Olympic Peninsula
Travel Guide

Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews an Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide published by the Beautiful Pacific Northwest website.

Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide cover

This review is of the original edition but there is now a newer updated edition available on Amazon.

The Olympic Peninsula is one of the most beautiful and stunning parts of the Pacific Coast Highway drive, and for many people it marks the start or end of the marvellous road trip along the USA's Pacific Coast. It's covered in depth on the Beautiful Pacific Northwest website, and now the publisher of that site, Karen Patry, has published her own comprehensive guide to the region, which includes the Olympic National Park.

Photos from the Olympic Peninsula Travel GuidePhotos from the Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide

When we say comprehensive, we mean it! The guide runs to 287 pages and covers everything from hotel and restaurant recommendations to what to do if you ever encounter a bear.

There's a wealth of wildlife features, which we certainly appreciated, covering such creatures as marmots, elk, and bald eagles. Another section describes the flowers you're likely to find, and there's a section trees too.

Reviews of the Olympic Peninsula Travel GuidePraise For The Book

Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide: Planning

The travel guide begins with a lengthy and helpful section on planning your trip to the Olympic Peninsula. The author helps you plan trips from one day upwards, and depending on what interests you most. They're very practical plans, assessing how long different activities will take you to do, so they're realistic as to what you can actually fit into each day.

This is followed by a more detailed planning section, which includes chapters on such topics as the best time to visit the Olympic Peninsula, a list of festivals, where you'll find campgrounds, details on professional tour companies, and many other topics besides.

Sample page from the Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide

Part Three then covers General Travel Information - maps, information centers, whether to rent an RV, airport car rental options, using the local ferries, and so on.

Sample map from the Olympic Peninsula Travel GuideSample map from the Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide

Part Four is the main part of the Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide, with over 200 pages of detailed coverage on anywhere you're remotely likely to want to visit. Popular places like Port Townsend get plenty of hotel and restaurant recommendations, for example.

They're not lengthy write-ups but they're certainly enough to help you make your mind up, and they come with all the practical information you'll need, including opening hours. The attractions and activities in each place also get full coverage.

Sample page from the Olympic Peninsula Travel GuideSample page from the Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide

For Forks, by way of an example, you also get weather coverage, the history of the area, what the town is like today, a piece about the lumber industry, and the town's Twilight tours. The writing is engaging and interesting, and if you're planning your PCH road trip then buying this book beforehand might just persuade you to linger a little longer in this exceptional part of the USA. Highly recommended.

Sample page from the Olympic Peninsula Travel GuideSample page from the Olympic Peninsula Travel Guide

Olympic National Park Itinerary

If you're planning a trip to the Olympic National Park, we strongly recommend this trip-planning guide and itinerary from Just Go Travel Studios. Click on the image to learn more about what it contains.

Other Olympic Peninsula pages

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    Forks is a small city in Washington State, known as the gateway to the Olympic National Park, and as the home for the Twilight series of books and movies.

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    One of the best guides to West Coast RV Parks, covering campgrounds in California, Oregon, and Washington, is West Coast RV Camping from Moon Guides.

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    California Coast Guide

    One of the best California coast guides is the California Coastal Access Guide, describing the coast’s beaches, National Parks, State Parks, with many maps.

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    Los Angeles Travel Guide

    The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.

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    The Best Coast Book Review

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  • Port Townsend is noted for its Victorian architecture, sits at the top of the Olympic Peninsula, close to the Olympic National Park and 55 miles from Seattle.

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    Port Townsend is noted for its Victorian architecture, sits at the top of the Olympic Peninsula, close to the Olympic National Park and 55 miles from Seattle.

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    The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.

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    Brewpubs and good beer are at the heart of the Good Beer Guide to the West Coast USA which lists the best bars and breweries from Seattle to San Diego.

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  • Olympic National Park accommodation consists of campgrounds and trailer parks, and most visitors to the park stay in nearby lodges and resorts.

    Olympic National Park Accommodation

    Olympic National Park accommodation consists of campgrounds and trailer parks, and most visitors to the park stay in nearby lodges and resorts.

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    Soul of Los Angeles from French publishers Jonglez is a travel guide to 30 Exceptional Experiences in California's largest city.

  • The Frommer's Guide to Seattle has good information about the city and side excursions to the Olympic National Park and elsewhere, plus free city and area map.

    Frommer's Guide to Seattle

    The Frommer's Guide to Seattle has good information about the city and side excursions to the Olympic National Park and elsewhere, plus free city and area map.

  • Olympic National Park, west of Seattle in the Pacific Northwest, is one of the largest and least developed parks in the United States.

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    California Bed and Breakfast Inns

    The guide to California Bed and Breakfast Inns lists over 250 boutique hotels, wine country cottages and more.

  • Little Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington is a delightful place to stop if driving the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Sequim

    Little Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington is a delightful place to stop if driving the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • The Green Guide to the USA West from Michelin covers California, the Pacific North West, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and even Kansas and Alaska.

    Green Guide USA West

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  • PCH Travel picks the best time to visit the Olympic Peninsula, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.

    Best Time to Visit the Olympic Peninsula

    PCH Travel picks the best time to visit the Olympic Peninsula, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.

  • West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.

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  • Moon's Spotlight Guide to the Olympic Peninsula covers hotels, restaurants, and sights, including Forks, the Olympic National Park and other places.

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  • Olympic Peninsula wineries are not in the heart of Washington wine country but the vineyards near the Pacific Coast Highway are worth a visit.

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