Mount Olympus (Washington)

Mount Olympus is the highest peak in Washington State’s Olympic Mountains, rising to 2,432 meters (7,980 feet) within Olympic National Park. It is the range’s dominant massif and a focal point for mountaineering in the park.

The mountain features multiple glaciers, with major glacier systems descending from the summit area and steep alpine ridges used by technical climbing parties. Approaches typically start from rainforest-edge trailheads such as those in the Hoh and Queets valleys and involve multi-day glacier travel.

Named by European explorers in the late 18th century, the peak has been visited by mountaineers since the late 19th and early 20th centuries and remains an important objective for alpine climbers in the Pacific Northwest. Recreational use of nearby park areas also includes day hiking and scenic viewpoints at lower elevations.

Mount Olympus sits on the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington State, surrounded by temperate rainforest on its lower slopes and alpine glaciers near the summit; the nearest regional gateway towns include Port Angeles and Forks.

• Climbing difficulty: Contains multiple glaciers and requires glacier-travel and crevasse-rescue skills for summit attempts; most climbs involve technical glacier routes.
• Proximity: Situated on the Olympic Peninsula about 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Seattle and entirely within Olympic National Park.

What to See #

• Summit and glaciers: The summit massif rises to 2,432 meters and is the highest point of the Olympic Mountains; several glaciers flow from its flanks, including the Blue Glacier and the Hoh Glacier.
• Park access points: Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rainforest are park areas that provide popular viewpoints and trailheads used by climbers and hikers approaching the mountain.