My PNW Road-Trip

Hoh Rainforest, Washington ; picture taken by Anieka Sarmer

This past June, right before graduation week, my roommate's parents flew to Seattle from India to see her graduate. Over the month that they stayed with us, we took them on small trips in the area to show them Washington State. The biggest trip we went on and the most memorable, was when we drove to the peninsula and stayed there for 3 days, taking drives to various spots around Olympic National Park. Our home base was an airbnb in Port Angeles where we would then drive down the peninsula to see famous beaches, forests, and towns. Keep reading to get a short and sweet account of what we did on the peninsula, as well as some ideas for your own Pacific North West road trip. 

Day 1

Hoh Rainforest

Hall of Mosses, Hoh Rainforest, Washington ; picture taken by Anieka Sarmer

Our first day on the peninsula we did a lot of driving. After breakfast in Port Angeles, we drove down the peninsula for two hours to get to the Hoh Rainforest National Park. Being one of the largest temperate rainforests located in the United States, we had to see it for ourselves. The Rainforest's park entrance is about an hour inland from Forks, and almost a five hour drive from Seattle. We reached the forest a bit later in the day than we had planned, but when we arrived we were protected from the midday sun by the thick moss covered trees. We hiked a trail called the Hall of Mosses, which was only a little over a mile walk, with no intense elevation gain. This is a trail that I would recommend you walk through because the views are breathtaking. At a point on the trail, we got to an opening with trees in the center completely covered in moss. Strands of moss were hanging from the branches of the trees, the sunlight peeking through the moss' dense blanket. The sight looked like something you'd see in a fairytale. Somehow, we made a wrong turn on the trail which led us along a river. We chilled on the beach for a bit before walking back to the car, and driving back towards Forks. 

I would recommend going on the hike and driving through the forest, however going to the visitor center of the rainforest isn't necessary. I want to remind you that practically the entire peninsula of Washington is a rainforest, and you don't need to drive all that way to see temperate rainforest. I will add onto this point later in this blog. 

Forks

I'll list this town as a place we saw but not a place we voluntarily entered. Growing up and reading / watching the Twilight Saga, I was excited to see the small Washington town that inspired Stephanie Meyer to write about the esteemed Cullen vampire family. However, as we were making our drive towards the rainforest we needed to take a bathroom break, stopped at a community center that advertised public restrooms, and then realized after looking on maps that the singular street which we were on, was Forks. 

We kept driving through the town and then stumbled across the Twilight Museum and all the shops selling Twilight merchandise. If you're a fan of Twilight, this may be something that interests you. There are tours you can go on where you can visit various locations where Twilight was filmed, and the museum has props and costumes used during the films. I myself am not super crazy about the series, and having my roommates Indian parents in tow, who were completely clueless about what Twilight was, did not encourage me to book any of those tours. We quickly realized that Forks was not a town that we wanted to spend time in, so on our way back from the rainforest, we instead drove all the way to the coast to see Rialto Beach.

Rialto Beach / Hole-In-The-Wall

Hole-In-The-Wall, Rialto Beach, Washington ; picture taken by Anieka Sarmer

Rialto Beach is the northern neighbor of the well known La Push Beach. The beach is known for its smooth, perfectly flat rocks, which get smaller and smaller the closer you get to the water, eventually turning into flat little slivers of sand. It is also known for the landmark called Hole-In-The-Wall, a rock formation with a hole carved into it over millennia of erosion, creating a tunnel through the rock leading to the other side of the beach. You can hike along the beach from the beach entry for 1.5 miles to reach the formation by foot, or you can drive. We chose to walk. 1.5 miles doesn't sound far, but walking on sand makes it 10 times harder, so after trekking there and back we were so exhausted and hungry, we decided to make the journey back to Port Angeles instead of stopping at La Push. 

I would highly recommend you visit this beach or at least one of the beaches along the Quileute coast. If you don't go to Rialto I would suggest you visit either La Push, which is used in a scene from the Twilight Saga, second beach, or third beach. Any one of these beaches are breathtaking. If you want to see all of them, and want to spend a day or two around Forks, I would recommend staying at the Quillayute River Resort, which has quaint and cute cabins you can stay in. It's right along the Quillayute river, very accessible to the beaches, and close to the town of Forks. I would also recommend staying at the Quileute Oceanside Resort, located right in La Push with access to the Beach. It is not as close to Forks, but if you're like me and don't see yourself going into town much besides a grocery run, being right along the ocean sounds like a dream! 

Day 2

Port Angeles

Because of all the driving we did the day before, we were very lazy and tired the following day, and didn't want to make another long journey. We were supposed to drive to Cape Flattery that day, but instead, we settled for a relaxed morning and early afternoon exploring Port Angeles. We ate breakfast at New Day Eatery and then walked along the main street, looking in all the cute antique shops, boutiques, and galleries. There was one gallery that I fell in love with called Wild Side Gallery. It's located on the main street of Port Angeles and has such beautiful ceramics, paintings, decorations, and jewelry. My roommate's mom bought two of the prettiest dragonfly decorations made out of iron, to hang in her garden back in India. I almost bought some jewelry there, but restrained myself. However, I did buy an early father's day card from Fiddlehead home decor and started chatting with the owner. She is such a sweet woman, and very warm and welcoming. She heard we were from out of town, and gave us recommendations on where to explore around Port Angeles. Her suggestions led us to the highlight of our trip, and I'm so grateful that we  entered her shop that day. 

