Olympic National Park vs San Juan Islands?

[englishteacheralex]

Originally we were thinking of taking an Alaska cruise this summer, but it's too complicated to make it work with the rest of our plans, so we're downshifting to a four day trip to the PNW as a stopover on the way from our home in Honolulu to the east coast for a family reunion.

We're planning for the end of June 2025 and trying to figure out which of these destinations makes more sense for us.

Leaning towards Olympic National Park.

We have an 8 and a 10-year-old. We like hiking, kayaking, biking and learning. We also like good value. I've never gone wrong with a national park, and it seems like slightly better value for the money, less complicated than San Juan islands, and better for kids.

We can't really camp due to logistics, but we don't mind staying in more rustic accommodations.

My questions:

1. Am I underestimating San Juan islands? They seem amazing but more expensive and more for adults.

2. Any tips for Olympic National Park? I embarrassingly never really even heard of it until two days ago when I started casting about for non-Alaska trip ideas.

[NotJen]

I loved Olympic National Park!  I haven't been to the San Juan Islands, so I can't compare, but I can share a few tips and recommendations for ONP.  I don't have kids, but if yours like to be outside and explore, I think they'd enjoy the variety of ONP.

The charm of Olympic is its diversity - you have mountains, rain forests, waterfalls, and beaches - but at the price of being very spread out.  There isn't one central location where you can settle down and see it all.  However, I will say that I did not find driving between locations to change lodging to be too onerous (I dislike too much time in the car).

I really enjoyed staying at Lake Crescent Lodge and Quileute Oceanside Resort, but I'm a "stay inside the park person", which doesn't give you many options in ONP.  You can stay in Port Angeles and reasonably visit Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, and Sol Duc areas, but I think it would be too far for the beaches, or Hoh.

My visit was in May, so while I was able to drive up to Hurricane Ridge, I wasn't able to do any hiking in the area.  I think my favorite hike was the Moments in Time/Marymere Falls trail right from the door of my hotel room at Lake Crescent.  I'm not sure why it was my favorite - maybe because it was the first day, maybe the weather/lighting was best that day.  I also enjoyed Sol Duc Falls, 2nd Beach, Rialto Beach, Ozette Loop, and the Hoh.  The Hoh was a little less exciting than I expected because of the other forest hikes I had already done.

[skp]

We took the ferry over from Seattle and saw Olympia as a long day trip. We also saw Mt Rainer and took the ferry to Victoria as day trips. Plus seattle itself was interesting. Just pointing out that you could see many more things in the area

[HPstache]

I would probably lean toward Olympic NP, but as others have stated... it's spread out and there no real "hub" of popular attractions.  I live very close to the San Juan islands and have been there a few times, but besides the interest of being on a ferry with all the sights while getting there, I really don't know what I would recommend to actually see on any of the islands besides like oceanfront fine dining and farmers markets / niche stores.  My recommendation would be to take a ferry to Port Townsend to get to Olympic NP to get the best of both worlds.

[littlebird]

The main cool thing about the San Juan Islands is that you stand a pretty good chance of seeing Orcas. A number of years ago we did an overnight sea kayaking trip out there and it was amazing. They provided all the camping gear and food. Not sure if there was a minimum age, I suspect that 8 might be too young because there were some pretty serious open water crossings. I've also seen Orcas from the shore at Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island.

Though mostly lacking Orcas I would say that Olympic NP has more to do and is cooler. I love Lake Crescent for swimming (will be pretty cold water in June ) and the Hoh Rainforest. Weather in June is often cloudy and cool and it obviously rains quite a lot in the rainforest so you'll need to be prepared with the right outerwear.

[englishteacheralex]

Olympic National Park it is! I just researched that they actually have log cabins for $110/night--perfect alternative to camping! NotJen, thanks so much for all the intel. I should have known you'd have been there.

We'll save San Juan islands for when the kids are older and can do the overnight kayak tour. I researched MANY of these tours but they generally require minimum 12 years old and they are also pretty expensive.

I'm now leaning towards 2 nights in the log cabins on Crescent Lake and 1 night at the Sol Duc resort.

Are there cheap(er) dining options in the park? That's the one thing I'm a little worried about, is getting creamed by expensive national park restaurants for 3 meals/day. It might wind up being cheaper to rent one of the chalets that has a kitchen and thereby bring some groceries from Seattle.

We took the ferry over from Seattle and saw Olympia as a long day trip. We also saw Mt Rainer and took the ferry to Victoria as day trips. Plus seattle itself was interesting. Just pointing out that you could see many more things in the area

Appreciate that! We'll be in Seattle for two days after ONP.

[Radagast]

Olympic National Park isn't the end of the earth. Highway 101 goes all the way around it, and there are walmarts and costcos and safeways and things within an hour drive of any part accessible by road, and restaurants too. Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks, Quilcene, etc cetera (in roughly that order). I'd definitely suggest bringing your own food because that is the right way to visit a national park, but there are lots of options. Walmart and Costco are probably nicer to visit in Sequim than in Seattle.

[NotJen]

I'm now leaning towards 2 nights in the log cabins on Crescent Lake and 1 night at the Sol Duc resort.

IMO, these are close enough together that you don't really gain much from the move.  Maybe you rate access to the hot springs highly?

Quileute Oceanside Resort has camping cabins (the "resort" part of the name is misleading).  I didn't research for my trip, but Forks might have inexpensive lodging that's more convenient to the beaches with less expensive restaurants.

Are there cheap(er) dining options in the park? That's the one thing I'm a little worried about, is getting creamed by expensive national park restaurants for 3 meals/day. It might wind up being cheaper to rent one of the chalets that has a kitchen and thereby bring some groceries from Seattle.

