Category: Olympic Peninsula

May is the most underrated month to visit Sequim. The festival energy of the Irrigation Festival is still fading from the air, the summer bus tours haven’t started rolling in yet, and two of the finest experiences on the North Olympic Peninsula are sitting wide open — practically waiting for you. If you’ve only seen Sequim in peak July, purple and packed, you’re missing the quieter, more personal version of this place. This week, there are two spots that are not only excellent but genuinely time-sensitive: one closes in less than thirty days, and the other is at its most peaceful right now, before the crowds of lavender season arrive. Here’s where to point the car.

Sequim Bay State Park: Your Window Closes June 5

Sequim Bay State Park sits about four miles east of downtown Sequim on Highway 101, tucked inside the protected curve of the bay where the Olympic rain shadow keeps skies clearer than anywhere else on the peninsula. The park offers nearly four miles of marine shoreline, and in May that shoreline is alive — crabbers out in the coves, low tides pulling back to reveal the clam flats, and the snow-capped ridgeline of the Olympics reflected in still morning water.

The campground has ninety sites including full-utility hookups, and RV rigs up to forty feet are welcome. Reservations are available through Washington State Parks at parks.wa.gov, and shoulder-season availability is dramatically better than anything you’ll find in July or August. The boat launch is fully operational with a fifteen-minute loading limit — the old moorage dock was permanently closed due to structural deterioration, so plan accordingly if you’re bringing a vessel — but for kayakers and small motorboats, this is a genuine gem of a launch with calm protected water inside the bay.

Here’s the urgency: the park closes on June 5th, 2026, and doesn’t reopen until September 15th. Washington State Parks is constructing a new park entrance, and the entire park will be shut down for that work through the height of summer. That means right now — these next few weeks in May — is it. There is no July visit to Sequim Bay State Park this year. If you want the campfire on the water, the morning crab pull, the sunset over the bay with the Olympics behind it, May is your only shot in 2026.

Purple Haze Lavender Farm: The Field Before the Flowers

Most people discover Sequim’s lavender farms in July, when the rows are purple-blue from road to horizon and the parking areas are full by nine in the morning. That version of the experience is real and genuinely beautiful — but there’s another version happening right now at Purple Haze Lavender Farm on Bell Bottom Road, and it’s worth knowing about.

The lavender plants at Purple Haze are in what the farm calls their spring wake-up phase through May — the rows are filling back in with green growth, the fragrance is already present in the air, and the bees are working. Blooms don’t peak until late June and carry through July, so a May visit gives you the working farm experience without the summer crowds. The gift shop is fully stocked year-round with the farm’s lavender essential oils, culinary lavender, sachets, soaps, and honey — all produced on site. It’s a genuine working operation, not a tourist facsimile of one.

The farm is open this Thursday from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., with the same hours on Fridays and Saturdays, Sundays from noon to 4:00 P.M., and Wednesdays from noon to 5:00 P.M. One firm rule: no drone cameras on the property. The farm’s honeybee population is central to everything they grow and produce, and the farm enforces this seriously. Respect it — the bees are why the lavender is there at all.

For locals or anyone who wants product without making the drive, Purple Haze ships orders on Wednesdays and Saturdays through their online store at purplehazelavender.com, and they offer local pickup by appointment. Call 360-809-9615 to arrange.

Plan Your Visit

Both stops pair naturally into a single Sequim day trip. Start at Sequim Bay State Park in the morning — arrive before 10:00 A.M. if you want the best low-tide window for clamming, and check the tide tables at wdfw.wa.gov before you go. The park is at 269035 Highway 101, Sequim; parking is included with a Washington State Discover Pass. From the park, head west into town for lunch — Sequim has a solid range of spots along Washington Street — then out to Purple Haze on Bell Bottom Road for the afternoon farm store hours.

If you’re planning an overnight at Sequim Bay State Park, book through parks.wa.gov as soon as possible. With the park closing June 5th for the rest of the summer, available nights in May will go quickly once word gets around. Pack layers — Sequim sits in the rain shadow but mornings on the bay are cool — and bring crabbing gear if you have it. The bay is productive in May, and there’s no better way to end a camping night than pulling a pot at first light with the Olympics turning gold.

Written by the EOP Daily Regional Beat desk — 2026-05-07.

