Four
regional deep dive · part two
La Push, Forks & Twilight Magic
The wild Pacific coast. Sea stacks taller than houses. Foggy beaches where the forest meets the ocean. The town that became famous for vampires, and the indigenous nation that's been here for thousands of years.
The west side of the Olympic Peninsula is a different world from the rest of Washington. Forks gets 120+ inches of rain a year, which is why the rainforest exists, why the rivers run heavy, and why the fog rolls in off the Pacific most mornings even in summer. This is the Olympic Peninsula at its wildest.
For families, this region is two trips in one. Trip one is the nature trip: sea stacks at Rialto Beach, moss dripping off everything in the Hoh, sunsets over First Beach. Trip two is the Twilight trip. Stephenie Meyer set her vampire saga here for a reason. Forks is real, La Push is real, and the small-town rainy moodiness she captured in the books is exactly what you'll find when you arrive. Never read Twilight? Doesn't matter. The town leans in SO hard that the whole visit ends up weird and lovable anyway.
This chapter has three areas: Forks (the town, your home base, all the Twilight stuff), La Push & the Beaches (Quileute reservation, First/Second/Third Beach, Rialto, Hole-in-the-Wall), and the Hoh Rainforest (one of the quietest places on earth). Each one gets its own page below.
of rain per year
to do it well
stephenie meyer's saga
the quileute people
getting oriented
How this part of the peninsula is laid out
Forks, La Push, and the Hoh sit way out on the wet west side of the peninsula. It's remote, it rains a LOT, and it's worth every mile of the drive.
The west side of the Olympic Peninsula is the rainiest place in the contiguous United States. Forks averages 120+ inches of rain a year. The town celebrates how wet it is. Streetlights stay on most days. The fog rolls in off the Pacific by mid-afternoon. And that's exactly the point. Nobody comes out here for sunshine. You come for the moss, the old growth, the crashing surf, and weather that makes everything feel a little haunted in the best way.
The three areas in this chapter cluster within about 30 minutes of each other. Forks is the town and your home base. La Push is 15 miles west of Forks at the coast, on the Quileute Reservation. The Hoh Rainforest is about an hour south of Forks down a dead-end road. You can do all three from a Forks base in two solid days. Three days if you want to soak it in.
The Twilight thing, briefly
Stephenie Meyer wrote her vampire saga set in Forks because she Googled "rainiest town in America" and Forks came up. She'd never even been here. And the town had no clue they were about to become a tourist destination. By the time the first movie came out in 2008, the whole town had gone full vampire. Today there are Twilight signs all over town. Bella's truck. The Cullen family's "house." A real-life Charlie Swan parking spot at the Forks Police Department. Dr. Carlisle Cullen's parking spot at the hospital. A sign on the way to La Push that reads "Welcome Twilight Fans" on one side and "No Vampires Beyond This Point" on the other.
If you're a Twilight fan, all of this is basically Disneyland. If you're not, it's still endearing because the town commits so completely. Either way, the beaches and the rainforest would earn the drive without a single vampire reference. The Twilight stuff is the bonus.
The Quileute Nation
La Push sits on the Quileute Reservation. The Quileute people have lived on this stretch of coast for thousands of years. They're a sovereign nation with their own government, language, and rules for visitors. This is important to understand before you go. First Beach is open to the public but is on Quileute land. You'll need a $10 day-use permit from the Lonesome Creek Store. Tribal regulations also ask that you do not film video on First Beach, especially anything involving tribal members or ceremonies. Be respectful. The Quileute story is older and more important than the Twilight story by orders of magnitude.
Plan for at least 3 days
Forks is 90 minutes west of Port Angeles. The Hoh Rainforest is another hour south. Even though the three areas in this chapter are close to each other, they're far from everything else on the peninsula. Don't try to day-trip out here from Sequim. Spend the night.
Plan one full day each for Forks/Twilight, La Push beaches, and the Hoh. Three nights in Forks is the smart move. Two nights minimum. And check each area page for current-year alerts before you lock the plan; 2026's Rialto road closure is exactly the kind of thing that rearranges a day.
explore each area
tap into your stopsThree places worth your real attention
Each one has its own dedicated page with food, hikes, where to stay, drive notes, fun things to do on a slow day, and the resupply info you need.
your home base
Forks & Twilight
The town that became famous for vampires. Your home base for the whole west side. Twilight stops, the rainiest streets in America, and the welcome sign you'll recognize from the movies.
the wild coast
La Push & The Beaches
Sea stacks, driftwood logs the size of houses, and the most dramatic Pacific shoreline in the lower 48. First, Second, and Third Beach. Plus Rialto and Hole-in-the-Wall just to the north.
the quiet cathedral
Hoh Rainforest
A temperate rainforest unlike anywhere else in the lower 48. Trees draped in moss, ferns six feet tall, and one of the quietest places on earth. The Hall of Mosses trail is the can't-miss.
putting it together
How to plan your time
The west side works as a Twilight trip, a wild-coast nature trip, or both at once. Build your days around whichever one your crew came for.
If you have 1 day (not enough)
Don't try. The west side is too far from anywhere else to day-trip. If you only have a single day, do Lake Crescent and Sol Duc instead and save the coast for a return trip. The drive to Forks alone is 90 minutes from Port Angeles each way.
If you have 2 days
Stay one night in Forks. Day 1: Drive in, do the Twilight tour, dinner at the Forks Outfitters or Pacific Pizza. Day 2: La Push beaches in the morning, Hoh Rainforest in the afternoon, drive back out by evening. This is the minimum. It'll feel a little rushed, but you'll hit the highlights.
If you have 3 days
The right amount. Stay two nights in Forks. Day 1: Drive in via Lake Crescent, Twilight tour in Forks, dinner. Day 2: La Push and the beaches, sunset on Rialto. Day 3: Hoh Rainforest in the morning, drive out in the afternoon. This pace lets you settle into the moodiness of the place.
If you're a Twihard
Plan your trip around the Forever Twilight in Forks Festival, September 10-13, 2026. It's a four-day festival with Saga actor appearances, costume contests, props from the films, the Cullen House open for tours, Bella Italia catered dinner, and the largest gathering of fans in the world. Passes go on sale the previous October and the big packages sell out fast. Book lodging the moment they release.
Direct route picks for the west side
For a structured, day-by-day version, head to the Routes chapter where we lay out the full itineraries:
→ Classic Olympic Peninsula/Forks Loop (5 days)
→ Twilight Weekend (3 days)
→ Slow Nature Loop, Olympic Peninsula Wilderness (10 days)
→ Kid-Focused Gentle Loop (perfect for families with toddlers, west side optional)
Pack for actual rain
Forks gets 120+ inches of rain a year. Pack like you mean it. Real rain jackets (not the thin kind), waterproof boots, layers, a backup pair of socks per person per day. Even in summer it can rain all afternoon.
The other thing: leave the white sneakers at home. They will be brown by the end of day one. Hiking boots or anything you don't mind getting dirty. The mud out here is part of the experience.