Our recommendation
Visit Olympic in May
May offers best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight. For comparison, August is the most crowded month (~2.6× the average month) and December is the quietest.
Annual visits
3.6M
2025
Busiest month
Aug
2.6× avg
Quietest month
Dec
0.3× avg
10-yr trend
steady
-1.5%
How crowded is Olympic by month?
Relative crowd level by month (1.0 = the park's average month), from NPS visitation records 1979–2025.
Month-by-month crowd, weather & daylight
| Month | Crowd level | Best-time score | Avg high / low | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Very quiet | 41 Poor | 41°F / 33°F | 8.6 h |
| February | Very quiet | 46 Fair | 44°F / 33°F | 10.0 h |
| March | Very quiet | 51 Fair | 50°F / 35°F | 11.6 h |
| April | Quiet | 63 Good | 56°F / 38°F | 13.4 h |
| May★ best | Average | 67 Good | 63°F / 43°F | 14.9 h |
| June | Busy | 67 Good | 67°F / 47°F | 15.8 h |
| July | Very busy | 63 Good | 74°F / 51°F | 15.4 h |
| August | Very busy | 49 Fair | 75°F / 52°F | 14.1 h |
| September | Busy | 59 Fair | 68°F / 48°F | 12.3 h |
| October | Quiet | 51 Fair | 56°F / 42°F | 10.6 h |
| November | Quiet | 41 Poor | 46°F / 36°F | 9.0 h |
| December | Very quiet | 40 Poor | 41°F / 33°F | 8.2 h |
Climate normals (1991–2020) from the nearest NOAA station (USC00452548, ~15.1 mi away).
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About visiting Olympic
Olympic National Park is a National Park in WA and one of the busier parks in the system, drawing about 3.6 million recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has held fairly steady over the past decade. Crowds concentrate sharply by season: August is the busiest month at about 2.6× the park's average month, while December is the calmest at roughly 0.3× — a 8-to-1 swing between high and low season. Roughly 50% of the year's visitors arrive in the three summer months of June, July and August alone, so timing a trip outside that window is the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels. Weather swings from an average high-season warmth near 63°F in August down to about 37°F in December, with the wettest stretch in November. About 5 months a year see comfortable average temperatures in the 50–80°F range, which is part of why crowd timing and weather timing don't always line up. The sweet spot is May: best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight. Visit then and you trade a little peak-season certainty for noticeably shorter lines and easier parking than the August rush. Daylight ranges from about 8.2 hours in midwinter to 15.8 hours near the summer solstice, which shapes how much ground you can cover in a day. A standard private-vehicle entrance pass runs about $30, valid for several days, so a shoulder-season trip stretches that fee across quieter, more comfortable days. These crowd figures are drawn from 1979–2025 of National Park Service visitor-use records, paired with 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals, and are updated as new monthly data is released.
Park overview
With its incredible range of precipitation and elevation, diversity is the hallmark of Olympic National Park. Encompassing nearly a million acres, the park protects a vast wilderness, thousands of years of human history, and several distinctly different ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles of wild coastline. Come explore!
Weather & conditions
Summers tend to be fair and warm, with high temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees F. July, August and September are the driest months, with heavier precipitation during the rest of the year. While winters are mild at lower elevation, snowfall can be heavy in the mountains. It is common for different weather conditions to exist within the park at the same time. At any time of year, visitors should come prepared for a variety of conditions.
Park overview text courtesy of the National Park Service — official park site.
Where to stay near Olympic
Hotels, cabins, lodges and vacation rentals near Olympic National Park — live availability and prices to plan your trip. May is our pick for the best balance of light crowds and good weather.
Top-rated places to stay near Olympic
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
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Getting there — nearest airports
Updated July 2026The closest airport to Olympic National Park is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), about 196 mi (5 hr 27 min drive) away.
| Airport | Distance | Drive time | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)Best for flights | 196 mi | 5 hr 27 min | Air Canada, Air France, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines |
| Portland International Airport (PDX) | 240 mi | 6 hr 15 min | Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Copa Airlines, Delta, Frontier Airlines |
| Bellingham International Airport (BLI) | 301 mi | 7 hr 30 min | Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air |
| Friday Harbor Airport (FRD) | 308 mi | 8 hr 36 min | Kenmore Air |
| Eugene Airport (EUG) | 355 mi | 8 hr 36 min | Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta, Silk Avia, United Airlines |
Which airport should you choose?
- Shortest drive: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) — about 5 hr 27 min from the park.
Entrance fees
A standard private-vehicle entrance pass is about $30, typically valid for several days.
Frequently Asked Questions
May offers best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight at Olympic National Park. The park is busiest in August (about 2.6× the average month) and quietest in December.
August is the busiest month at Olympic National Park, running roughly 2.6 times the park's average monthly visitation.
December is the quietest month at Olympic National Park, at about 0.3× the average month — a good choice if you want to avoid crowds.
Olympic National Park recorded about 3,584,187 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has been steady over the past decade (-1.5%).
Based on 1991–2020 climate normals, the warmest month at Olympic National Park averages about 63°F (August). See the month-by-month table above for the full picture.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the closest airport to Olympic National Park, about 196 mi (5 hr 27 min drive) away.
There is no airport inside Olympic National Park. Fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and drive the rest of the way — about 5 hr 27 min.
Nearby parks to visit
Keep exploring
Water quality of lakes near Olympic
If you are planning to swim, paddle or fish on this trip, these graded lakes are within a 40-mile drive. Grades are A–F from EPA and state-agency sampling.
- Nla Upper Lake water qualityGrade — · 24 mi · WA
- Nla Lower Lake water qualityGrade — · 25 mi · WA
Beach water quality near Olympic
Beaches within a 40-mile drive, graded on multi-year bacteria sampling from EPA BEACON — worth checking before you plan a swim day.
- Old Town water qualityGrade A · 34 mi · WA
- W Quilcene Bay water qualityGrade A · 37 mi · WA
- Herb Beck Marina water qualityGrade A · 37 mi · WA
- Potlatch State Park water qualityGrade A · 39 mi · WA
- Scenic Beach State Park water qualityGrade A · 40 mi · WA
Sources: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1979–2025), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Crowd index = a month's visits ÷ the park's average month.