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Enjoy the best beaches at the perfect time for parking, tide-pooling, spotting starfish, sea creatures, and stunning haystacks—without the crowds.
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Hey, we’re Matt and Cheryl, and we are on a mission to help people have amazing vacations. Not only do we write easy-to-follow itineraries, but we also love to share interesting stories in our audio guides about all of our favorite places!
We live in Utah, just four hours away from awesome national parks like Zion and Yellowstone, and have spent our lives exploring the West and the Rocky Mountains. We often travel with both sets of our retired parents (they like each other!) and our four teenagers (who like to travel…sometimes).
We met in a history of Utah class at Weber State University and tied the knot in 2002. Matt worked for Social Security and taught adjunct history classes at our alma mater. Cheryl taught special education for 28 years and continues to volunteer by teaching a weekly dance fitness class.
We took a shot at our dream in 2020 and started making YouTube videos about the national parks we know so well. We now have over 20 million views and have sold over 24,000 guides. We are delighted to help travelers fulfill dreams of their own!
We love trying out all the activities and working with local experts to give the best, most up-to-date travel advice out there.
At We're in the Rockies, we believe in education and donate 5% of the proceeds of your purchase to the Gene Sessions History Scholarship to make education affordable to future park rangers and history teachers.
Watch Cheryl show you how to plan out your travel day in minutes.
We think that the perfect amount of time to see Olympic National Park is 3-4 days. You can squish it all into 2 days, but you will most likely feel rushed.
If you have 5 or more days, we recommend checking out the other cool sites in the area, including Mount Rainier and the Columbia River Gorge.
Olympic National Park is huge!
We recommend staying in Forks, Port Angeles, or inside the park to reduce driving time. However, we break the itinerary into areas within the park. You can do these areas in any order you choose.
March through October is when this guide will work best.
We recommend sites and activities based on our own experiences and recommendations from other travelers. We also consult with area experts who have visited the park several times.
We travel with our 4 kids (who are now teens) and our retired parents, so we get a lot of perspectives.
We try to add lots of variety, including hikes, drives, good places to eat, and activities. We usually give backup options for longer hikes and activities that cost.
We are of the mindset that you have a plan, so you can be flexible.
We lay out what we believe are the best activities for your time and money, but we all have different preferences.
Because each activity listed has a star rating, approximate time frame, and cost, you’ll easily be able to adjust to best suit your group’s interests.
We surveyed our customers and they reported that our guides saved them 10-20 hours of trip planning research, on average.
Although much of the information included in this guide can be found with significant research, this guide combines what you need to know into one place, and it is from a source committed to giving you the best information.
This guide cost us over $5,000 to create when you combine travel expenses, map creation, and formatting. In addition, we have spent hundreds of hours visiting this park and doing additional research at home.
Many of our travelers enjoy the confirmation that they have already created a good plan and may even find a thing or two to add to it.
Other travelers may find that our plan is similar to what they had already pieced together on their own.
If you’ve already spent hours planning, you may not find maximum value in this guide.
Yes! We travel with our 4 children and both sets of our retired parents. Although not every activity is for everyone, there are always backup suggestions.
We write these guides so all the work you should need to do is obtain your lodging, transportation, food, and reservations. We include maps, the time needed to complete drives and activities, and lodging recommendations. We put boxes throughout the guide indicating it’s an item that you will need to take care of before you leave. We also give links to websites we think you should check before you leave (Ex: Olympic National Park’s website)
You will need a car to visit Olympic National Park. The only area that offers a shuttle is Hurricane Ridge.
Yes. We give approximate time frames that are needed to complete an activity. The schedule is generally not so packed that you have to be a quick traveler. But if you know you generally need more time, you can make adjustments. If you are quick, there are suggestions for additional activities
This is a digital download so it will be EMAILED to you. That way, you can have access immediately and have the option to download it to any device you want.
Many travelers, including us, prefer to print the itinerary and take it with us as we travel.
The itinerary is available immediately upon purchase, right on this webpage. You will also receive an email within 30 minutes with download links in case you need to revisit the links and download the items later. If you don’t receive your email, check your junk mail folder. If it’s not there, contact mattandcheryl@wereintherockies.com, and we’ll be in touch with you within 1 business day. Also, the guides will be available in your account if you choose to establish one (we highly encourage it).