May is the sweet spot for Port Townsend. The Rhododendron Festival is still a week out, the summer ferry crowds haven’t arrived, and the city’s Victorian seaport is fully awake without being overrun. This week, two experiences define what makes a May visit to PT worth planning around: a recurring free outdoor painting event at Fort Worden’s Point Wilson Lighthouse, and a trip to the Rothschild House — an 1868 home so intact it functions less like a museum and more like walking into someone’s house just after they left.

Plein Air at Point Wilson: Art at the Edge of the Strait

Quimper Arts has been running free plein air outings in and around Port Townsend since April, and today’s location might be the best one on the calendar. Point Wilson Lighthouse, at the northeastern tip of Fort Worden State Park, sits where the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets Admiralty Inlet — a location that gives painters a panorama of open water, working lighthouse infrastructure, and the distant profiles of the San Juan Islands.

Every first, third, and fifth Wednesday from April through November, Quimper Arts leads a free gathering at locations across Jefferson County. The Point Wilson session runs 9am to noon, with instructor Joyce Hester giving a live plein air demonstration at 9am sharp for anyone who wants to watch technique before picking up their own brushes. You don’t need to be a member, you don’t need experience, and you don’t need to register — just show up.

Practical notes: Drive into Fort Worden State Park and park directly at the lighthouse (a Discover Pass is required — $10 daily or $35 annual). From your car, walk north along the fence line toward the jetty. That’s where the group gathers. Bring whatever medium you work in — watercolor, oil, pastel, graphite — the light and the landscape accommodate everything. Pacific weather in early May can change quickly, so bring an extra layer even on a clear morning.

If you’ve never painted outdoors before, this is a genuinely low-pressure introduction. Quimper Arts events are explicitly welcoming to beginners. The bi-monthly schedule means you can come back to a different location every two weeks through November — check quimperarts.org for the full 2026 calendar.

The Rothschild House: 1868, Exactly as Left

Three miles from Fort Worden, up the hill into Port Townsend’s uptown district, the Rothschild House stands at the corner of Jefferson and Taylor Streets. Built in 1868 by D.C.H. Rothschild — a merchant who arrived during Port Townsend’s peak years as a customs port of entry and a city bidding to become the terminus of the transcontinental railroad — the house is now managed by the Jefferson County Historical Society as one of Washington State’s most intact Victorian-era homes.

What sets it apart from other historic houses is what didn’t happen to it: the rooms were never cleared, the furnishings were never replaced, and the family belongings were never curated away. You’re seeing the actual household, preserved in the actual configuration it occupied when Port Townsend was a boomtown of 5,000 people betting that the railroad would come and they would become the Seattle before Seattle existed.

The house opens for the 2026 season Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 4pm, and runs through September 12. Tours are managed by the Jefferson County Historical Society; call 360-385-1003 or stop by the JCHS Museum at 540 Water Street (downtown PT) to plan your visit. The museum itself is worth building time around — it covers Jefferson County history from Indigenous maritime cultures through the Victorian era in depth, and the two sites together make for a complete PT history half-day.

Plan Your Visit

For plein air at Point Wilson: The event runs every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesday, 9am–noon. Fort Worden State Park is located at 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368. A Discover Pass is required for parking ($10 daily, $35 annual). From the Kitsap Peninsula, take Hwy 104 north — drive time from Kingston is approximately 45 minutes.

For the Rothschild House: Corner of Jefferson and Taylor Streets, uptown Port Townsend. Open Thursday–Sunday, 11am–4pm through September 12. Free street parking is available in uptown. The JCHS Museum is at 540 Water Street downtown — pairing both in the same visit makes for an efficient and rewarding Port Townsend history day.

Timing note: Rhododendron Festival runs May 13–17, bringing the Grand Parade on May 16 at 1pm and the 45th Rhody Run on May 17 at Fort Worden. If you want a quieter window to explore uptown and the Fort Worden grounds without festival crowds, this weekend — May 9–11 — is your best opening before the city shifts into full celebration mode.

Port Townsend has always been defined by the water around it. Perched at the northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula where the Strait of Juan de Fuca meets Admiralty Inlet, this Victorian seaport has been drawing people to its shores since the 1850s — first as a boomtown that believed it would become the great metropolis of the Pacific Northwest, then as a quiet backwater that preserved its 19th-century architecture almost by accident, and now as one of Washington’s most beloved destinations for anyone who wants to get close to the natural and human history of the sea. In early May, with the rhododendrons still holding their bloom and the Strait gleaming silver on clear mornings, two institutions anchor what makes a Port Townsend visit genuinely memorable: the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and the Northwest Maritime Center. Together, they tell the full story of this coastline — one from the tide pools up, and one from the dock out.

