Start your day bright and early by heading toward Rialto Beach for sunrise. We unfortunately got skunked due to a heavy morning fog that rolled in, so if the weather is looking too cloudy, you can just get an early start on the next stop: Hoh Rainforest. There are tons of hiking trails in the rainforest, but I recommend starting with the Hall of Mosses Trail, which is a very short and easy loop. If you have more time, the Spruce Nature Trail and the Little River Trail are fantastic to explore next.

After a morning full of hiking, take a break for an early lunch to prepare for a long drive out to the mountain portion of the park. From the Hoh Rainforest visitor center, it’s just under two hours to get to Sol Duc Falls, a classic waterfall that you can’t miss. It’s an easy hike to the bridge, where you can get a perfect view of the stunning flow. From Sol Duc, journey to Lake Crescent, where you can either drive around the lake and admire the views, or get out and hike some of the trails around the lake.

From Lake Crescent, you can either choose to spend the night at the lodges or campgrounds, so you can do an early hike the next morning, or you can head back west to catch a sunset at the beaches. We headed back out to the beaches in the late afternoon, returning to Rialto Beach for a better look without the morning fog. At Rialto, you can explore the picnic area by the parking lot, but to get to the nicer sea stacks, you will need to hike a little over a mile along the beach and cross a river portion. Please keep an eye on the tide, as you could easily get stuck on the beach!

Catch your day 2 sunset at any one of the beautiful beaches you prefer: Ruby, Rialto, Second, Third, etc. On my first trip to the area, I caught a sunset at Second Beach, which is an easy 1-mile forest hike to get to the beach, but make sure you bring a flashlight for the hike back. On this second trip, I returned to Ruby Beach for sunset as there were more compositions I wanted to play with.

Catch a sunrise on one of the beaches you haven’t captured yet, making sure to first check tides and the hike length, or rest up for the final day of adventuring. If you opted to stay near the lakes, I highly recommend driving up Hurricane Ridge for some truly epic morning views. There are also a lot of gorgeous hikes in this area so you can experience more of the mountains in the park, just make sure to check the roads, as some do close for wintertime or may require chains.

Since day 2 was such a packed schedule, day 3 allows you to visit some of the stops you missed or didn’t get enough time to see. I know I always plan out my days to the max, but please feel free to swap around plans to best fit your own comfort and schedule.

When you’ve finished seeing all the incredible sights, head back south to Portland or head back to Seattle. If you didn’t have time for Lake Quinault on day 1 and spent more time on the beaches, this is a great stop on the way home. Three days is no where near enough time to explore all that Olympic National Park has to offer, so here are a few extra stops you can add onto your trip: