Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor's Center

06/21/2025

Dunk a Commissioner at Brinnon ShrimpFest!

06/02/2025

Just in time for summer travel season! The Port Townsend Leader's new "Getaway Guide" is here! Download the digital version or stop in and pick up your own print copy. https://cdn2.creativecirclemedia.com/ptleader/files/20250527-183002-db0-PT%20Leader%20Getaway%202025.pdf

05/08/2025

Welcome back Olympic National Park Hoh Rainforest!

05/08/2025

Play it again! 🎶🎵

What would be on your playlist to a national park? Ours would be all love songs.

Reflecting on National Park Week last week, it’s hard not to fall even more in love with the place we play, work, and share.

We love to see the pride shining in volunteers’ faces when they give the gift of their time and hard work to help us care for this park. (73 volunteers joined us for the Coastal Cleanup to remove many truckloads of trash, from microplastics to a whole freezer, from wild beaches!!)

We love to come together with our partners and our community for a day of exploration and inspiration with the next generation of park stewards. (343 kids and family members joined us for Junior Ranger Day!!!)

These big days are so joyful, because they’re a chance to share the work we are passionate about. Caring for America’s treasures is a huge responsibility, and we are so honored to be part of it.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all of you who share our love of parks! Drop your love songs to Olympic in the comments 💚

Feiro Marine Life Center
Washington's National Park Fund
NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Port Angeles Fine Arts Center
of Olympic National Park

05/08/2025

Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor's Center’s own Christina is interviewed regarding the importance of the Hood Canal Bridge for travelers and tourists to the Olympic Peninsula

The Hood Canal Bridge on State Route 104 has re-opened to vehicles after an unexpected mechanical failure, but the issue has not yet been fixed.

05/07/2025

Washington State Ferries Adding service this summer!

A second vessel will operate on the Port Townsend/Coupeville run every Friday through Monday from July 4 through the end of the route’s shoulder season on Oct. 13.

The reality of adding service: We’ll need to crew three more daily boats for this added service. While we've done a lot of hiring and career development in recent years, we will have fewer available relief crew members. This could mean more cancellations due to a shortage of crew.

Learn more about summer 2025 service, including our plans for potential service disruptions.

By Bryn Hunter Summer in Washington state is, in a word, perfect. Sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-70s and low 80s, and endless outdoor ...

05/06/2025

Yeah! Great news! The bridge is open!

05/06/2025

Due to mechanical issues, the State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge is closed to vehicle traffic until further notice.

During a routine closure for a marine vessel at 1:02 p.m. on Monday, May 5, the bridge experienced a mechanical malfunction. Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews are working to identify the cause of the malfunction.

There is no estimate for reopening at this time, but WSDOT is making every effort to reopen the bridge to vehicular traffic as soon as possible and apologizes for the inconvenience this delay poses to travelers.

No convenient route around the bridge
The alternative route is through Shelton via SR 3 and US 101, but the detour adds about three hours to the normal travel time.

Traveler resources
Realtime information about the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge is available via the WSDOT app and the WSDOT Travel Map. Advance notifications about the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge are available at Hoodcanalbridge.com. Travelers are encouraged to sign up for Hood Canal Bridge email updates.

Due to mechanical issues, the State Route 104 Hood Canal Bridge is closed to vehicle traffic until further notice.

During a routine closure for a marine vessel at 1:02 p.m. on Monday, May 5, the bridge experienced a mechanical malfunction. Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews are working to identify the cause of the malfunction.

There is no estimate for reopening at this time, but WSDOT is making every effort to reopen the bridge to vehicular traffic as soon as possible and apologizes for the inconvenience this delay poses to travelers.

No convenient route around the bridge
The alternative route is through Shelton via SR 3 and US 101, but the detour adds about three hours to the normal travel time.

Traveler resources
Realtime information about the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge is available via the WSDOT app and the WSDOT Travel Map. Advance notifications about the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge are available at Hoodcanalbridge.com. Travelers are encouraged to sign up for Hood Canal Bridge email updates.

Additional resources at: Hyperlinks within the release:
Hoodcanalbridge.com : wsdot.com/travel/real-time/hoodcanalbridgestatus

WSDOT Travel Center

05/02/2025

Remember to always as you Enjoy Olympic Peninsula!

Be mindful of traffic safety, speed limits and good citizenship when visiting Neah Bay. Speed limit through the village of Neah Bay is clearly posted at 25mph. Speed limits on roads to Hobuck and Cape and Shi-shi trailheads, etc are also clearly posted. Thanks in advance for your adherence to speed limits that will protect drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. Please SHARE. 😎

04/25/2025

Volunteer for change!

Who gives their time and expertise to our national parks? Volunteers do! It's National Volunteer Week (as well as National Park Week!) and we are so thankful for all of the people who have served as volunteers at Olympic National Park. Just last weekend volunteers participated in the Washington Coastal Cleanup event here in Olympic. They scoured beaches looking for large debris and tiny micro trash. We thank them for their time and efforts to keep our beaches clean and healthy. The next time you are in a national park and see a volunteer, be sure to say Thank You!

Photo: NPS/B. Baccus

!

04/23/2025

Exciting News!

The new schedule will be effective and posted on our website on May 5, 2025: https://www.jeffersontransit.com/165/14-Kingston-Express-Route