Port Townsend Marine Science Center — Where the Intertidal Zone Comes to Life

The Port Townsend Marine Science Center occupies the historic Battery Kinzie building at Fort Worden State Park, a squat concrete structure that once housed coastal artillery and now holds one of the most accessible marine education facilities on the Olympic Peninsula. The setting alone is worth the visit: the building sits at the edge of the fort’s north beach, a few hundred yards from Point Wilson and the lighthouse that has guided ships through Admiralty Inlet since 1913. On a clear spring morning, you can stand outside the entrance and watch container ships threading their way toward Puget Sound with the snow-capped Cascades as a backdrop.

Inside, PTMSC’s touch tanks are the centerpiece for visitors of any age. These shallow saltwater pools are stocked with live intertidal animals — purple sea urchins, ochre sea stars, giant hermit crabs, sun stars, and the occasional spiny sculpin — pulled from the rocky shoreline just outside. Staff and volunteers are on hand to guide interactions and explain the ecological relationships at work in this environment. Spring is a particularly rich season: the cold upwelling waters of the Strait support dense intertidal communities, and the longer days bring out species that stayed deeper through winter.

Beyond the touch tanks, PTMSC maintains natural history exhibits covering the marine ecosystems of the Salish Sea, with a focus on the species and habitats found specifically in the waters off the Olympic Peninsula. The center also runs guided tide pool walks during low-tide windows throughout the spring and summer season — these walks are led by trained naturalists and cover the stretch of rocky beach directly below Fort Worden’s north bluff. It’s the kind of experience that makes you see the beach completely differently afterward. To check current walk schedules and confirm spring hours before making the drive, visit ptmsc.org or call the center directly on weekday mornings.

The Northwest Maritime Center — A Living Shipyard on the Waterfront

A mile south along Port Townsend’s waterfront, at 431 Water Street where the downtown blocks meet the boat basin, the Northwest Maritime Center is something harder to categorize than a museum and more interesting than a visitor center. It is, essentially, a working maritime campus — a place where wooden boats are still built, traditional seamanship is still taught, and the connection between a community and the sea it lives beside is treated as something worth actively maintaining.

The NMC is home to the Wooden Boat Foundation, which has anchored Port Townsend’s identity as the wooden boat capital of the West Coast since the 1970s. The Foundation’s signature event is the Wooden Boat Festival each September, which draws tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of classic vessels to PT’s harbor. But the NMC operates year-round, and spring is a wonderful time to visit before the summer crowds arrive. The boat shop is open to visitors, and on weekdays you can watch craftspeople restoring historic vessels or building new ones in the traditional lapstrake and carvel methods. There is something genuinely meditative about watching someone fit a plank to a frame in a building that smells of cedar and caulk while the harbor stretches out behind them through the open workshop doors.

The NMC also runs a full sailing school, with classes ranging from introductory day sails to multi-day coastal passages. Spring enrollment opens in early May for the summer season, and if you have any inclination toward learning to sail, this is one of the finest places on the West Coast to start. The docks immediately in front of the NMC are also the landing point for the Keystone-Port Townsend passenger ferry from Whidbey Island, which makes a car-free arrival possible for visitors coming from the north. Check nwmaritime.org for current programming, workshop schedules, and spring events.

Plan Your Visit

Both the Marine Science Center and the Northwest Maritime Center are within walking distance of Port Townsend’s downtown core, which makes combining them into a single day straightforward. A reasonable sequence: start with a morning visit to PTMSC at Fort Worden (about 2 miles north of downtown via the Lawrence Street trail corridor), allow two hours for the exhibits and the beach, then drive or walk back into town for lunch on Water Street before spending the afternoon at the NMC. The waterfront between the NMC and Point Hudson Marina is worth a full slow walk — the views across the Strait toward Whidbey and the Cascades are among the best on the peninsula.

Parking at Fort Worden requires a Discover Pass (Washington State Parks annual or day-use fee). Downtown PT street parking is free for two hours with extended-stay lots nearby. Both institutions ask that you call ahead or check websites before visiting on weekdays outside the peak summer season, as hours can vary. For lodging, the Fort Worden commons hostel-style accommodations are a unique option if you want to stay on the park grounds — book well in advance for any May or June weekend.

