your home base · north side hub
where it all startsPort Angeles
A working port town that doubles as the base for everything on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula. Where most families spend at least two nights.
The Wharf sign down on the Port Angeles waterfront
Port Angeles in 60 seconds
2. Hollywood Beach downtown to watch the Black Ball Ferry come and go.
3. Madison Falls, a 5-minute paved walk to a 90-foot waterfall just off Olympic Hot Springs Road.
Splurge: The Olympic Lodge ($250-$320). The nicest hotel in town. Pool, restaurant, walkable to the harbor.
getting your bearings
What Port Angeles is really like
Port Angeles is a working port town. The Strait of Juan de Fuca sits right at its doorstep. On a clear day you can see Vancouver Island across the water. There's a ferry that runs to Victoria, BC if you want to add a Canada day trip (passport required, even with kids).
For families, this is your base for the north side. Port Angeles has the most hotels, the most restaurants, the most everything you need, and it's the gateway to Hurricane Ridge. You'll come back here between adventures. We've stayed at the Quality Inn on the bluff a few times. Nothing fancy. Clean, affordable, easy parking for the van. Walking distance to downtown if you don't mind the hill.
getting in & getting out
What the drive is really like
The realistic conditions you'll find on the way to and from Port Angeles. Cell signal, gas stations, road quirks, RV considerations, all the stuff most guides skip.
About 2.5 hours via the Bainbridge ferry, or 3 hours overland through Tacoma. The ferry is more scenic but you live by the schedule and you can't reserve a spot. Show up 45 minutes early in summer or you'll wait for the next boat. After the ferry, the drive across the Hood Canal Bridge is gorgeous.
About 4.5 hours straight through, or 5 hours if you stop. Take I-5 north, US-101 west at Olympia, then up the Hood Canal. No ferry needed this way. Long stretches with limited gas after Hoodsport. Top off in Olympia.
Highway 101 is the only road out, and it's two lanes the whole way. Accidents or roadwork can shut things down with no alternate route. Plan your day with cushion. Logging trucks pass on the left where they can. Cell signal cuts in and out from about Lake Crescent westward.
The drive to Sequim is about 17 miles on Highway 101 with one big elevation change at Morse Creek. The road is wide here. Easy. Continue another 30 minutes to reach the Port Townsend turnoff at WA-20.
Highway 101 around the peninsula is fine for any rig under 35 feet. Hurricane Ridge Road is paved but steep with hairpin turns. If you're towing a long trailer, drop it in town first. The Hood Canal Bridge can occasionally close to traffic when ships pass through. Allow 30 minutes of cushion.
Port Angeles sits at the edge of an underwater cliff
The Strait of Juan de Fuca right off Hollywood Beach drops off fast. Just offshore the seafloor plunges hundreds of feet, which is part of why orcas, seals, and big ships pass so close to town. Your kids are standing at the edge of a deep, busy waterway that connects the Pacific to Puget Sound. There's a lot to wonder about in water like that.
It's exactly the kind of thing we built a whole region unit around. Real lessons your kids do right where they're standing.
See the curriculum →the must-sees
Don't miss in town
Bella Italia. Yes, the Twilight restaurant where Edward took Bella for mushroom ravioli. It's a real Italian restaurant that's been there for decades and the food is excellent. Not a tourist trap. The mushroom ravioli is on the menu (yes, you can order it). Make a reservation in summer because it does fill up. Closed Mondays and Sundays. The Forks & La Push chapter covers Bella Italia in more detail since it ties to the Twilight story, but if Twilight isn't your trip, Bella Italia is still worth dinner.
The Olympic Discovery Trail. A 130-mile paved trail that runs from Port Townsend all the way to the Pacific. The Port Angeles section runs along the waterfront and is gorgeous for an evening walk. Bring scooters or bikes for kids. Free.
The Feiro Marine Life Center. Small but really good. Touch tanks with sea stars, urchins, and tide pool creatures. Located on the Port Angeles City Pier. The water in the tanks is pumped directly from the ocean just outside the doors. Kid-perfect rainy day stop. About $5 per person.
Olympic National Park Visitor Center. Just outside downtown. Maps, exhibits about the park's ecosystems, current trail conditions, and ranger info. Worth stopping in even for 20 minutes before you head up to Hurricane Ridge so you know what's open and what isn't.
kids pick
Hollywood Beach + Black Ball Ferry watching
Right downtown by the ferry terminal, Hollywood Beach is a small free beach where kids can throw rocks in the water and watch the big Black Ball Ferry come and go to Victoria. Surprisingly entertaining for surprisingly long.
waterfalls, viewpoints & cool stops
The spots most guides miss
Hidden waterfalls, abandoned bunkers, secret beaches. The stops that turn a regular trip into the one your family talks about for years.
Madison Falls
A short paved trail leads to a 90-foot waterfall cascading down a moss-covered cliff. About 5 minutes from the parking area. Stroller friendly, wheelchair accessible. Just off Olympic Hot Springs Road.
Olympic Hot Springs
The natural wild hot springs deep in the Elwha Valley. Worth knowing about, hard to reach right now. As of September 2024, the Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed indefinitely past Madison Falls due to flood washout. The actual springs are about 11 miles one-way from the parking lot (around 22 miles round trip, most of it on the closed road which you can bike). Real backpacking trip now, not a day hike. Check NPS for current status before planning.
Camp Hayden bunkers
An abandoned World War II coastal defense site at Salt Creek Recreation Area. Concrete bunkers, gun emplacements, tunnels you can walk through. Free. About 20 minutes west of town. Kids who like exploring will lose it.
Whiskey Creek Beach
One of the best tide pool spots on the Strait. Sea stars, anemones, crabs, the works. Check the tide chart and go at low tide. About 25 minutes west of town off Highway 112. Free.
