Active Pursuits

Biking

If you're interested in exploring the region on a bike, you can rent one at Sound Bikes & Kayaks, 120 E. Front St., Port Angeles (tel. 360/457-1240; www.soundbikeskayaks.com), which can recommend good rides in the area and also offers bicycle tours. Bikes are $30 per day or $9 per hour.

Fishing

The rivers of the Olympic Peninsula are well known for their fighting salmon, steelhead, and trout, and in Lake Crescent and Lake Ozette, you can fish for such elusive species as Beardslee and Crescenti trout. No fishing license is necessary to fish for trout on national-park rivers and streams or in Lake Crescent or Lake Ozette. However, you will need a state punch card -- available wherever fishing licenses are sold -- to fish for salmon or steelhead. For more information on freshwater fishing in the park, contact Olympic National Park. Boat rentals are available on Lake Crescent at Fairholm General Store, the Log Cabin Resort, and Lake Crescent Lodge.

If you're more interested in heading out on open water to do a bit of salmon or deep-sea fishing, numerous charter boats operate out of Sekiu and Neah Bay. In Neah Bay, try King Fisher Charters (tel. 888/622-8216; www.kingfisherenterprises.com). Expect to pay from $150 to $180 per person for a day of fishing.

Hiking & Backpacking

For several of the most popular backpacking destinations in Olympic National Park (the Ozette Coast Loop, Grand Valley, Royal Basin, Badger Valley, Flapjack Lakes, Lake Constance, and a few others), advance-reservation hiking permits are required or highly recommended between May 1 and September 30 and can be made up to 30 days in advance. Reservations can be made by contacting the Wilderness Information Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Rd., Port Angeles (tel. 360/565-3100; www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wic.htm). Both a Wilderness Use Fee ($5 for a group of up to 12 people) and a nightly camping fee ($2 per person per night) are charged. For most other overnight hikes, you can pick up a permit at a ranger station or at the trailhead. If in doubt, check with a park ranger before heading out to a trailhead for a backpacking trip. Also keep in mind that some trails start at trailheads on national forest land; to park at these trailheads, you'll need a Northwest Forest Pass. Also, should you be planning to backpack along the coast, keep in mind that some headlands can only be rounded at low tide, and others cannot be rounded at all. These latter headlands have marked (though often steep, muddy, and difficult) trails over them. In some cases, these "trails" consist of cable ladders or handhold ropes. Be aware that you'll have to ford quite a few creeks and even a river depending on which section of the coast you hike. Always carry a tide table.

Most of the best backpacking trips in Olympic National Park are long and aren't easily turned into loop trips. If you want to do a one-way backpacking trip, you can arrange a shuttle through Windsox Trailhead Shuttle, 406 W. E St., Forks (tel. 360/374-2002; www.windsox.us).

Llama Trekking

If you want to do an overnight trip into the backcountry of the national park, but don't want to deal with all the gear, consider letting a llama carry your stuff. Kit's Llamas, P.O. Box 116, Olalla, WA 98359 (tel. 253/857-5274; www.northolympic.com/llamas), offers llama trekking in the Olympic Mountains. Prices, based on a group of six to eight adults, are $35 to $75 per person for day hikes, and $75 to $180 per person per day for overnight and multi-day trips, with special rates for children. Deli Llama, 17045 Llama Lane, Bow, WA 98232 (tel. 360/757-4212; www.delillama.com), also does trips of 4 to 7 days in Olympic National Park ($140-$180 per person per day).

Scuba Diving

The waters off the town of Sekiu are the Olympic Peninsula's favorite dive site. For advice, air, and dive charters, divers will want to stop in at Curley's Resort & Dive Center (tel. 800/542-9680 or 360/963-2281; www.curleysresort.com), on the main road through town.

Sea Kayaking & Canoeing

Sea-kayaking trips on nearby Lake Aldwell, at Freshwater Bay, and at Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge are offered by Olympic Raft & Kayak (tel. 888/452-1443 or 360/452-1443; www.raftandkayak.com), which charges between $42 and $99 per person. For sea-kayaking trips on the Hoh and Quillayute rivers, out on the west side of the peninsula, contact Rainforest Paddlers, 4883 Upper Hoh Rd., Forks (tel. 866/457-8398 or 360/374-5254; www.rainforestpaddlers.com). Between May and September, this company does half-day ($44 per person) and full-day ($79 per person) kayak outings on the Hoh River, and between February and September, it does early morning and sunset paddles on the Quillayute River estuary ($59 per adult for morning trips and $69 per adult for evening trips).

Skiing/Snowboarding/Showshoeing

Cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowboarding, and snowshoeing are all possible in the winter at Hurricane Ridge. Here you'll find a tiny ski area with two rope tows and a Poma lift for downhill skiing and snowboarding. There are also many miles of marked, though ungroomed, cross-country ski trails here. For more information, contact Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club (tel. 360/457-2879, or 360/565-3131 for road conditions; www.hurricaneridge.net).

Whitewater Rafting

The steep mountains and plentiful rains of the Olympic Peninsula are the source of some great whitewater rafting on the Elwha and Hoh rivers. Contact Olympic Raft & Kayak (tel. 888/452-1443 or 360/452-1443; www.raftandkayak.com). Rates start at $54 ($44 for children 5 to 11) for a 2- to 2 1/2-hour rafting trip.