May on Hood Canal’s north shore has its own particular rhythm. The water is still cold enough to see your breath off the kayak in the morning, the rhododendrons are peaking in the forest clearings, and everyone with a shrimp pot has one question on their mind: is the season open? This week I’ve got answers on all of it — plus one of the most underrated state parks on the entire Olympic Peninsula that deserves a lot more foot traffic than it gets.

Let’s start with the news every Hood Canal angler is watching, then I’ll walk you through a spring park visit that’ll remind you why you moved to (or keep driving back to) this corner of Washington.

Hood Canal Spot Shrimp 2026: What You Need to Know Before You Launch

Here’s the hard truth first: Hood Canal is closed for spot shrimp harvest in 2026 due to low abundance. WDFW made the call based on population surveys, and while it’s disappointing for the many anglers who make this an annual tradition, it’s the right move for the long-term health of one of the Pacific Northwest’s most beloved shellfish species.

Spot shrimp are a Hood Canal icon. They’re larger, sweeter, and more delicate than anything you’ll find at a grocery store counter, and the Hood Canal fishery draws pot-setters from across the region every spring. When WDFW closes an area, it’s because the stock genuinely needs the rest. The same conservation ethic that makes the Quilcene Bay oyster harvest sustainable year after year applies here — restraint now means abundance later.

So what are your options for 2026? The broader Puget Sound shrimp season opens May 24 in several marine areas (check wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/shrimp/areas for area-by-area status). Rules across Puget Sound management areas include a daily limit of 10 pounds of all shrimp species combined, a maximum of 80 spot shrimp per person if open for spot shrimp, daylight-hours-only harvesting, and no more than two shrimp pots per person (four per boat). Before you trailer the boat anywhere, verify the current status for your specific target area on the WDFW site — additional dates can be added or removed as quota situations change through the season.

For Hood Canal North regulars, this is a good year to explore the non-shrimping highlights of the canal — of which there are plenty. The Brinnon ShrimpFest on Memorial Day weekend (May 23–25) is still happening and still celebrates the culture and community around Hood Canal spot shrimp even in a conservation year. Mark your calendar.

Scenic Beach State Park, Seabeck — May Is the Sweet Spot

If you’ve never made the turn off Newberry Hill Road toward Seabeck, add it to your list right now. Scenic Beach State Park sits on a quiet cove on Hood Canal’s west shore, and in May, it’s genuinely one of the most beautiful spots on the peninsula.

The park’s signature view is what draws people back: stand on the pebble beach at low tide and you’re looking straight across Hood Canal at the full Olympic Mountain ridgeline. On a clear May morning — and we get more of those than people expect — that panorama is jaw-dropping. The peaks are still carrying significant snow at elevation, which makes the contrast with the blooming rhododendrons in the park’s forest trails particularly dramatic this time of year.

The trail network here is well-groomed and manageable for most fitness levels. You’ll move through second-growth forest with a mix of Douglas fir, big-leaf maple, and those native rhododendrons that are in full flush right now. The trails eventually loop back to the beach, where the rocky shoreline rewards anyone who takes their time — look for sea stars, anemones, and the occasional harbor seal cruising the shallows.

One detail I always point out to first-timers: the historic Emel House sits right on the beach. It’s a beautifully preserved early-20th-century home that’s become a popular wedding venue, and even if there’s no event happening, it adds a real sense of place and history to a walk along the waterline. The park address is 9596 Scenic Beach Rd NW, Seabeck, WA 98380.

One practical note: clamming and oyster harvesting at Scenic Beach is currently closed due to a decline in shellfish populations in this specific area. Come for the views, the trails, and the forest — not the harvest.

Plan Your Visit

Scenic Beach State Park is open year-round. To reach it from Bremerton, head northwest on WY-3, turn left onto Newberry Hill Road, then follow Seabeck Highway NW until it transitions to Scenic Beach Road. The drive takes about 30 minutes from Bremerton and 90 minutes from Tacoma via the Narrows Bridge. Parking is available in the main day-use lot. Bring layers — even on a sunny May afternoon the breeze off Hood Canal can be brisk. Reservations for camping can be made through Washington State Parks at parks.wa.gov.

If you’re combining this with a shrimp research trip, WDFW’s area-by-area shrimp status page is the authoritative source: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfishing-regulations/shrimp/areas. Check it the morning you plan to go — conditions and quota statuses can change mid-season.

Hood Canal North rewards the curious traveler who takes the less-obvious road. Seabeck is that road. Go find it.

