The weather on an Olympic National Park tour can vary pretty wildly, even within the same day, so it’s important to make sure you’re packing enough to stay comfortable all day long. No matter the time of year, you should always dress in layers so you can adjust throughout the day. Olympic National Park is home to several distinct ecosystems, each with its own weather, and the temperature can shift 10-20 degrees as you travel between the sections of the park.
You should also make sure to bring comfortable, waterproof hiking boots and a comfortable rain jacket – especially when visiting the rainforest in the western part of the park. We recommend keeping the jacket very light and using other layers to warm up if you start feeling chilly.
There are a few other things everyone should bring with them on a trip to Olympic National Park. One of them is a park map – even if you have a map on your phone since service in the park can be spotty. Make sure you bring plenty of water as well, even though the Olympic peninsula is so wet. When hiking, bring one liter of water for every hour you plan on being out there. Finally, a good pair of binoculars can be invaluable in Olympic National Park. Between the seals, eagles, and migrating whales, there’s plenty to see in the park and you want to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Make the most of your trip to the park with our Olympic National Park Self-Guided Driving Tour, available through the Action Tour Guide app. If you love taking our tours and you want more, we also offer Action+, a subscription that grants you unlimited access to all 100+ of our US tours for a single yearly price, including over 20 national parks across the country.