Mount Rainier National Park, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Oregon Coast are amazing things to add to your trip.
Experience the Pacific Northwest like never before with our ultimate bundle! Get itineraries for Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, the Oregon Coast, and the Columbia River Gorge—plus an exclusive bonus: a comprehensive Pacific Northwest Overview Guide that will show you how to loop around all 4 for an ultimate 10-11 day road trip.
If you are only visiting Olympic National Park, this is the only guide you need. If you are also interested in visiting Mount Rainier, the Columbia River Gorge, and/or the Oregon Coast, we recommend the Pacific Northwest Bundle. It will give you full itineraries for all these parks and includes an Overview that shows you the most efficient way to see them together and the best routes depending on which airport or direction you are coming from. Plus, it’s cheaper than if you were to buy each of the guides individually.
If you are doing an even bigger trip, just email us at mattandcheryl@wereintherockies.com and tell us where you want to go. A real human will email you back within one business day.
National parks constantly change, including timed-entry requirements, construction, fires, and closures. To keep you updated on the most current things going on, we have a Parks Updates page that we update every week with important information. We recommend you look at this as soon as you begin planning your trip, as well as a few days before you leave.
Guides are automatically updated to the latest version when you create an account.
In addition to that, we also send an email notification out when a guide is updated. Just make sure to stay subscribed to our email list so we can reach you.
Because the download is a PDF file, you can do it on any device: computer, iPhone, Android, tablet, etc.
Stuff like this happens. We get it.
If you created an account, just log in again and download your guides.
If you didn’t create an account or forgot your password, just email us, and we can resend your links.
For step-by-step instructions (including pictures) check out our Help With Downloads page.
If you still need help, reach out to us at mattandcheryl@wereintherockies.com. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible to help. We’re even happy to jump on a phone call with you if needed.
Olympic National Park is open year-round, but this guide is meant to be used from March through October.
Yes!! We update our guides as needed, but write the concepts to intentionally be as timeless as possible. We encourage you to purchase the guide as soon as you know you will be traveling. It will help you determine which areas to stay and how many days to obtain lodging. Upon purchase, you’ll be guided to create an account on our website. If we update the guide, it will automatically show in your account. Your purchase includes free lifetime updates.
It is not required, but is HIGHLY recommended. We encourage you to create an account when purchasing the guides because you’ll have access to the links at any time.
You will have access to the updated guide through your account (another reason to create an account) for life. We generally send an email announcement when we do an update as well.
We believe that once you buy a guide from us, you should be able to use it to visit a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time.
If you created an account, just log in and download your guide again.
If you didn’t create an account, just email mattandcheryl@wereintherockies.com and let us know you want us to resend your guide links.
We put approximate price ranges on all our activities so you know what to expect. We also have plenty of free activities in our guides.
Lodging within and around Olympic National Park costs about the same as visiting other national parks.
Although we do suggest some hikes, we offer plenty of alternatives if hiking is not desirable, including viewpoints and drives.
Yes. It would be very easy to download this itinerary and head out the door. Olympic National Park does not require any park reservations.
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I haven’t used any of the guides before, I watched a lot of their YouTube videos tho. Those were already super helpful but the guide goes into even more detail, which is awesome. I like to do a lot of research myself but i also love that i have everythin i need to know all in one place already written down for me. I especially like the step by step instructions for multiple timelines. Can’t to put it to the test next year !
Olympic National Park is on our bucket list – and since I do most of the planning, I appreciate knowing Matt and Cheryl have been there / done that before me and can provide all the insider information. I love the flexibility that is built in to the guide. If there’s one activity we’re not particularly interested in (or don’t have time for), they have a list of other suggestions. This eliminates stress and ads to the excitement of planning.
A couple of times, it was suggested that we pack a picnic breakfast before visiting a particular spot. I have literally never heard this suggestion before, but what a fun idea! This will make an early start easier to manage. I also appreciate that Matt and Cheryl recognize that some visitors centers are better than others, and they will tell you which is best. They also include parking tips (what time to get there, where to park if the parking lot is full, or what to do instead if you want to return to a popular spot later in the day). MUCH better than just circling a parking lot, which is nobody’s idea of fun.
In this guide, I particularly appreciate all the tips regarding tide pools! Now I know where, and when, to find them and what kind of shoes to wear. Seemingly little things like wet socks or sore feet that slipped out of your flip flops can ruin a day. Matt and Cheryl will make sure we’re prepared.