The South Coast of the Olympic Peninsula doesn’t always get top billing — that usually goes to Hurricane Ridge or the Hoh. But if you point your rig southwest this May, you’ll find two destinations that deliver everything the peninsula is famous for, without the weekend crowds. I’m talking about the Quinault Rain Forest and the Grays Harbor Lighthouse at Westport. Both are open now. Both are spectacular in spring. And they make a natural pair for a full South Coast day trip.

Quinault Rain Forest: The Quiet Corner of Olympic National Park

Most people driving to the Olympic Peninsula from the south pass right by the Quinault Valley turnoff without realizing what they’re missing. That’s a mistake worth correcting.

The Quinault Valley sits in the southwestern corner of Olympic National Park, roughly an hour west of Forks and about three hours from Port Angeles. It’s a wilderness gateway in the truest sense — alpine meadows and ice-carved peaks at the high end, and at the valley floor, one of the finest stretches of temperate old-growth rainforest on the continent. Bigleaf maples draped in club moss, the Quinault River running clear and cold, Roosevelt elk moving through the undergrowth at dawn.

The best starting point for a day visit is the Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station, where the NPS staff can orient you to current trail and road conditions. From there, the Kestner Homestead Loop is the move: a 1.3-mile flat walk through groves of bigleaf maples to the remains of the Kestner family homestead, one of the first pioneer families to settle the valley. It’s short enough for anyone to manage and beautiful enough to slow even the most restless hiker down. In May, the maples are leafing out in that electric spring-green that photographers chase all season.

If you want to stay overnight — and you should — the valley has two campgrounds inside the national park. North Fork Campground (9 sites) and Graves Creek Campground (approximately 30 sites) are both first-come, first-served and sit in the kind of quiet that city people don’t entirely believe exists anymore. No reservations, no generators humming, just rain on old-growth canopy.

For those wanting more ambitious hiking, the East Fork Quinault River Trail pushes deep into the Olympic Wilderness toward the historic Enchanted Chalet, and the North Fork Quinault River Trail climbs toward the Low Divide. Both are multi-day wilderness routes for fit, prepared hikers — bring a permit and solid navigation skills.

Before you head out, note that Kalaloch Beach is approximately 35 miles west of Quinault — easily added to the itinerary for a sunset finish on the open Pacific. For current road and trail conditions, call the NPS at 360-565-3130.

Grays Harbor Lighthouse: Washington’s Oldest Standing Lighthouse

Drive another hour north and west from Quinault and you’ll reach Westport, the fishing town that anchors the southern end of the South Coast. Most visitors come for the marina, the charter fishing, or the razor clam beaches. But the destination that deserves more attention is hiding right at the edge of town: the Grays Harbor Lighthouse inside Westport Light State Park.

Built in 1898, the Grays Harbor Lighthouse stands 107 feet tall — making it the tallest lighthouse still standing on the Washington coast. It’s an imposing structure, white against the gray Pacific sky, positioned right where the Grays Harbor jetty meets the open ocean. The lighthouse has been guiding ships into Grays Harbor for over 125 years, and it remains an active aid to navigation today.

Access is easy and free. Park at the Westport Light State Park lot off W Ocean Ave and pick up the Dunes Trail, a 1.3-mile loop that winds through a forest of shore pines and coastal scrub before delivering you to the lighthouse tower. The trail is paved in stretches and suitable for most visitors. Along the way, keep your eyes on the water — May is the tail end of gray whale northward migration, and the jetty area is a reliable shorebird corridor.

The lighthouse itself is managed by the Westport-South Beach Historical Society, which typically runs public tours on weekends during the spring and summer season. Check their schedule before you go if climbing the tower is your goal — but even without a tour, the walk and the views make the trip worthwhile.

Plan Your Visit

A full South Coast day combining Quinault and Westport requires an early start from the north end of the peninsula, but it’s very doable from Aberdeen or Olympia as a day trip. From Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station, head west on US-101 to Kalaloch if time allows, then north on 101 to Westport — roughly 1.5 hours between the two stops. Gas up in Aberdeen; services are limited along the route.

For Quinault, there’s no fee to hike the Kestner Homestead Loop if you’re walking in from the Ranger Station area, though the standard America the Beautiful / National Parks Pass covers any applicable entry fees. Camping at North Fork and Graves Creek is first-come, first-served with standard NPS camping fees. Bring rain gear regardless of the forecast — this is the rainiest corner of the rainiest national park in the continental United States, and that’s part of what makes it so alive in May.

