To Book an Olympic National Park Guided Tour with Experience Olympic:
Email Carolyn with your travel dates at tours@experienceolympic.com and she will send you a booking form
Private flexible-scheduled guided day tours should be finalized at least 24 hours in advance. We only schedule these tours in the current calendar year. Multi-Day guided tours should be reserved on consecutive days.
Or please request an expression of interest form for our summer guided week-long hiking and nature tour packages. June 5-12 (Wildflowers), July 10-17 (Birds), or August 15-22 (Marine)
Guided Private Day Tour with Experience Olympic:
Our prices are for half or full day flexible-scheduled guided tours and based on who drives:
(1) You Drive Us, total price for the entire group up to 10 people:
$300 for Half Day (up to 6 hours)
$400 for Full Day (up to 10 hours)
Requires space in your vehicle for Carolyn and a large backpack. Carolyn generally brings a spotting scope and her binoculars to share for all tours but does not supply loaner gear unless she is driving
Guided Private Day Tour with Experience Olympic (continued):
OR (2) we drive you, total price up to 6 people:
Add $200 for use of our minivan and tour gear, thus:
$500 for Half Day (up to 6 hours)
$600 for Full Day (up to 10 hours)
Deposit: When booking multiple days where the total amount owed for Private Day Tours exceeds $600, then a 10% nonrefundable deposit is due at the time of booking. Otherwise, payment is due the day of the tour.
When We Drive You the guided tour also includes:
- Transportation to and from your lodging near downtown Port Angeles, WA (up to 6 people)
- Personal use of binoculars* (except on beaches due to sand exposure)
- Personal use of hiking poles for adults, or for children with special needs
- General hiking tour gear use as needed*
- Various-sized outdoor clothing use as needed*
* Personal binoculars and gear use for the day might not be available, or appropriate, for children age six and younger.
Private Flexible-Scheduled Guided Tour Hiking Levels
- Vehicle-based (accessible, mostly sightseeing)
- Easy (accessible, walking)
- Moderate (appropriate for all ages)
- Challenging (longer distance with more elevation changes)
Weather: All guided tours operate under variable weather conditions (we tour in the rain). Destination, hiking level, or focus of Olympic National Park guided tours could change based on the weather, especially outside of July or August (when there is usually no rain and it can get hot and dusty, even in the rainforest).
Scheduled Guided Very Small Group Hiking and Nature Tour Packages:
- Wildflowers June 5-12, Birds July 10-17, or Tidepools August 15-22
- Email tours@experienceolympic.com for an expression of interest form
- Carolyn has 20 years of experience leading group tours
- Very Small Group Tours (up to 5 people max) start and end in Port Angeles, organized so you do not have to rent a car
- 8 days/7 nights, starting at $2,500 total per person based on double occupancy
- You should be able to comfortably walk a total of 5 miles a day at a nature-loving speed
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel your private flexible-scheduled guided day tour within 30 days of the start of the tour except for circumstance beyond your reasonable control, a cancellation fee of $300 may apply.
Deposit: If it applies to your private flexible-scheduled guided day tour (total tour cost exceeds $600), the 10% deposit is nonrefundable.
Tips & Payment: If our services went above and beyond your expectations, tipping is a great way to communicate your satisfaction. Additionally, choosing to pay with a personal check or cash supports small businesses. For example, when you pay by credit card the transaction fee to the credit card company is usually a similar or larger percentage than we pay Olympic National Park (3%) for our commercial use authorization (CUA).
Timing: Our private flexible-scheduled guided day tours do not operate on a schedule, rather they are by reservation only. We usually start tours early based on sunrise, tides, avoiding lines of cars, and in order to maximize wildlife viewing opportunities.
A typical start time from Port Angeles and Forks is around 7 AM. If we are traveling to the Hoh Rainforest, we must arrive earlier than 9 AM to avoid crowds and generally can not combine tidepooling since the low low tide is usually also in the morning.
Peak Season: Peak Season runs from roughly mid-May to mid-September. We do our best to avoid parking-lot crowds during peak season, but we also encourage visiting before Memorial Day or after Labor Day for maximum park tranquility.
What to Bring: Although July and August is our dry summer season, you should still bring a warm hat and sun hat, t-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, Puffy (down jacket or vest), and rain jacket, especially on the coast where summer fog can still be very cool. Bring extra socks, sunglasses, and sunscreen as well.
Read more about gear that we recommend you bring with you (when you drive) or we bring as loaner gear to help you out (when we drive) to ensure a safe and fun outdoor adventure for everyone.
Food: Please either bring your food with you or we will stop at a convenient grocery store or restaurant. Food costs are not included in any of our tours, both private and packaged tours.
Olympic National Park Entrance Fee: Experience Olympic's Commercial Use Authorization from Olympic National Park requires adult participants to pay an entrance fee (termed a "per person fee") unless a national park pass and identification (state driver’s license or passport) is presented by the participant to the fee attendant while on tour.
Participants on all tours should bring a national park pass (if you already have a pass) and identification. Participants on flexible-scheduled guided day tours without a park pass will need to pay the entrance fee (only payable with credit card) at the time of entry while on tour. A national park pass covers 3 additional adults traveling with the pass holder. Children under the age of 16 are not charged the entrance fee.
Please let us know if you have any questions about navigating Olympic National Park's entrance fee structure.
Pets: We can not transport pets in our vehicle. Pets are generally not allowed on hiking trails in Olympic National Park. Please alert Carolyn and arrange for a private flexible-scheduled guided tour where you drive and she rides with you if bringing your pet (on a leash).
