Growing up in Seattle, I felt fairly spoiled to have three incredible national parks within a day’s drive. That said, emphasis on drive – I never imagined I could get to any of the parks without a car. Olympic National Park also has always felt the farthest away, despite what Google Maps might give you for a time estimate. You either have to hope you’ll make the ferry you’re rushing to catch, or drive down to Tacoma and deal with extra I-5 traffic. So, when on a whim I switched my directions search to Transit, I was amazed to see that Clallam County Transit could hook me up with a backpacking trip in Olympic National Park – by bus!
How to get to Olympic National Park without a car
From downtown Seattle, take the ferry to Bainbridge Island; you can check the schedule here, but they typically leave at least every hour, and the trip takes about 30 minutes.
From Bainbridge you can take the #123 “Strait Shot” Clallam County bus to Port Angeles. I took the 10:20 bus from Bainbridge, which waits for the 9:45 Seattle ferry to arrive before it takes off.
From Port Angeles, you can take the regional Clallam Transit buses into different areas of the park. In the summer there is a bus up to Hurricane Ridge, and there are year-round buses to Forks and then on to Neah Bay or La Push.
Buses around Olympic National Park
After arriving in Port Angeles around 12:20 (on the 10:20 bus from Bainbridge), you should be able to head straight up to Hurricane Ridge on the 12:30 bus. If you only have one or two nights, you could hit the trail from Hurricane Ridge that same day and camp at Lake Angeles and/or Heather Park (more details below).
I had 3 nights, so I started with a night in a front-country campground so that I could get an early start hiking the next day. I took the #14 bus (towards Forks) at 3:20 after hanging out in a Port Angeles coffee shop for a few hours.
Fairholme Campground
In the summer of 2022 reservations were required for all sites in Fairholme, although rangers will sometimes give up any sites still available during windows throughout the day. (To find out more about systems like that, your best bet is to call the park office.) The campground is a short walk from the highway and you can hear it, but the lake is beautiful! There’s a small camp store (think ramen and chips and t-shirts, bring your own meals) and a beach with docks and boat access. Several of the sites are walk-in, and they are reasonably well spaced with beautiful ferns and trees throughout.
Hurricane Ridge
It usually takes about 45 minutes to get up the Hurricane Ridge Road from Port Angeles. The road is windy and needs to be traveled carefully, so it’s nice to ride the bus and just enjoy the views! At the top of Hurricane Ridge, enjoy beautiful views of the mountains to the south. The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center has a “warming room,” park information, and gift shop/cafe. After finishing my 2 night backpacking trip I loved being able to get clam chowder and fries for lunch at the cafe! They also have sandwiches and other snacks. There are several short trails at Hurricane Ridge that take you to further views.
Backpacking Loop from Hurricane Ridge
From Hurricane Ridge, you can hike out the trail towards Klahane Ridge and then do a loop through the Heather Park and Lake Angeles backcountry campgrounds. (These trails are more typically accessed from the trailhead near the Heart O’ the Hills campground.) The whole loop is between 19-20 miles, so depending on your preference and schedule you could potentially just camp one night. Note that backpacking permits are required, although there are no quota limits for these campsites so hopefully you won’t have trouble getting a permit. Bear canisters are required at many wilderness camp locations; be sure to check all current National Park regulations before your trip.
Hurricane Ridge – Heather Park – Lake Angeles Loop Trail
Hiking from Hurricane Ridge, you basically follow the ridge for 3-4 miles, although there are some significant ups and downs. Watch out for the spur trail to Mt. Angeles; carry on to the right on the main trail. Next you’ll intersect the Switchback Trail; stay to the left. At the top of the switchbacks you’ll find the junction of the Heather Park trail to the left and the Lake Angeles straight/to the right. I went to Heather Park first and preferred that route, because although there was no snow when I was hiking over Labor Day weekend, there was a significant amount of scree/loose rock and while the trail included both ups and downs it felt like more up than down. (I prefer going up to down on scree slopes.) There are some significant drop-offs and steep slopes so I would suggest bringing poles for this hike, and only hiking this route if you are a very experienced hiker.
Heather Park Camp
After crossing to the other side of a drainage, you’ll find the Heather Park area just below a ridge. It really looks like a park/meadow; there is one site near the top of the ridge, or you can continue on another 15 minutes or so down the trail to find sites in the forest near a stream. Either way, be sure to catch sunrise and sunset from the ridge.
Trail to Lake Angeles
From Heather Park, continue downhill through the forest about 4 miles to the trailhead. (If you like you can pop over to the Heart O’ the Hills campground bathroom!) Then start back up the trail on the other side of the parking lot to Lake Angeles. It’s about 3.7 miles up through the forest to Lake Angeles. There are many campsites around the lake but it is a popular area that may fill up on weekends.
Lake Angeles to Hurricane Ridge
From Lake Angeles, it’s another 6 miles or so to Hurricane Ridge. You’ll go fairly steep uphill until you reach the Klahane Ridge trail, but without much of the scree/loose rock I saw on the Heather Park trail. You have an amazing ridge walk with views alternating to the north and south, and then rejoin the trail where you split off at the beginning of the loop.
Once you return to Hurricane Ridge, you can catch the bus back down to Port Angeles and then transfer to the Strait Shot bus back to Bainbridge and the ferry. I finished my trip on a Sunday when the there were fewer Strait Shot trips, so I took the Hurricane Ridge bus at 1:30 to arrive in Port Angeles by 2:15, and then the 3:15 Strait Shot bus. And there you have it, backpacking in Olympic National Park by bus! (You can read my other post about a weekend trip to Olympic National Park here, and more national park guides here. Check out my post on a train trip to Glacier National Park!)
