Four Days on the Olympic Peninsula: Sol Duc Falls, the Hoh Rainforest, Mount Storm King and Hurricane Ridge

The Olympic Peninsula is one of my favorite places in Washington, and in September we finally gave it four full days. We picked up a Ford F-150 in Kirkland, loaded it up and headed for the ferry.

Day one: the ferry, Sol Duc Falls and Lake Crescent

We took the ferry across to Kingston and grabbed Mexican food before driving out to our stay, Dreamspace Vacations near Port Angeles. It sits right on the water, and it made the perfect home base for the whole trip. That afternoon we hiked to Sol Duc Falls, then cooled off with a swim in Lake Crescent. We ended the night back at the house with dinner on the grill and the sunset over the water.

Day two: the Hoh Rainforest

The next day we headed to the Hoh Rainforest. Part of the drive out follows the Hoh River, so we spent some time driving along it before walking through the moss covered trees. We stopped in Forks for sandwiches on the way back and, of course, went for another swim.

Mount Storm King

Mount Storm King is short but steep, and the view at the top is unreal. You look straight down onto Lake Crescent, and in golden light it is one of the best views on the peninsula. The last section near the top uses ropes, so take your time.

Sunset at Hurricane Ridge

We saved Hurricane Ridge for an evening and it delivered. The clouds sat below the peaks, the sky turned orange, and the deer came out to graze along the ridge right as the sun went down.

Heading home

On the way back we almost had a problem at the Kingston ferry. You now need a ticket from the kiosk before you get in line, so do not just pull into the queue like we used to.