Seattle: Olympic Peninsula Day Trip with Ferry & Hurricane Ridge

1/10

Duration13h–14h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · DE

PickupAt your hotel

The ferry ride alone is worth the early start—then the real landscape begins.

You get picked up from Seattle, ferried across Puget Sound, then driven through old-growth forest, past tide pools, and up to a mile-high ridge with mountain views in every direction. Transport, water, and a guide who times the stops around tide schedules and weather are all handled. You're back in the city by evening.

13h–14h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Olympic Peninsula highlights

Pickup and ferry ride to Olympic Peninsula
View Seattle waterfront and Mt. Rainier
Pass longest floating bridge in saltwater
Stop for breakfast in Sequim
Visit Salmon Cascades and old growth forest
Optional hike to Sol Duc Falls
Explore sea-stack rock formations and tide pools
Enjoy views and hiking at Hurricane Ridge
Pass through Port Angeles city
Visit Crescent Lake and forest trails

The Experience

Most people don't realize the drive to Olympic National Park from Seattle starts with a boat. You'll board a ferry after pickup, watching the Seattle waterfront shrink behind you and Mt. Rainier rise on the horizon—the kind of view that makes you put your phone down. The ferry itself is the longest floating bridge in saltwater anywhere, 7,869 feet of it, and the crossing takes you across Puget Sound toward the Olympic Peninsula, where the landscape shifts from city to something older and wilder.

Once you're on the peninsula, the day spreads across four main stops. You'll pass through Sequim, where lavender farms line the roads and there's time for breakfast at a local diner if you want it (your own cost). Then comes Sol Duc Valley with its old-growth forest and optional hike to Sol Duc Falls—the Salmon Cascades are right there, and the trees are tall enough that you forget how much sky exists. The tide pools come next, depending on timing and the water schedule that day; sea-stack rock formations and sandy beach where you can actually crouch down and see starfish and anemones if the tide cooperates. Your guide will know the schedule and work around it.

Hurricane Ridge is the finale—a mile-high viewpoint where the Olympic Mountains spread out in every direction, and on a clear day you can see forever. There's a gift shop, a place to eat, and trails if you want to walk further, but mostly people just stand there. The drive back to Seattle takes hours, and the ferry ride home is quieter than the morning one. Plan for a full day out; the tour duration includes all the travel time, which is part of what makes fitting this much landscape into one trip possible.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or meeting point pickup in Seattle, the ferry crossing over Puget Sound, private transportation throughout the Olympic Peninsula, bottled water and WiFi on board, and visits to Crescent Lake, Sol Duc Valley with its old-growth forest, tide pools along the coastal beaches (tide dependent), and Hurricane Ridge at 7,869 feet with views of the Olympic Mountains.
An optional hike to Sol Duc Falls is available.
Breakfast and lunch are not included, though there are dining options in Sequim and at Hurricane Ridge.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Wild Goose Tours

Is this one for you?A good fit if you want to see the Olympic Peninsula's main landscapes—forest, coast, and mountains—in one day without arranging your own transport or timing around tide schedules. Plan for a full day out, which is what makes fitting the ferry, multiple stops, and a mile-high ridge into a single trip possible.