r/OlympicNationalPark

I live here. I love my home. Born and raised. Please be respectful of the plants, animals, ecosystems, forests, and more. Don’t trample plants. Walk where you’re supposed to. Don’t feed the wildlife. Don’t approach the wildlife. Don’t harass the wildlife. Wildlife are changing behaviors due to humans. Ask the park rangers at the hoh. I just heard them explaining that to visitors. We have three hour wait times for months to get into the hoh trailhead parking lot. The crowds during the summer are a lot. People burning fires when we have burn bans. If we don’t actually be stewards of our planet, we won’t have these magical places. Leave no trace. Be respectful and responsible. If you see litter pick it up. Plastic survives for hundreds of years. Treat this planet and park with care please.

This is just a copy / paste from WSDOT's website.

>What to expect

>To keep the bridge open to travelers, on July 14, 2026, WSDOT restricted traffic to a single lane across the center of the bridge. Temporary traffic signals at either end of the bridge are alternating traffic. The speed limit across the bridge is reduced to 25 mph.

>From Monday, Sept. 14 to Tuesday, Sept. 22, each night from 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., the US 101 Hoh River Bridge will close to all traffic. During the overnight closures, crews will install a work deck and containment system on the bridge that is needed to perform the repairs.

>Extended weekend closures for three weekends

>Once the scaffolding is in place, crews will close the bridge to traffic for up to six days in a row for three weeks to make the repairs. The 95-year-old bridge is not wide enough to create a work zone and keep one travel lane open. The closures are scheduled for the following dates:

>5 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29

>5 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1 to noon Tuesday, Oct. 6

>5 a.m. Thursday Oct. 8 to noon Tuesday, Oct. 13

>After each six-day closure, the bridge will be inspected prior to reopening to single-lane alternating traffic.

>Emergency responders will have pedestrian access across the bridge during the work, provided by the contractor. The pedestrian access is not open to the public.

Only have one day in the park and had planned this months ago with the perfect itinerary, but the October bridge closure has foiled my plans.

I have two options in my mind, but could use some insight on feasibility and what’s the best choice. This day is on a Saturday- assuming it plays a factor in crowds and traffic.

Option A: keep lodging near Lake Quinault, drive up the southern route from Sea-Tac (on road by 9:30am), do Quinault rainforest walks, drive out to Ruby beach for sunset

Option B: take longer drive via north entrance from Sea-Tac to Hoh, do the short hall of mosses loop. Move lodging to Brinnon or Shelton and make drive that way (as I would suspect I wouldn’t get to Hoh until 2pm possibly).

Remainder of trip is driving and staying on Oregon and California coasts, so missing an Olympic beach doesn’t feel like the worst thing.

My heart longed to see Hoh and I love the idea of driving through the northern side of the park, but I recognize it would be a ton of driving and trying to fit in a lot with little time. Only staying in the Quinault region feels like I’m missing the parts of Olympic that people go to, for a reason.

So, talk to me here. Am I undervaluing Quinault and the experience I would have there, or is the drive from the north entrance and Hoh not worth missing if you only have a short day?

Hey everyone, I’m finishing up a camping/road trip and have some camping gear that I won’t be able to take back home with me.
Does anyone know a good place where I could sell it quickly or donate it rather than throwing it away?

I have things like a tent, tarp, camping gas, chair, sleeping bags etc and a few other camping items, all still in very good condition.

Happy to donate some of it if there’s a charity, shelter, outdoor group or someone who could genuinely use it.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I'm doing the peninsula section of the PNT and I'm doing a resupply/staying the night in Forks in a week. I'm hoping to take a car from Forks to the Bogachiel Rainforest Trailhead in the morning to avoid a 10-mile road walk to the trailhead.

Any locals able to weigh in on whether calling a car on a weekday morning will be a possibility in Forks?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

My partner and I are hoping to do 3-4 days in Seattle and considering another 3 days in Olympic Park. I broke my ankle 3 months ago so I will probably not be ready for any steep ascents/descents. Wanted to check with experts here if we’ll be able to have a good experience in the park. We’re good to drive around, walk on flat ground, taking it slow.