Olympic National Park

A winding road climbs from the sea to 1,598 metres, onto subalpine meadows facing glaciated Mount Olympus, with the Hurricane Hill trail and Olympic marmots grazing beside the paths.

💡 Drive up before 10am or after 4pm in summer, as the summit car park fills up in the middle of the day and entry is then controlled. Bring water and warm layers, as it is often 10°C cooler than in town. In winter, the road opens only on certain days, depending on the snow. Price: included in the park entrance fee, $30 per vehicle for 7 days, about €26.

A short trail through old-growth forest to falls where the river splits into several channels and plunges into a narrow gorge, with hot spring pools further down the valley.

💡 Combine the walk to the falls with a soak in the resort's hot springs, open from about late March to late October: three mineral pools and a freshwater pool. Price: included in the park entrance fee, with the pools extra, $19 per adult, about €16.

One of the world's rare temperate rainforests, soaked by up to 4 metres of rain a year, where maples vanish under hanging moss on the Hall of Mosses loop.

💡 In summer, the wait at the entrance booth can reach two hours between 9am and 5pm: arrive before 8am or in the late afternoon. There is no fuel or restaurant in the valley, so fill up in Forks, 50 minutes away. Price: included in the park entrance fee.

The north-western tip of the contiguous United States, on the Makah reservation, where a forest trail leads to platforms above cave-riddled cliffs facing Tatoosh Island and its lighthouse.

💡 Buy the Makah recreation permit, required for parking and walking on the reservation, in Neah Bay or online, noting your car's licence plate. Allow two hours' drive from Port Angeles via Highway 112. Price: $20 per vehicle for the calendar year, about €17.