Madison Falls

Madison Falls, Washington ; picture taken by Anieka Sarmer

Her suggestion was to go to Madison Falls, which was less than an hour away from Port Angeles, and along the Elwha river. The drive to the falls is gorgeous, and once you reach the parking lot, it's only a half mile to reach the falls. Remember when I said you don't need to drive all the way to the Hoh visitor center to see a temperate rainforest? This was when I realized that all the driving we did to hike Hall of Mosses was unnecessary. Less than an hour away from Port Angeles, was a rainforest environment with a beautiful waterfall, right next to the most calming river I have ever been to. We walked the small ways to Madison Falls, took pictures and then crossed the road to the river. 

Elwha river

Elwha River, Washington ; picture taken by Anieka Sarmer

The Elwha river is a 45 mile long river that flows North into the strait of Juan de Fuca. I had no idea of its existence until we drove along it to reach Madison Falls. My roommate's parents were honestly more excited about the river, declaring when we got out of the car that we would sit there after seeing the falls. It is a decision that I'm glad we followed through with, because I felt so at peace there. I will never forget the memory of sitting with my feet in the water hearing the sounds of the river and the breeze through the trees that day. We talked amongst ourselves for over an hour with our feet in the glacier water, all while appreciating the nature surrounding us for its beauty. My roommate's mom meditated, drawing energy from the river, while the rest of us had discussions about the past, present, and future. After over an hour of relaxation on the river we went for a brief walk along the road and then headed back to the car. 

This spontaneous excursion was my favorite part of our trip, and especially the memory of the river will stay with me forever. I enjoyed going to Madison Falls more than going to the Hoh Rainforest, because I still got the rainforest environment, but we drove only an hour outside of Port Angeles. I would highly recommend this place as a destination for you on your peninsula trip, especially if you choose to make Port Angeles your homebase like we did. 

Day 3

Port Townsend

Fort Worden, Port Townsend, Washington ; picture taken by Anieka Sarmer

Our third day on the peninsula was our final day in Port Angeles, and the day we drove around the puget sound back home to Seattle. After having a quick breakfast in town, again at New Day Eatery, we made a detour to visit Port Townsend on our way back home. Port Townsend is a quaint, old Victorian town on the eastern tip of the peninsula, across the strait from Whidbey Island. We thought my roommate's parents would enjoy the Victorian architecture and seeing the old military base there, Fort Worden. We drove through the little town to the fort and walked around there for a bit, but the wind was too intense. After exploring the fort for a few minutes, we decided to hop back into the car and walk around the town. I got coffee at the café I always go to when I'm there, Better Living Through Coffee, and had some quality time with my roommate's dad, while she took her mom through some of the cute shops around town. 

On the other end of town, we discovered some kind of festival, where there were food trucks and a beer garden. My roommate's dad was very excited about the beer garden and wanted to go inside, so we all enjoyed some drinks and shared Greek fries from a nearby food truck. This was a nice surprise and something we hadn't planned on doing. I'm noticing that when I travel, I like when things are unplanned and spontaneous, rather than meticulously planned out. 

I would recommend visiting Port Townsend, either for a day, or for the weekend. There are hiking trails and beaches nearby, the town is cute and artsy, and there are plenty of restaurants and wineries nearby that you can visit. I would also recommend going into the fort for anyone interested in American military bases. 

Me sitting along the Elwha River, Washington ; picture taken by my roommate

That concludes our brief trip to the peninsula and all our activities. Although we did not go, I would also recommend that you visit all the beaches around the Quileute Reservation: La Push Beach, Second Beach, and Third Beach. Even though it is out of the way, I would suggest you make the drive to Cape Flattery. The hike is short and sweet and the view is spectacular. Hurricane Ridge is also a beautiful area of the Olympic National Park, with plenty of hiking trails. Unfortunately, the visitor center did burn down due to an electrical problem at the end of May, however the trails are still open. Lastly, I would suggest that you make a quick stop to Crescent Lake. We drove past it many times to go to and from Madison Falls and the Hoh Rainforest, but we never actually stopped to explore the area. The lake is a beautiful turquoise, and there are islands in the center of it that reminded me of the mountainous islands of the British Colombian Strait. 

This trip made me appreciate the beauty of Washington state, and made me fall in love with Washington summers even more. Let Washington state grab a hold of your heart too by taking a road trip through the Peninsula. My hope is that you make some stops at the places I mentioned in this blog. Thank you for reading!

As always, follow me on instagram, @aniekasarmer for updates about new blog posts and future destinations. 

Now go out and explore the world!

Love, 

Anieka ♡