Ediz Hook
A natural sand spit that juts 3 miles into the harbor. Drive to the very end for big views back at the city, mountains behind, Vancouver Island across the water. Sea lions sometimes hang out near the Coast Guard station.
McFee Tunnel on Spruce Railroad Trail
Three miles into the Spruce Railroad Trail along Lake Crescent's north shore, you walk through an old railroad tunnel that's lit and unexpectedly cool. Half the fun of the trail. Bike-friendly so kids can ride to it.
Devil's Punchbowl
About a mile into the Spruce Railroad Trail. A small natural swimming hole where Lake Crescent's water gets sucked in and out of a cove. People jump from the bridge in summer. Water is freezing, even in August.
Salt Creek bluff at golden hour
The bluff at Salt Creek Recreation Area is one of the best free sunset viewpoints in Western Washington. Strait of Juan de Fuca below, Vancouver Island straight ahead. Pack snacks and stay until the light goes.
trails worth doing
Hikes near town
All distances are round trip. Difficulty ratings assume an average family with kids 6 and up unless noted. The big Hurricane Ridge hikes get their own page.
Madison Falls
Olympic Discovery Trail (Port Angeles section)
Spruce Railroad Trail (partial)
Marymere Falls
Ediz Hook walk
Olympic Hot Springs Trail (currently bike + hike only)
Mount Storm King
For Hurricane Ridge alpine trails (Cirque Rim, Big Meadow, Hurricane Hill, Klahhane Ridge), see the Hurricane Ridge area page.
when you need a break
Easy backups for slow days
For when the kids need a break from National Park energy, or when the weather flips, or when you just want a quieter afternoon. Smaller stops that don't require a hike.
Port Angeles Farmers Market
Saturdays year-round at the Gateway Transit Center, 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. 30+ vendors, fresh sourdough, lavender, local honey, Korean hot food. Worth planning a Saturday around.
Olympic Discovery Trail walk or bike
The paved 130-mile trail runs through downtown along the waterfront and out to Ediz Hook. Bring scooters or rent bikes from Sound Bikes & Kayaks. Free.
Port Angeles Underground Tour
Saturdays only. Tunnels and storefronts from the early 1900s when downtown kept flooding. About $20 per person. Surprisingly cool for kids who like history.
Webster's Woods Sculpture Park
Free outdoor sculpture park behind the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center. 100+ sculptures scattered through 5 acres of forested trails. Scavenger-hunt energy. Good for restless kids.
Mural walk downtown
12+ murals in the downtown core. Free, scavenger-hunt friendly, and good photos. Pick up a map at the visitor center on Railroad Avenue.
Laurel Lanes Bowling
Auto-bumpers and family rates for rainy afternoons. Cheap and exactly what you need when the kids need to burn energy indoors.
Dream Playground
Massive community-built playground at Erickson Field. Free. Plan an hour minimum because no one will leave easily.
Day-trip ferry to Victoria
The Black Ball Coho Ferry runs to Victoria, BC in about 90 minutes. Passports required for everyone in the family. Walk on and explore the Inner Harbour on foot for the cheapest version (about $20-$25 per adult each way, kids roughly half). Taking the van costs $65-$90 more each way and needs a reservation in summer. Big hit if you have a slow day.
food, by meal
Where we eat
Port Angeles is your last real food hub before things get sparse. Stock up here, eat well here, and pack the cooler before you head west. These are the spots my family goes back to.
Breakfast
Where to start the day
If we have an hour, we go to Chestnut CottageCasual. Old-school feel, huge portions, the kind of pancakes that make a 6-year-old stop talking for a full ten minutes. Get there before 9 AM in summer or you're waiting. Worth it either way.
If we want something lighter, New Day EateryCasual downtown. Smoothies, waffles, healthy bowls, and they have great vegan options if anyone in your group needs them.
If we're already grocery shopping, the deli at Country Aire Natural FoodsQuick on First Street has good pastries. Two birds.
Lunch
Sit down or keep moving
If we have time to sit, Little Devil's LunchboxCasual wins every time. Smoked brisket and pulled pork in burritos and tacos. Counter service, fast, kid-friendly. Closed Sundays so plan around that.
If we have 20 minutes and need to keep driving, FrugalsFast on Front Street. Drive-thru only since 1988, local burgers and milkshakes that are way better than fast food has any right to be. The seasonal milkshake is the move. Lavender in summer. Trust me.
Picnic mode: grab sandwiches and chips from the Safeway deliQuick on 3rd Street and head to Hollywood Beach or up to a Lake Crescent pullout. We do this constantly.
Dinner
Casual to a real night out
For everyday van-life dinner with the kids, Next Door GastropubCasual on First Street is our easy go-to. Burgers and beer for the adults, grilled cheese and fries for the picky kid, outdoor seating in summer.
If we want flavor and big portions for not much money, Sabai ThaiCasual up the hill on 8th Street. Pad Thai, curries, the duck is incredible. Closed Mondays and most of January.
Bella ItaliaNicer
The Twilight restaurant where Edward took Bella for mushroom ravioli (yes, you can order it, yes it's the same one). Real Italian that's been around for decades. The Forks & La Push chapter covers the full Twilight trip, but if you're not on that trip, the food is still worth a sit-down dinner. Closed Mondays and Sundays. Reservations smart in summer.
929 Woodfire GrillNicer
If you came without kids or you're trading off date night with another couple, this is the spot for steak and a real grown-up dinner.
Kokopelli GrillNicer
Southwestern with a view. Bigger menu than you'd expect for a peninsula town. Good wine list. Solid for a celebration dinner.
Treats: Frugals milkshake (kids), the bakery case at New Day, and the cookies at Country Aire that taste homemade because they basically are.