
Jen and I got up early and drove about 2 hours to Port Angeles where one of the Olympic National Park’s visitors’ centers is located. Just beyond the visitors center is Hurricane Ridge Road. To get up to the top of the ridge, you have to drive about 20 miles on some switchbacks and through a rock tunnel. The views are incredible, but you really are driving up a mountain to get to the top. There are nature trails, a visitor’s center, hiking, and a little cafe and snack bar at the top of the ridge. The views are incredible and you can see the Olympic Mountains on a clear day.
We walked along one of the trails at the top of the ridge and visited the snack bar for lunch and sat inside with views of the mountains. We stopped in the gift shop before heading back down the mountain toward Port Angeles.
We drove west along highway 101 toward Forks (the town where the Twilight series takes place) and down toward Ruby beach. We didn’t get a chance to stop at the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park but it’s worth a stop if you have the time.
Ruby Beach is one of the northernmost beaches in Washington state. It has a large amount of driftwood and those little mountains coming up out of the sand called sea stacks. It’s a beautiful sight.
We made our way around the loop back toward Olympia to check into our hotel and get dinner. The total driving of about 7.5 hours throughout the day so we were ready to rest and prepare for our time in Mount Rainier National Park the following and last day of our road trip.
