Dog-friendly Olympic National Park

WashingtonOutdoors
Written By Maria Arriviello Photography

camping, permits & navigating dog friendly adventures in Olympic National Park

Dog Friendly Olympic National Park Guide

Day 1: Seattle > Lake Crescent

It took us 4 hours to get from downtown Seattle to Lake Crescent due to ferry traffic and taking the Edmonds ferry at peak hours. This should take closer to 3 hours if able to drive on a weekday or during off hours and there’s always the option to bypass ferries by driving around through Tacoma. We didn’t stop through Port Townsend or Port Angeles on the way but both look worthwhile of stop-through if you have time!

We decided to camp two nights at Wandering Joy Campground, booked through HipCamp, due to it’s proximity to the hikes we wanted to do and dog-friendly nature. The grounds were secluded, had firewood and was a short walk away from the Shadow Mountain General Store which had ice-cream, food and essentials. I would definitely stay here again!

Day 2: Exploring Olympic

Unfortunately, Hurricane Ridge was closed during our visit due to a fire so we spent most of our first day around the Lake Crescent area. We dropped our dog, Duke, off at a Rover in Port Angeles early in the morning and grabbed breakfast and coffee to-go in town. We planned our morning/afternoon to knock-out some trails that weren’t dog-friendly while Duke was at a Rover.

From Port Angeles, we drove an hour to the Sol Duc Falls trailhead. This was an easy 2-mile trail immersed in the forest and surrounded by water. The trail was well maintained, shaded and perfect for families. After hanging out by the water for a little, we headed back to the car and drove 30-min to Lake Crescent.

This is a very popular stopping point due to the access to the lake, ranger station, bathroom and trailheads. Parking can be difficult to find if accessing during peak hours in the summer. We hung-out on the pier for lunch before starting 2-mile Marymere Falls Trail. This is another popular trail due to its length and proximity to the parking lot but we were still able to find moments of solitude at the different falls throughout by waiting.

After Marymere, we drove alongside Lake Crescent back to Port Angeles to grab a few groceries and pick-up Duke to take him to a dog-friendly trail. From Port Angeles we drove 30-min to the Devil’s Punchbowl trailhead. This trailhead had plenty of parking and also has sections that double as a bike path. Because we got here in the late afternoon, it wasn’t overly crowded and seemed like most people were clearing out for the day. The 2.5 mile round trip trail brings you to an epic swimming + bridge-jumping spot on Lake Crescent. If you continue past the main section with the bridge, there are plenty of places to find a secluded spot for swimming along the lake.

We stayed for a few hours swimming with Duke and soaking up the sun and natural beauty before heading back to our camp-spot. We had dinner at camp and walked to the Shadow Mountain General Store for ice-cream.

Day 3: Cape Flattery & the Hoh Rainforest

We drove straight to Cape Flattery after packing up camp since it was a 1.5 hour drive. Cape Flattery is the north-western most point of the contiguous US and is luckily dog-friendly. A $20 recreation permit is required and there was a check-point before entering to verify purchase. We bought ours at a gas station in Clallam Bay before entering the park area.

The Cape Flattery Trail is mostly a wooden boardwalk that winds you through a mist-drenched forest of Sitka spruce. At the half-way point, 0.75 mile, is the viewing platform where you can see the Cape Flattery lighthouse on Tatoosh Island while overlooking the coast. We didn’t have an issue with crowds due to the early start we had in the day but could imagine parking would be difficult on a busy day.

From Cape Flattery, we drove through Forks, had lunch at The In Place then went straight to the Hoh Rainforest. The popular early-2000s film, Twilight, was filmed in Forks and the town still has remnants of the film sprinkled throughout.

The Hoh Rainforest was the most populated area of Olympic we visited. There was a long line to get into this section of the park, parking was tough and the trails felt very overcrowded. This area of the park is not dog-friendly but luckily the weather was cool enough to feel comfortable leaving Duke in the car for 30-min to do the short Hall of Moses trail. Although this trail was epic and truly lived up to the hype, I would recommend prioritizing this part of the park in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds and also consider doing some of the neighboring less popular trails.

After the Hoh Rainforest, we stopped by the Kalaloch Mercantile for groceries before heading to our next campground at Aliya Preserve, also booked through Hipcamp. This campground was the best part of our trip! It was private, overlooked the ocean, had great firewood + bathroom amenities and had it’s own private access to the beach. We spent a lot of time on the beach and watching bald eagles pass by our camp spot. I would have loved to stay another night in this area to explore some of the popular coastal spots we didn’t have time for: Tree of Life, Ruby Beach, Rialto Beach, Hole-in-the-Wall, La Push.

Day 4: From Aliya it was a three-hour drive back to Seattle!

Trail Recommendations

Resources

  • As of 2025, Olympic National Park does not require daily permits to enter.

  • No, you don’t need to take a ferry to get to the Olympic peninsula. If you decide to take a ferry, depending on where you’re coming from, you can ferry to Bainbridge, Kingston or Port Townsend or Port Angeles.

  • I found Olympic to be one of the more dog-friendly parks we’ve been to. Dogs are allowed:

    • Peabody Creek Trail (Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles)

    • Rialto Beach parking lot to Ellen Creek (1/2 mile)

    • The beaches between the Hoh and Quinault Reservations (Kalaloch area)

    • Madison Falls Trail (Elwha)

    • Spruce Railroad Trail (North shore of Lake Crescent)

    • July Creek Loop Trail (North shore of Lake Quinault)

    More details can be found here.

  • You can pre-purchase online here or pick-up from the following locations:

Maria Arriviello Photography https://marriviellophoto.com
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