Even without a kitchen, it's pretty easy to do breakfasts in the room, hiking lunches, and then only eat out once a day.  (The problem I run into is that by the end of the day I'm craving vegetables, and a lot of roadside restaurants are burger-and-fry places where the closest thing to a vegetable is onion rings - which makes me a little grumpy.) 

I generally fly in some shelf-stable food items that I've gotten at home at a discount.  I stopped at the Safeway in Port Angeles for some fresh fruit and whatever other supplies I needed (wanted to get out of Seattle as fast as possible and not worry about shopping there).  If you don't mind cooking on vacation, obviously places with kitchens would be very convenient, and they are pretty easy to find in the area.

There are only a few dining options in the park, and they are all pretty expensive.  Since everything is spread out, you'll be driving past plenty of other restaurants as you explore the park.  I think the only in-park meal I had was at Sol Duc (their menu had a grilled veggie sandwich that was delicious).  Most of the meals on that trip were outside the park, but not out of the way - 2 dinners in Port Angeles, a lunch at Granny's (possibly the only option between Lake Crescent and Port Angeles?), 2 dinners in La Push, a dinner in Forks (I remember being impressed by the pizza place there), and a dinner near our cabin on the Upper Hoh Rd.  Many of the restaurants had similar pricing to the in-park ones.

[Taran Wanderer]

Olympic National Park:

• Hiking
• Lakes
• Hurricane Ridge
• Port Townsend is nearby if you want a town. Check out the wooden boat museum.
• Ferry ride optional to get there

San Juan Islands:

• Ferry ride mandatory to get there
• Lots of whale watching opportunities
• Hiking
• Several biking opportunities
• Sea kayaking
• Interesting history - The War of the Pig
• Watching seaplanes come and go

Both are cool.  I’ve been to both multiple times.  I prefer the San Juan Islands and have been to both San Juan Island and Orcas Island.  I love Orcas Island, but I would recommend San Juan Island for a first trip.  Friday Harbor has all the things you need in a town.  We especially enjoy the bookstore and the combination grocery store/marine supply store/outdoor store.  Roche Harbor has a fun sunset ceremony the kids would enjoy.  British Camp and American Camp offer a history opportunity and some walking.  Lime Kilns State Park offers some different history and beautiful shoreline hiking.  Each of the San Juan Islands is pretty small.  As long as you have a car, you can see anything or multiple things on the island in a day trip.

If you go to Olympic National Park, you’ll want to be more thoughtful of where you will go.  It’s big, and it would take all day to drive around it even if you only make a couple of key stops.  Sol Duc Falls and Deer Lake could be a nice day hike, but when hiking in Olympic NP, keep in mind that it’s typically 2,000 feet up (and down) anytime you cross a ridgeline.  Your best hikes will be up a drainage (like Sol Duc) and maybe partway up a ridge for a view.

We’ve been going to the San Juans for several years, and in short, it’s magical every year with kids similar in age to yours.  The ferry ride is magical.  The water is magical.  Whale watching is magical.  The sunsets are magical.  The little towns are magical.

Whether you go to the San Juans or cross to Port Townsend on the ferry, make your ferry reservation in advance on the Washington State Ferries webpage.  It’s all pretty self explanatory.  Have fun!

[GilesMM]

The main cool thing about the San Juan Islands is that you stand a pretty good chance of seeing Orcas. A number of years ago we did an overnight sea kayaking trip out there and it was amazing. They provided all the camping gear and food. Not sure if there was a minimum age, I suspect that 8 might be too young because there were some pretty serious open water crossings. I've also seen Orcas from the shore at Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island.

Though mostly lacking Orcas I would say that Olympic NP has more to do and is cooler. I love Lake Crescent for swimming (will be pretty cold water in June ) and the Hoh Rainforest. Weather in June is often cloudy and cool and it obviously rains quite a lot in the rainforest so you'll need to be prepared with the right outerwear.

Last summer in the San Juans we were treated to a wild display of a half dozen Orcas splashing wildly and racing up and down the rocky shoreline just a few meters from a crowd of wild spectators.  It was close enough one could have almost jumped on their back from the rocks.

[englishteacheralex]

I appreciate all the intel about the San Juans! They do sound amazing but we just booked four nights in ONP at two different lodges in the park (thanks NotJen--we decided to skip Sol Duc lodge because you're right, geographically it doesn't maximize since we're also going to be at Crescent Lake. I think our other lodge is Lake Quinault.)

Since Seattle is a destination that is relatively close for us, and we're always trying to find something fun to do on the west coast to break up the flight on our way to see family on the east coast, I have a feeling we'll get to the San Juans one of these days.

[lhamo]

If you want to spend one night on the beach the cabins at Kalaloch are really nice -- hard to get, though because they are gradually falling into the ocean and eventually will be gone.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Would have voted for San Juan Islands for the reasons @Taran Wanderer listed, but you can't go wrong with either. The islands are absolutely magical, so enjoy them on another trip!

[littlebird]

I think it's a good call to wait on the San Juans until your kids are older. It would be a shame to miss the kayaking there.

[Taran Wanderer]

I appreciate all the intel about the San Juans! They do sound amazing but we just booked four nights in ONP at two different lodges in the park (thanks NotJen--we decided to skip Sol Duc lodge because you're right, geographically it doesn't maximize since we're also going to be at Crescent Lake. I think our other lodge is Lake Quinault.)

Since Seattle is a destination that is relatively close for us, and we're always trying to find something fun to do on the west coast to break up the flight on our way to see family on the east coast, I have a feeling we'll get to the San Juans one of these days.

Lake Quinault Lodge is beautiful!  We’ve gone in February a couple of times, so we didn’t get on the lake.  June will be fantastic!