Allow time between areas
NPS puts travel between areas at half an hour to four hours or more. Highway 101 goes around the park; a road into one valley does not connect through to the next.
Find your road
Highway 101 links separate out-and-back roads into Olympic's valleys and coast, with no road across the mountains. The Deer Park line includes the approach from Port Angeles; the nine-mile road description begins at the park boundary.
- Hurricane Ridge Road
- Obstruction Point Road
- Deer Park Road
- Sol Duc Road
- Upper Hoh Road
- Staircase Road
- North Shore Quinault Road
- Named viewpoints, trailheads and road junctions
- Park entrances
- National park boundary
Olympic road seasons
Most rows have no fixed NPS season. Normal winter guidance and historical washout notes are labelled separately from live access.
| Road | Vehicle season or access rule | Destinations & limits |
|---|---|---|
Hurricane Ridge Road | Normal winter weekends, weather permitting | 17 paved miles. Typical winter uphill access 9 am to 4 pm Friday to Sunday and some holidays. |
Obstruction Point Road | Normal mid-June to October 15, weather permitting | 7.8 gravel miles from Hurricane Ridge. Not suitable for RVs or trailers. |
Hurricane Hill Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 1.5 mi, paved, steep. No RVs or trailers. |
Deer Park Road | No fixed NPS season stated | Nine gravel miles from the park boundary. Blind corners and limited pullouts; not suitable for RVs or trailers. |
Sol Duc Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 14 mi, paved, from Highway 101. |
Hoko-Ozette Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 21 mi, paved, from Highway 112. |
Upper Hoh Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 18 paved miles from Highway 101 to the Hoh Rain Forest. Check notices for traffic controls and parking. |
Staircase Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 16 mi from Hoodsport, in the southeast. |
Lower Queets Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 7 mi of gravel. RVs not recommended. |
Upper Queets Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 11 miles via USFS Road 21, with paved and gravel sections. Large RVs and trailers are not recommended. |
North Shore Quinault Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 14 mi, paved and gravel. |
Graves Creek Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 6 mi of gravel. No RVs or trailers. |
North Fork Quinault Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 4 mi of gravel. RVs not recommended. |
Mora Road past Mora Campground | No fixed NPS season stated | Five paved miles from Washington 110/La Push Road to Rialto Beach. Check notices for work beyond Mora Campground. |
South Shore Quinault Road | No fixed NPS season stated | 14 miles from Highway 101 to North Shore Road. Paved and gravel; expect rough surfaces. RVs and trailers not recommended. |
Olympic Hot Springs Road (Elwha) | Historical washout access, not a season | Elwha approach. Historical vehicle washout; the road report describes pedestrian, bicycle and leashed-dog access. Check notices. |
Whiskey Bend Road | Historical washout access, not a season | Five gravel miles from Olympic Hot Springs Road. Historical vehicle access affected by the Elwha washout; check notices. |
Dosewallips Road | Historical washout access, not a season | Historical washout outside the park, 6.5 miles from the campground. Road report lists pedestrian and bicycle access; check notices. |
Separate valleys and winter access
Plan each area around its own access road, then check the connecting highways.
Hurricane Ridge gate
The normal winter season is late November through March. Uphill access is typically 9 am to 4 pm Friday through Sunday and some holidays, weather permitting, but opening can be delayed to noon. All vehicles must be below Heart O' the Hills by 5 pm. NPS lists Christmas Day and Thanksgiving closures; confirm the holiday schedule for your trip.
Tire chains and supplies
Every vehicle, including four-wheel drive, must carry chains above Heart O' the Hills November 1 through April 1. Check the winter page for approved alternative devices. The day lodge was lost in 2023; check services and bring food, water, dry clothes and warm bedding rather than rely on an indoor warming area.
Washouts and travel beyond a gate
The road report documents historical vehicle washouts on Olympic Hot Springs, Whiskey Bend and Dosewallips roads. It lists walking and bicycle access, with leashed dogs also listed on the two Elwha roads. Check the specific notice before going beyond a gate; a vehicle closure alone is not permission.
Before you drive
Several gravel mountain and valley roads have explicit RV and trailer limits.
Obstruction Point Road
A 7.8-mile gravel mountain road from Hurricane Ridge.
- Narrow, winding and steep in places
- Not suitable for RVs or trailers
- Normal season mid-June to October 15, weather and snow permitting
Hurricane Hill Road
A 1.5-mile paved road to picnic areas and trail access.
- Narrow, winding and steep in places
- Not suitable for RVs or trailers
Deer Park Road
Nine gravel miles from the park boundary.