For Westport Light State Park, parking and trail access are free. The lighthouse tour schedule varies — contact the Westport-South Beach Historical Society for current weekend hours before making the drive specifically for the tower climb.

NPS Olympic road and trail info: 360-565-3130

If you’ve been waiting for the right weekend to make the drive to the West End of the Olympic Peninsula, this is it. Two of the most iconic destinations on this stretch — the Hoh Rain Forest and Rialto Beach — are both fully open right now, and one of them won’t stay that way past July. Here’s what you need to know before you go.

Hoh Rain Forest: The Visitor Center Is Open Today

The Hoh Rain Forest sits about 31 miles southeast of Forks along Upper Hoh Road, and as of this weekend, the entire area is operating normally — trails, parking areas, restrooms, and the Visitor Center. That last detail matters: the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center runs on a Friday through Sunday schedule from 9am to 4pm, which means today is one of only three days a week you can actually walk inside, talk to a ranger, and get current trail conditions straight from the source.

The two signature trails are the reason most people make this drive. The Hall of Mosses Trail is a 0.8-mile loop through old-growth Sitka spruce hung with club moss so thick it looks like something from a fantasy novel. The trees here are enormous — some over 300 years old — and the light filters through in a way that makes even an overcast day feel dramatic. The Hoh River Trail sets off from the same trailhead and runs deep into the park; you can walk as little or as much as you want, following the braided river through stands of spruce and maple.

Hoh Campground is currently first-come, first-served, which means you can drive in this weekend without a reservation and claim a site. That window closes June 12, when reservations become required through September 6. If you’ve been meaning to camp in the rainforest, the next six weeks are your easiest shot at a spontaneous overnight. Come prepared for weather regardless of the forecast — the Hoh receives over 140 inches of rain annually, and conditions can shift from sunny to soaked in under an hour. Waterproof layers are non-negotiable. Road and conditions hotline: 360-565-3131.

Rialto Beach: Open Now, Closed July 8 — Plan Accordingly

Rialto Beach is accessed via Mora Road off Highway 101, about 14 miles of winding two-lane road through the Quillayute River bottomlands. Right now, Mora Road and Rialto Beach are fully open. Starting July 8 and running through October 5, both lanes of Mora Road will be closed beyond Mora Campground for permanent road repairs — meaning Rialto Beach will be completely inaccessible by vehicle for nearly three months.

This construction has been coming for a while. Back in 2019, severe winter flooding eroded the riverbank at mile marker 1.25, and the emergency riprap installed at the time was always a temporary fix. The permanent repair is necessary and overdue, but the closure window is real, and if you want to visit Rialto Beach this summer, your window is now through July 7.

Rialto Beach is one of those places that rewards the effort. The beach is wide and wild, littered with enormous drift logs bleached silver by the salt air. Sea stacks rise from the surf in both directions. About 1.5 miles north along the shoreline, the Hole-in-the-Wall sea arch cuts through a headland — a walk that’s entirely doable at low tide, though you’ll want to check a tide chart before heading out. The Pacific coast moves fast, and sneaker waves are a real hazard anywhere along this stretch.

Mora Campground, located before the closure zone, is open first-come, first-served through May 14. Starting May 15, reservations are required (available at recreation.gov), running through September 20. If you want to base camp here before the road closes, this coming week is your last spontaneous-arrival window.

Plan Your Visit

Both destinations are day-trip distance from Forks, which sits at the crossroads of the West End. For the Hoh Rain Forest, allow at least two to three hours minimum — longer if you want to walk the Hoh River Trail beyond the first mile. For Rialto Beach, budget time for the 1.5-mile beach walk to Hole-in-the-Wall and back if tides allow; check tide tables in advance at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov (La Push / Quillayute River, station 9442396).

Current road and conditions for all Olympic National Park areas: call the recorded information line at 360-565-3131. America the Beautiful passes and Olympic National Park annual passes are accepted at both entrance points. The Hoh Rain Forest entrance station is on Upper Hoh Road; the Rialto Beach / Mora area uses the same pass. Day-use fee without a pass is $35 per vehicle.

The West End is at its best in late spring — crowds haven’t arrived yet, the forest is saturated green, and the beach is still yours for the walking. Don’t sleep on it.

Port Angeles sits at the edge of two worlds. Behind it, the Olympic Mountains rise sharp and permanent. In front, the Strait of Juan de Fuca stretches toward Vancouver Island. In May, both of those worlds are at their most alive — and this city of 20,000 is the gateway to some of the best spring experiences on the entire peninsula. Two things belong on your radar right now: Hurricane Ridge just opened for the season, and the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts is three weeks out.

