Best time to visit Olympic.

Crowd score

Formula: 100 − (this month's visits ÷ park's peak month visits) × 100. Each park scored against its own peak, not against other parks.

Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package 2025, Recreation Visits (TRV), 5-year monthly mean (2021-2025). Reproduce these numbers on the NPS IRMA Stats portal.

Reading it: August at Olympic reads 0 (peak). January reads 87 (quietest). A 50 means about half the park's peak crowd.

Weather score

Formula: weatherScore = round(max(0, min(100, dayComfort − precipPenalty − snowPenalty − freezePenalty))). The piecewise day-comfort function is continuous at every boundary.

• Day comfort: tmax < 50°F → max(10, (tmax − 20) × 2) (cold tail); 50–60°F → 60 + (tmax − 50) × 4 (ramp to 100); 60–78°F → 100 (plateau); 78–85°F → 100 − (tmax − 78) × 5 (ramp to 65); > 85°F → max(30, 65 − (tmax − 85) × 5) (hot tail).
• Precip penalty: max(0, prcpIn − 1.5) × 8; kicks in above 1.5 in / month.
• Snow penalty: snowIn × 2.5. If the selected station does not publish a snowfall normal, the score applies no snow penalty and labels snowfall as unavailable.
• Night-freeze penalty: max(0, 32 − tmin) × 1.5 when tmin < 32°F.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station Elwha Ranger Station, WA (USC00452548, 360 ft).

Caveat: The Elwha Ranger Station sits at about 360 ft in the Elwha River valley on the park's north side, near Port Angeles. Olympic's coast, rain forests, and mountains each have their own weather. NPS says the Hoh and Quinault rain forests average 12 feet of rain a year, more than twice Elwha's normal of about 58 inches, and that thirty to fifty feet of snow can fall each winter in the subalpine country around Hurricane Ridge (5,242 ft). Treat these numbers as a low-elevation preview for the north side, and check a mountain or marine forecast before a Hurricane Ridge or coast day. We have not finished reviewing this station.

Access score

Formula: For each named park road, count it open if its typical operating window covers that month. Score = round((sum of weights of open roads / sum of all weights) x 100). Where a park has a partial winter access mode, the profile documents that assumption in its access notes.

Route weights at Olympic:

• Highway 101 at the Hoh River Bridge: Repair closures, usually in autumn
• Hurricane Ridge Road (alpine corridor): Open all summer; Fri-Sun + holiday Mondays in winter
• Obstruction Point Road (alpine extension): Typically mid-June → October 15
• Upper Hoh Road (rainforest corridor): Listed open; campground reservations June 12 to Sept 6, 2026
• Sol Duc Valley Road and Hot Springs Resort: Resort March 20 to November 1, 2026
• Coastal spurs (Mora / Rialto, Kalaloch): Rialto Beach access depends on Mora Road repair work
• La Push Road: Second and Third Beaches: Trailheads on La Push Road
• Entry, fees, and passes: Year-round entry
• Lodging: concessioner windows: Mix of year-round and seasonal in-park lodges

Editorial methodology: the route weights are chosen by our editors from NPS road and lodge operating dates and the park's own access caveats below the score table.

Caveat: The score reflects wheeled-vehicle road access only. Backcountry, hiking, lodging, shuttle, and other service availability are not directly included unless the park profile states otherwise.

Why no combined score?

A combined "best month" number forces a weighting: how much do you care about crowds vs. weather vs. access? Those weights are personal. A photographer optimizing for golden light weights differently than a parent locked to school break weights differently than a winter visitor with a 4WD. We show the inputs and let you decide. Use the per-month grid above to navigate to a deeper page.