- Blind corners and limited pullouts
- Not suitable for RVs or trailers
Lower Queets Road
A seven-mile gravel access road.
- RVs and trailers are not recommended
- Upper Queets Road is a separate approach via USFS Road 21
Graves Creek Road
Six gravel miles from South Shore Road.
- Narrow and winding
- RVs and trailers are prohibited
- Check both South Shore and North Shore road notices when planning Quinault access
North Fork Quinault Road
Four gravel miles from North Shore Road.
- Narrow and winding
- RVs and trailers are not recommended
Check the highway connections
A clear park road does not establish access along the highway leading to it.
Highway 101 and the Hoh River
The Hoh River Bridge on US 101 is south of Forks and the Hoh Rain Forest. Kalaloch, Queets and Quinault are south of the bridge. Check WSDOT for bridge work before combining those areas; do not plan around an old project closure notice.
Hood Canal and ferries
The Hood Canal Bridge on SR 104 closes periodically for boat traffic. Ferry crossings also affect the drive to the peninsula. Leave extra time when connecting to a flight.
Monthly visitation
Park-wide recreation visits provide seasonal context, not road traffic or an access guarantee.
Compare the months
In the 2021 to 2025 monthly averages, May has 40% of August's recreation visits, June 48% and July 80%. August is the peak. September has 67%, October 42%, December 16% and January 13%. Check each road and highway separately. See the September guide.
Questions about Olympic road closures
Quick answers to the practical questions below.
Can I drive through Olympic National Park?
No road crosses the park. Each one runs in from a highway and back out, such as Sol Duc Road, 14 miles from Highway 101. NPS says travel between areas can take half an hour to four hours or more. Check Highway 101 connections separately from the park road you plan to drive.
Is the Hoh Rain Forest closed?
Check the NPS road report and park alerts for today. Upper Hoh Road runs 18 paved miles from Highway 101. The Hoh Rain Forest is north of the US 101 Hoh River Bridge; a bridge closure can change the approach from Kalaloch or Quinault. Check traffic and parking notices before setting out.
Is Hurricane Ridge Road open today?
Call 360-565-3131 or check the NPS road report. Normal winter uphill access is 9 am to 4 pm Friday through Sunday and some holidays, weather permitting. Opening can be delayed or cancelled, and all vehicles must be below Heart O' the Hills by 5 pm. The winter schedule does not establish today's status.
Is Olympic National Park open today?
Olympic is open 24 hours a day, year-round, but road access varies. Some roads close or reduce hours from October through May. Check the road report, park alerts and highway notices for the route to your destination.
Does a government shutdown close Olympic's roads?
Access and services depend on the applicable official contingency plan and local safety decisions. Check Department of the Interior shutdown information and park notices before travelling. An older plan or a normal road season does not establish access during a funding lapse.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Official guidance
- NPS and the relevant operators. The linked official pages support the access, facilities and rules described here. Confirm details before traveling.
- Schedules and conditions
- Planning patterns, not live status. Seasonal information describes the normal pattern or explicitly dated source schedule. Current conditions are handled separately. The official source is the place to confirm today’s access.
Topic sources and data details
Road status, mileage, vehicle limits, the washouts, the Mora Road closure, and the recorded line come from the NPS current road conditions page (updated August 7, 2026); the Hoh River Bridge, the affected areas, and the no-detour note from the NPS Highway 101 closure page (updated September 8, 2026), which links WSDOT; the Hoh entrance metering, Mora Campground, and South Shore maintenance notes from the park's alerts; winter hours, chains, and Hurricane Ridge services from the NPS Hurricane Ridge in winter page; Obstruction Point Road's mid-June to October 15 window from the NPS Visiting Hurricane Ridge page; park hours, the October-to-May pattern, and the Thanksgiving closure from the NPS hours page (updated April 18, 2024).
The South Shore Quinault repair status comes from Jefferson County; the Hood Canal Bridge and ferry notes from the NPS directions page; travel time between areas from the NPS FAQ page.
Shutdown access should be checked against the applicable DOI contingency plan and park notices; the September 2025 plan is historical context, not a current access assurance.
The road lines on the map are OpenStreetMap geometry between OSM nodes, routed by OSRM (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); they show where each road runs, not its closure gates. The Hoh River Bridge pin is the US 101 bridge over the Hoh River in OpenStreetMap.
Park-wide monthly comparisons use NPS recreation visits averaged over 2021 to 2025, divided by the peak monthly average. These are park visits, not road traffic or an access forecast.
Operational source check: September 11, 2026. Design and emphasized source review: 2026-10-27. A design review does not refresh every underlying record.