The Olympic Peninsula by RV

Route description

Start in Seattle at Pike Place Market, a public market since 1907, for fishmongers, flower stalls and a bowl of chowder. Then head north to Fremont to see the 18-foot troll crushing a real VW Beetle under the Aurora Bridge. Downtown streets are steep and parking for motorhomes is scarce, so consider seeing the city by transit and collecting or moving the RV afterward.

Take a Washington State Ferry across Puget Sound, for example from Seattle to Bainbridge Island or from Edmonds to Kingston, then follow US-101 west along the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula to Port Angeles. From here a mountain road climbs toward Hurricane Ridge, and the highway continues west along the shore of Lake Crescent. Ferry fares depend on vehicle length, and at busy times it pays to arrive early or reserve where possible.

South of Forks, the Upper Hoh Road leads into the Hoh Rain Forest, where moss-draped maples receive around 12 feet of rain a year and the Hall of Mosses loop takes under an hour. The Hoh Campground has mossy sites beside the river, so bring rain gear whatever the forecast says. Back on US-101, the road reaches the Pacific at Ruby Beach and Kalaloch before turning inland.

US-101 continues south past Willapa Bay and crosses the mouth of the Columbia River on the long Astoria–Megler Bridge into Oregon. From Astoria it is a short drive down the coast to Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock, a 235-foot sea stack with tide pools at its base and nesting puffins in spring and early summer. Check the tide tables before walking out, and book coast and rain forest campgrounds early for summer.