Here is what you actually need to know.

Hurricane Ridge in May: Plan Before You Drive

Hurricane Ridge is 18 miles from downtown Port Angeles by road — a 5,242-foot climb that ends in a meadow so wide and open it feels like the top of the world. In May, the snowpack is retreating, wildflowers are beginning to push through the meadow, and black-tailed deer are visible most mornings near the ridge road. On a clear day, the view spans the Strait of Juan de Fuca all the way to the Canadian Gulf Islands.

But there is a catch: access is metered, and if you show up midmorning on a weekend without a plan, you may get turned around at the gate.

Here is how the system works. The first 175 vehicles of the day pass through the Heart O' the Hills Entrance Station freely. After that, the next 140 vehicles are admitted on a one-in-one-out basis — as a car leaves the ridge, one more is allowed in. Once 315 total vehicles have entered, the road closes to private cars for the remainder of the day. On busy weekends and holidays, that threshold can be hit before noon.

The practical advice: arrive before 9am. The drive from downtown Port Angeles takes about 30 minutes. An early start gives you the meadows in morning light, fewer people on the trails, and the best chance at seeing wildlife before the ridge fills up.

One more thing to know before you go: the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge burned down in May 2023, and the planned $80 million reconstruction is currently on hold due to federal budget constraints. That means there are no indoor restrooms, no café, and no heated shelter at the top. Portable facilities are on-site, but plan as if you are heading into a trailhead, not a visitor center. Bring layers — the ridge sits above 5,000 feet and the weather can shift fast — plus enough food and water for your time on the mountain.

For current road conditions and real-time access status, call the Olympic National Park road report line at 360-565-3131. The Heart O' the Hills Entrance Station is located on Hurricane Ridge Road, Port Angeles.

Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts: Memorial Day Weekend in Port Angeles

Three weeks from now, downtown Port Angeles transforms. The 34th Annual Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts runs May 22–24, 2026 — Memorial Day Weekend — and it is the peninsula's premier music and arts event of the season.

The setting alone is worth the trip. Five stages spread across the downtown waterfront, with the Olympic Mountains behind you and the strait in front. The music spans the full range: bluegrass, blues, jazz, folk, Americana, and more. The festival has been running since the early 1990s and draws performers and attendees from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Beyond the music, the festival runs a free artisan street fair with local makers and vendors, a beer and wine garden, a Kids Zone for families, and a Community Tent. The street fair is open to everyone — no ticket required to browse and shop.

For visitors combining the festival with other peninsula stops: the Black Ball Ferry Line's MV Coho runs daily service between Port Angeles and Victoria, BC (90-minute crossing), making it possible to come in by boat and walk straight into the festival. If you are driving, US-101 brings you into the heart of Port Angeles.

Ticket and lineup information at jffa.org.

Plan Your Visit

If you are coming to Port Angeles this month, the combination of Hurricane Ridge and the Juan de Fuca Festival makes for a full two-day itinerary. Arrive early on a weekend morning and drive the ridge before the vehicle meter fills — figure three to four hours for the drive up, a walk through the meadow, and the return. Come back down to Port Angeles for lunch at the waterfront, then explore the downtown arts district in the afternoon. If your timing lines up with May 22–24, stay through Memorial Day weekend for the festival.

For planning: Olympic National Park entrance fee is $35 per vehicle (annual pass accepted). Hurricane Ridge Road opens daily from Port Angeles — check conditions at 360-565-3131 before you go. Juan de Fuca Festival runs May 22–24 downtown Port Angeles; full info at jffa.org. The MV Coho Ferry departs from the Port Angeles ferry terminal at the foot of Laurel Street; reservations recommended at cohoferry.com.

If you’ve been watching the calendar, today is the day. After weeks of buildup, Sequim’s 131st Irrigation Festival officially opens tonight with the First Friday Art Walk, and the next nine days are going to be some of the most festive the Dungeness Valley has seen all year. Whether you’re a longtime local or making your first peninsula trip of the season, this weekend alone gives you multiple reasons to come out.

The theme this year — “Let’s go Sequimming!” — captures exactly the spirit the Sequim Irrigation Festival has always had: a community celebrating the water that made this corner of the Olympic Peninsula bloom. The Dungeness River’s first headgate was lifted on May 1, 1895, and 130 years later, Sequim is still throwing a party for it.

