5 Best Hotels in Olympic National Park, Washington

Overlooking the Pacific, Kalaloch has cozy lodge rooms with sea views and separate cabins along the bluff. The weathered clapboard cabins have a fireplace or wood stove, knotty-pine furnishings, earth-tone fabrics, and kitchenettes; the main lodge houses rustic ocean-view rooms and suites (and a few budget units without views); and wood-paneled motel-style quarters are in the Seacrest Building. A trail leads down to the driftwood-strewn beach. Rangers lead free nature walks, beach explorations, and evening programs at the adjacent campground.

The 330-acre Fort Worden, built as a late-19th-century gun emplacement to guard the mouth of Puget Sound, gained a new purpose when enterprising souls turned the spacious Victorian homes on Officers Row into some of the more memorable lodgings on the Olympic Peninsula. The charming houses are furnished with antique reproductions, and some have been recently renovated with new furniture. Besides the Officers Row choices, there are houses from the former NCO Row and assorted other duplexes, cottages, and loft apartments. Homes range from the one-bedroom Alexander's Cottage (built in 1883) to the recently remodeled 14-bedroom Reunion House that accommodates 29 and has a double kitchen. The old fort is a magical place for children, with an artillery museum, a marine science center, and a graceful old lighthouse. Dining options include a restaurant, pub, and beach snack shack that are open varied hours and days depending on the season.

On a lovely glacial lake in Olympic National Forest, this beautiful early-20th-century lodge complex is within walking distance of the lakeshore and hiking trails in the spectacular old-growth forest. A towering brick fireplace is the centerpiece of the great room, where antique wicker furnishings sit beneath ceiling beams painted with Native American designs. In the rooms, modern gadgets are traded in for old-fashioned comforts, such as claw-foot tubs, fireplaces, and walking sticks. Rooms in the Boathouse addition are pet-friendly. The lively bar is a good place to unwind after a day outdoors, and the restaurant serves upscale seafood entrées like grilled Pacific salmon.

This rustic resort has an idyllic setting at the northeast end of Lake Crescent with lodging choices that include A-frame chalet units, standard cabins, small camper cabins, motel units, and RV sites with full hookups. Meals are served seasonally at the cozy, water-view restaurant, and a bed-and-breakfast package is available for extra savings. You can rent row boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards to use by the hour or day.

The main draw of this remote 1910 resort, located deep in the brooding forest along the Sol Duc River and surrounded by 5,000-foot-tall mountains, is the pool area, with soothing mineral baths and a freshwater swimming pool. Some forest cabins have kitchens, but all are spartan; however, after a day's hike, a dip, and dinner at the Springs Restaurant, you'll hardly notice. The attractive fir-and-cedar-paneled dining room serves unpretentious meals at breakfast, lunch, and dinnertime, drawing on top Northwest seafood and produce.