Planning a Trip

Getting There

U.S. 101 circles Olympic National Park, with main park entrances south of Port Angeles, at Lake Crescent, and at the Hoh River south of Forks.

Kenmore Air Express (tel. 866/435-9524 or 425/486-1257; www.kenmoreair.com) flies between Seattle's Boeing Field and Port Angeles's William Fairchild Airport (with a free shuttle from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Boeing Field). Rental cars are available in Port Angeles from Budget (tel. 800/527-0700; www.budget.com).

There is a bus shuttle to Port Angeles from Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport on Olympic Bus Lines (tel. 800/457-4492 or 360/417-0700; www.olympicbuslines.com). Reservations are recommended. Jefferson Transit (tel. 800/371-0497 or 360/385-4777; www.jeffersontransit.com) has service from Port Townsend to Sequim, where you can transfer to Clallam Transit (tel. 800/858-3747 or 360/452-4511; www.clallamtransit.com), which operates from Sequim around the peninsula to Lake Crescent, Clallam Bay, La Push, and Forks.

Two ferries, one for foot passengers only and the other for vehicles and foot passengers, connect Port Angeles and Victoria, British Columbia. The ferry terminal for both ferries is at the corner of Laurel Street and Railroad Avenue. Victoria Express (tel. 360/452-8088 or 250/361-9144; www.victoriaexpress.com) is the faster of the two ferries (1 hr. between Port Angeles and Victoria) and carries foot passengers only. This ferry runs between Memorial Day weekend and the end of September. One-way fares are $13 per person (children under age 1 ride free). Black Ball Transport (tel. 360/457-4491, or 250/386-2202 in Victoria; www.cohoferry.com) carries vehicles as well as walk-on passengers. The crossing takes slightly more than 1 1/2 hours. One-way fares are $12 for adults and $5.75 for children ages 5 to 11; it costs $44 for a car, van, camper, or motor home and driver.

Visitor Information

For more information on the national park, contact Olympic National Park, 600 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles, WA 98362-6798 (tel. 360/565-3131 or 360/565-3130; www.nps.gov/olym). For information on Port Angeles and the rest of the northern Olympic Peninsula, contact the Olympic Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau, 338 W. First St., Suite 104 (P.O. Box 670), Port Angeles, WA 98362 (tel. 800/942-4042 or 360/452-8552; www.olympicpeninsula.org), or the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, 121 E. Railroad Ave., Port Angeles, WA 98362 (tel. 360/452-2363; www.portangeles.org). The park entry fee is $15 per vehicle.

Don't Leave Home without It

You may not be planning on taking an international vacation, but spend any time in the Port Angeles area, and you'll be tempted to hop a ferry to Victoria, British Columbia. Just in case, bring along your passport on your Olympic vacation. As of January 31, 2008, you are required to show either a passport or a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license) and proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate) in order to return from Canada.

Festivals

Each year in late August, Makah Days are celebrated in Neah Bay (on the Makah Indian Reservation) with canoe races, Indian dancing, a salmon bake, and other events.

Park Admission

Park admission is $15 per vehicle. Another option, if you plan to visit several national parks in a single year, is the America the Beautiful -- National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, an annual pass good at all federal recreation sites administered by the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation. The pass costs $80 and is available at all national park visitor centers. If you're over 62, you can get a America the Beautiful -- National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass -- Senior Pass for $10, and if you have a disability, you can get a free America the Beautiful -- National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass -- Access Pass.