My adult son and I have always wanted to explore ONP. We like to hike, but nothing hard core. Would like to visit in May before the crowds. Looks like there is alot of driving to do. Hoh Rainforest was top on our list. It looks like we should include Hurricane Ridge. I'm a bit intimidated about the construction around Lake Crescent. We will be flying into Sea-Tac. I like to leave plenty of time to and from the airport. Any suggestions of an itinerary? Beyond Hoh, we're really open for anything.

ONP is great! Definitely add in Lake Quinault and all the beaches from there north. Ruby and Rialto are great beaches as well as the numbered ones. The road construction is not a big deal IME and if you hit it on a weekend they suspend it so that helps. In May, there will still be a lot of snow at Hurricane Ridge so you may not be able to even hike Hurricane Hill depending. Cape Flattery is the far NW corner and is a place we enjoy FWIW. You can add in Shi Shi beach if you head that direction. Your 4-6 days is a good plan. At the Hoh, you can hike the river trail quite a ways. We did 15 miles on it this summer. There are also two short trails right there that are nice. Hopefully this gives you a start for planning 😊

Also, do not miss the Ozette triangle hike. It’s 9 miles and a great hike. You need to time it with the tides though.

Plan your visit | Visit Olympic National Park

Kaleberg Symbionts Home Page (Click on ONP tab,,,kaleberg lives at the foot of Hurricane Ridge)

I recommend a clockwise trip....drive through the blah landscape from I-5 exit 104 south of Olympia on WA-8 to pick up US-101 on the coast. That will take you to Kalaloch, Lake Quinault rain forest, Hoh rain forest, and the wild ocean beaches near LaPush and Forks...then continue past Lake Crescent to Hurricane Ridge. The construction delay is up to 30 minutes, not 30 minutes...don't sweat it.

Work resumes on Highway 101 at Lake Crescent after Labor Day holiday | Peninsula Daily News

Depending on when in May, Hurricane Ridge might be a bit iffy, with still a lot of snow about (and a lot of clouds potentially obscuring the views.)

For sure the rain forest valleys (Hoh and Quinault) and the various beaches - Ruby Beach near Kalaloch and any/all of those around La Push, as well as things like the Ozette hike, a couple of waterfalls...

With up to six days you might consider a side trip or even a loop. You could, for example, spend three or four days on the Olympic Peninsula, then maybe take a day and do a day trip over to Victoria BC (bring passports) or - a bit longer but quite interesting, drive south from Lake Quinault a couple of hours to Cape Disappointment at the (awesome) mouth of the Columbia River, then follow the north shore of the river through interesting country and historic towns back to I-5 at Longview, then back to Seattle.

OR, you could return to Seattle via Port Townsend and Whidbey Island - maybe via Deception Pass, another spectacular state park.

Maps to consider - Cape Disappointment - https://goo.gl/maps/UfiPEUtxbMB2
Deception Pass - https://goo.gl/maps/qEvY6x4n3H12

Thanks. This is very helpful.

Thanks. We were in Victoria a few years ago and being an ex-windsurfer I've totally explored the Gorge from 1 end to the next. This is very helpful and now I kind of have a plan. I'll check back when I finalize it.

I think I sort of have an idea of an itinerary, and I think the clockwise loop from the south sounds good.
Day /Night 1 fly into Seattle drive to Quinalt Lodge -depending on the flight arrival times.
Day 2 Quinalt Lodge, hike around check out the beaches
Day 3 Hoh Rain Forest and stay at the Kalaloch Lodge
day 4-5 Sol Duc Resort for hikes, Hurricane Ridge etc.
Day 6 Drive to Seattle and stay the night
Day 7 fly home.

I feel like I might be missing something here with this itinerary. Can I avoid the ferries with this route?

We stayed at Lake Crescent, and it was beautiful; we did Hurricane Ridge from there.