Olympic National Park challenges and rewards backpackers with a raw and compelling experience split between its weather-worn coastline and rugged alpine heights. Start your journey on the coast where salty winds whip through ancient Sitka spruce forests and tide pools dare you to explore beneath restless waves. The Ozette Loop, spanning about 9.4 miles with minimal elevation gain, presents forested trails that open to expansive beaches where the Pacific Ocean pushes and pulls, shaping your path. Expect muddy sections and cobble beaches—sturdy waterproof boots and tide charts are must-haves here.

Shift gears to the alpine wilderness, where the High Divide Loop offers a more demanding 19-mile route with roughly 4,500 feet of elevation gain. This loop moves through subalpine meadows and rugged ridges, the air thinner and cooler, flecked with wildflowers in summer and dusted with snow in early fall. The trail crosses ridges where weather shifts suddenly—layered clothing, solid footwear, and a keen eye on forecasts keep you moving safely. Lakes and streams reflect peaks that feel fiercely alive, as if the terrain breathes beneath your feet. Both loops immerse hikers in wildly different moods of the park, demanding respect and readiness.

Planning for these routes means tracking tides for coastal legs, packing water filtration for alpine streams, and timing arrival for short daylight windows in shoulder seasons. Seasonally, spring trails can be soggy and cold, summer welcomes long, steady days but draws crowds, and fall delivers solitude with early frost risks. Winter is less forgiving, reserved for hardy explorers with mountaineering gear.

Whether tracing the coast’s relentless waves or ascending alpine passes alive with whispering winds, Olympic’s backpacking loops are exercises in balance—between preparation and improvisation, caution and thrill. Gear up, study maps, prepare physically, and embrace trails that resist easy mastery yet reward every earned step with vivid sensory details and a humbling sense of place.