Another very fine, detailed guide! From the introduction to the end, you get a wealth of helpful and necessary information for your trip. Matt starts with what to bring, wear, where to go, the best times of day to visit. This guide is so important to have because the area is so expansive. The day by day itinerary is very valuable so you don’t waste your precious time. His comments are precise and not sugar coated. This is a great tool to take on your trip!
We love the We’re in the Rockies travel guides! We recently completed a Pacific Northwest two-week trip to Columbia River Gorge, Mt Hood, Williamette Valley Vineyards, Oregon Coast, Mt Rainier NP, Seattle, Olympic NP, Victoria, BC and Vancouver BC. The guides provide excellent suggestions on what to see with starred (*) items and very practical tips on navigation, options for itinerary timeframes (1-2-3 days etc…), easy to follow maps, places to eat and stay!
We use them to simplify pre trip planning and during the trip – “game day” – trip execution. Two specific examples we loved from this guide: 1) We stayed in Port Angeles hike the famous Hurricane Hill Trail on a beautiful clear day – awesome views of the Olympic Mountains! 2) Eat Well with local spots – Breakfast at Grayson’s in Port Angeles – excellent local food! These are couple of examples – the guides are loaded with useful tips like this.
Not in the Olympic Guide, but one of our trip highlights, was taking ferry from Port Angeles, WA to Victoria BC for 1 night. Victoria is very clean, beautiful capital city of British Columbia. Loaded with gardens, excellent food, waterfront taxi fun, and historic buildings like the Empress Hotel. We highly recommend over night visit to Victoria, BC.
The travel guides allow us to start “Anticipating our Trip” during a streamlined planning stage and then relax with confidence as we navigate during our trip! The travel guides allow us to maximize enjoyment / value / lifetime memories with our trips to different National Parks or regions of the USA/ Canada.
Words can’t express how thankful I am for We’re in the Rockies guides, nor is there enough space here for me to tell you all the reasons why! Just as I have found their guides for other trips invaluable, so too is the guide to Olympic National Park. For one thing the guide is easy on the budget and light-weight to take along with you on your trip. Before I knew that Matt and Cheryl were coming out with an Olympic guide, I had already purchased four, 500-page travel guides for the Pacific Northwest. As you know, that was a hit to the bank account, the books were bulky with extra information that I didn’t need, and I still didn’t have a plan. Enter wereintherockies.com Olympic Itinerary to save the day! Unlike other guidebooks, the contents of We’re in The Rockies guide are condensed and to the point. The itinerary format makes it easier to know what we can do in an allotted amount of time, and then we can easily make adjustments from there. Matt and Cheryl’s “boots on the ground” approach and well-articulated descriptions aid in making sure that we don’t miss interesting and important sights and activities along the way. We’re in the Rockies Olympic Itinerary is your one-stop-shop (guide)!
I downloaded your Olympic guide after I had made my plans for visiting there (and Mt. Rainier). It came in very handy, just wish I had gotten it sooner. Loved the suggestions on what was a “must see” and what was optional. Only had 3-1/2 days, but thanks to the guide was able to see almost everything I wanted. The hiking recommendations were very helpful. Really needed a few more days to see more, but maybe next time.
We have been so impressed with the We’re in the Rockies guides. They are a one-stop-shop for your itinerary needs. Travel, lodging, excursion, hikes, directions, and even history! I am the travel planner in our family, and Matt and Cheryl’s guides are the first place I look when gathering details. We are big hikers, but I have found their itineraries to be a perfect mix of adventuring and sightseeing.
The Olympic guide is our fourth itinerary of theirs, and it won’t be our last. We also used their Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Mount Rainier guides. We enjoyed lifelong family memories with our children and the grandparents too. The running joke in our family is: “Whatever Matt & Cheryl suggest, we do.”
You won’t be disappointed.
I have been able to use this guide for a trip we are planning to Olympic National Park next Fall. It helped us to know how the park is laid out with detailed maps, which towns to stay in for how many nights, and also specific places to stay such as lodges that we can now book a year in advance to make sure we can get a room. We have already booked some places on AirBnB. I love booking in advance because there are more choices available. I also like their idea of taking the ferry across and spending some time in Victoria, Canada which we will be doing as well. Thank you Matt and Cheryl for this excellent and thorough guide.