Tonight Through Sunday: Crazy Callen Weekend

The festival opens tonight, Thursday April 30, with the First Friday Art Walk from 5–8 p.m. in and around downtown Sequim. This year the Art Walk carries an aqua theme in homage to the festival — galleries open late, the streets fill up, and it’s the kind of low-key festive evening that makes downtown Sequim feel especially alive heading into a big weekend.

Also tonight at 7 p.m., Sequim High School’s Operetta Club raises the curtain on The Wizard of Oz at Sequim High School, 301 W. Henderson Rd. The production is a collaboration between the Operetta Club and Ghostlight Productions, featuring a large ensemble cast that includes local children ages 6 and up as Munchkins and Ozians, eight dancers from The Dance Center by Erica Edwards, and — critically — Arrow the dog as Toto. Tickets are available at the door or at sequimschools.org. The show runs two full weekends: 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (May 1–2 and 8–9), plus 2 p.m. Sunday matinees on May 3 and 10.

Saturday, May 2 is the centerpiece of Crazy Callen Weekend: Family Fun Days at Carrie Blake Community Park. Gates open at 9 a.m. and run until 5 p.m., with 25 free activity booths and touch-a-trucks spread across the park. Among the highlights: the Sequim Robotics Federation returns with their bot Juggle Jaws — a crowd favorite that tosses balls for visitors to catch and throw back into its hoop. Dungeness Kids Co. will release butterflies at 1 p.m. in cooperation with the Sequim Botanical Garden. The Sequim High School GSA Club will be running a beadwork keychain station. It’s genuinely one of the best free family events on the peninsula, and it’s all happening right here in Carrie Blake.

At noon on Saturday, the Kids Parade rolls through, with lineup starting at 11:45 a.m. in the southwest corner of the Albert Haller Playfields near the bandshell. Children 12 and under can enter — prizes go to best storybook character, best pet, best “All about Sequim,” best festival theme, and best overall. The overall winner gets to ride in the Grand Parade the following weekend.

Running alongside Family Fun Days is the Creative Collective — the rebranded Innovative Arts & Crafts Fair — also at Carrie Blake, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. This year’s vendor count has expanded to 40, with the expanded format now allowing food vendors alongside art and craft sellers.

Live entertainment runs at the James Center for Performing Arts bandshell from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, with the Sequim City Band closing out Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday evening closes with the Trashion Show at 5:30 p.m. in the Guy Cole Event Center — a beloved festival tradition where participants create wearable art from repurposed and salvaged materials. Last year’s “Best in Show” winner created an elaborate gown from seaweed, shells, corn husks, and fishing line. Sunday morning opens with the Crazy Daze Breakfast Murder Mystery at 9 a.m., also in the Guy Cole Event Center — appropriate for all ages, with advance tickets at the festival website and limited same-morning availability.

Grand Finale Weekend and the Run Series

The festival doesn’t stop after Crazy Callen Weekend. Grand Finale Weekend runs May 7–10, highlighted by the Grand Parade on Saturday, May 9 — the signature event that Sequim Sunrise Rotary has helped organize for decades. Parade entries are closed, but spectator spots along the route are always prime.

Also on May 9: the Irrigation Festival Run Series, with a 2K run/walk departing from the Shipley Center’s new location at 651 W. Washington St. to Pioneer Park and back, finishing with Strait Up Foam Fun’s “Bubble Run.” Sign-ups are still open through the festival website.

The Sequim High School Wizard of Oz production continues through Grand Finale Weekend as well, with shows May 8–9 at 7 p.m. and a final matinee May 10 at 2 p.m.

Plan Your Visit

Carrie Blake Community Park is located in central Sequim at 202 N. Blake Ave. Street parking along the surrounding blocks fills quickly on Family Fun Days Saturday — arrive before 10 a.m. if you want a close spot, or plan to walk a few blocks from downtown. The festival still needs volunteers for setup on May 1 and parking throughout both weekends; sign up via the “volunteer” button at sequimirrigation.com.

For the Wizard of Oz, Sequim High School is at 301 W. Henderson Rd. — about a 10-minute drive from downtown. If you’re doing the Art Walk + operetta combo tonight, plan to leave downtown by 6:40 p.m. to make the 7 p.m. curtain comfortably.

Full festival schedule and Trashion Show tickets: sequimirrigation.com
Operetta tickets: sequimschools.org

Sources: Sequim Gazette (April 29, 2026)