Kim

Thinking about a trip to Seattle and Olympic National Park next fall. Any recommendations on where to stay while at the park? Any general recommendations (food, good hiking, must sees, any warnings)? What's a good length of time to plan to spend there? Is three days enough? Too much? We like to hike and see the sites. Then probably head back to Seattle and check out the city (any Seattle tips, is it a "walking" town? We'd rent a car at the airport, drive to the park and drive back, should we then dump the car?) Thanks for your help.

herself

Kim,
Being from the East coast I was amazed at the lack of development on the Washington Shore. I had assumed that every inch of coast line would have lodging. So it was a bit scary yet fun to drive for hours and not find lodging.
On our first trip we stayed at The Grey Gull. A condo complex on the coast. Very nice. check out www.thegreygull.com
On my second trip I found Lake Quinault Lodge. Olso very nice.
www.visitlakequinault.com
There were a few motels on the road that Bates Hotel look plush. We did not find anything on the ocean at LaPush or south of LaPush until the Grey Gull.
You may want to book something near Hurricane Ridge, then something on the west coast, Have fun

John

Kim, the park has three distinct environments, and you should try to see them all. First is the mountain environment, best experienced by driving to Hurricane Ridge, near Pt. Angeles on the north shore, and doing walks or photo shoots there. Second is the Pacific coastal strip, best around La Push, which is several hours' drive, then a walk, from Hurricane Ridge. Third is the Olympic rain forest, accessed from the west coast - the Hoh valley is a good introduction to this fascinating and unique environment. All in, the "loop" around Olympic NP will use every bit of your 3 days, not forgetting the 2-3 hours travel time each way from Seattle or the airport. Herself's suggestions are good, Lake Quinault is a good place to overnight for the coast/rain forest portion; PA has lots of accommodations for the Hurricane Ridge visit, or you might look at Crescent Lake, a little up the road (west) from PA where there are several places to stay. What time of year are you coming?
As for Seattle, search this site - there are umpteen threads about where to stay and what to do. I would not ditch the car..downtown Seattle is quite walkable but there are too many attractions around the city and region which require a car to give it up.

howard

John has given you excellent advice. Three days is just about right. As for a place to stay, try the Lake Crescent Lodge. It's near Hurricane Ridge and Port Angeles right on the lake (beautiful views from your room).
We stayed there for our entire visit and drove back and forth to the Rainforest and beaches, because we didn't want to move around for accommodations.
Word of advice: Try to pick a sunny, clear day for your trip to Hurricane Ridge. It's a spectacular vista if you hit it right, weatherwise.

Tony Hughes

This is great advice, guys. I know it wasn't for me but I've taken it - thanks!

Diane

You might want to take a day trip over to Victoria, which you can do most quickly by taking a ferry from Port Angeles (I hope I'm remembering these names correctly), which is just north of the entrance to drive up Hurricane Ridge. There's a car ferry that is slower (but then you'll have a car to drive to Butchart Gardens, the BEST thing to see near Victoria), or the faster people-only ferry. We did the latter, then taking an inexpensive bus trip to Butchart Gardens). Port Angeles is not a bad place to stay while you drive up Hurricane Ridge for the day, and then continue driving west to look for other lodging. It's a great trip!