Hoh Rain Forest
Winter is the wet season: choose short forest loops, waterproof layers and a flexible approach-road plan.
December · Hoh Rain Forest
What to see and do in Olympic in December
Choose a December outing that fits the route, weather and effort involved.
Hurricane Ridge snow
A winter snow outing depends on the limited seasonal road schedule and weather. Carry chains as required; do not treat an open park as daily ridge access.
December · Hurricane Ridge snow
Olympic coast
Storms, tides and large waves shape the visit. Tidepooling is only an option when tide and ocean conditions suit; stay well back from surf and logs.
December · Olympic coast
Olympic weather in December
December’s normal high is 41°F and low is 33°F, with 9.92 inches of precipitation. Elwha Ranger Station at about 360 ft describes a low-elevation north-side valley. Olympic's coast, rain forests and mountains have different weather. These averages do not describe Hurricane Ridge or the much wetter western rain forests. Check the forecast for each destination.
Cooler Hotter
Jan
High41°F
Low33°F
Precip · in8.87
Feb
High44°F
Low33°F
Precip · in6.14
Mar
High50°F
Low35°F
Precip · in6.94
Apr
High56°F
Low38°F
Precip · in3.28
May
High63°F
Low43°F
Precip · in1.91
Jun
High67°F
Low47°F
Precip · in1.39
Jul
High74°F
Low51°F
Precip · in0.74
Aug
High75°F
Low52°F
Precip · in1.14
Sep
High68°F
Low48°F
Precip · in1.63
Oct
High56°F
Low42°F
Precip · in5.85
Nov
High46°F
Low36°F
Precip · in10.06
Dec
High41°F
Low33°F
Precip · in9.92
Olympic crowds in December
December averages 99,558 recreation visits, 16% of the peak monthly average in August.
LowestLowModerateHighPeakAverage month: 256,681December
Tips for your December visit
Check the approach before choosing the rest of the day.
APort Angeles Gateway (Olympic National Park Visitor Center)BHurricane Ridge EntranceCElwha Entrance
- Park boundary
Port Angeles Gateway (Olympic National Park Visitor Center)
Normal road approach, subject to weather and individual site restrictions.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Crowds
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits, compared with the park’s own busiest month. Visits are not unique visitors or a count of people on a trail.
- Weather
- 1991-2020 climate normals. NOAA’s Elwha Ranger Station, WA station. These describe typical weather at the station, not every part of the park or a forecast.
- Roads & lodging
- Normal seasonal schedules. NPS guidance and official operator information. Confirm access, hours and availability before you travel.
Historical records and data-quality checks
- Visit history: 1979–2025 NPS monthly recreation visits.
- Weather history: 1942–2025 daily observations, separate from climate normals. We average daily highs and lows and total the rain for each month.
- Complete months only: every day must pass our quality checks for that metric. Missing or incomplete records stay blank; we never interpolate.
- Excluded measurements: flagged, presumed-zero and lagged values. Trace rain counts as zero measurable rainfall.