Trip to Olympic National Park, Mt. Rainer, Bellingham
 

I will be traveling in July and want to accomplish a lot in one week. Any recommendation for a safe, affordable place to stay in Olympic National Park/Port Angeles area? Is it feasible to drive from Tumwater to Port Angeles in one day while exploring the national park?

Not really. It is a minimum of 4 hours driving time, and that is assuming you don't get behind slow cars and don't stop to see anything. ONP is different from many parks in that there isn't much to see right from the highway. You need to get off and take side roads, sometimes quite a ways, to see the real beauty the park has to offer. If you could stay at least one night along the way, that would make it much more enjoyable and allow you to see what the park is all about. Somewhere around Kalaloch would break up the drive nicely.

Were you planning on taking a car ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria or a ferry from Bellingham on the Alaska Marine Highway?
Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.

The scenic route from Tumwater is 101 going up the West side of the Hood Canal. Hurricane Ridge is a 20 mile drive from Port Angeles.

We are planning on driving to Bellingham and then back down to Mt. Rainer and then to Olympic National Park. Is Tumwater a good area to stay overnight - is it safe etc.