To Book an Olympic National Park Private Guided Day or Multi-day Tour with Experience Olympic:
Email Carolyn with your travel dates to book a flexible-scheduled tour at tours@experienceolympic.com and if she is available for those dates, she will send you a booking form.
Private flexible-scheduled guided day or multi-day tours should be finalized at least 24 hours in advance. We schedule all tours in the current calendar year.
Multi-day guided tours should be reserved on consecutive days. Consider overnight 2-day guided tours focusing on Neah Bay Birds & Wildlife, Tidepools & Rainforest, and Wildflowers & Rainforest, or we can customize multi-day tours for up to five days.
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 (4 hours)
$400 for Full Day (8 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. She can also drive separately (if you don't have space in your vehicle) for an additional $25+ depending on the distance from Port Angeles.
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 (4 hours)
$600 for Full Day (8 hours)
Deposit: When booking multi-day tours, a 10% nonrefundable deposit is due at the time of booking. Otherwise, payment is due the day of the tour.
Guided Private Multi-day Tour with Experience Olympic:
You Drive Us, total price for the entire group up to 10 people:
Private Overnight 2-Day Flexible-Scheduled Tour with a focus on Neah Bay birds & wildlife, tidepools & rainforest, wildflowers & rainforest, or customized to fit your interests
Please contact us at tours@experienceolympic.com with your multi-day tour ideas
Carolyn has 20 years of experience leading group tours, including leading student groups to Costa Rica
$480 for one Full Day (10 hours) x 2 days is $960
When We Drive You the guided tour also includes:
- Transportation to and from your lodging near downtown Port Angeles, WA or en-route to the destination (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).
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel your private flexible-scheduled guided day or multi-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 you book multiple tour days, 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 and multi-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 8 AM to avoid waiting in a long line of cars 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 chilly. 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 guided tours, both day and multi-day 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") when riding in a commercial vehicle unless they are driving a private vehicle or they present a national park pass and identification (state driver’s license or passport).
Participants should bring a national park pass (if you already have a pass) and identification. Participants without a national 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 tour where you drive and she rides with you if bringing your pet (on a leash). We know some good trails where your pet is welcome.
