Picnic area · Olympic National Park
A picnic break beside the Sol Duc River.
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tourRecorded for this place
Sol Duc Riverside Picnic Area“The riverside picnic area on Sol Duc Road is coming up. If you've brought lunch, this is a simple place to eat beside the water, with parking and a picnic table.”
Plays as you drive up to Picnic Area along Sol Duc River in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
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Guide
This is a picnic area beside the Sol Duc River in the Sol Duc Valley. Make it a pause on the valley drive if you want a meal by the water; there’s parking and a picnic table at the site.
Coho salmon use the Sol Duc River as a route upstream toward lakes and headwaters. That adds some natural history to a straightforward picnic stop, but there’s no published salmon-viewing point here, so treat it as context about the river rather than a promise of seeing fish at the table. Elsewhere in the valley, old-growth forest, subalpine lakes, and snowy peaks shape the landscape.
Take Sol Duc Road west from US 101 into the valley. This is the picnic area along the river; the separate Sol Duc River View Picnic Area is farther northwest, at a different location.
Wildlife
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasySalmon Cascades Trail0.1 mi · 15 min · 0.3 mi awayA tiny accessible walk to a waterfall and seasonal salmon.
ChallengingNorth Fork Sol Duc River Trail to Second Ford12.5 mi · 7 hr · 0.7 mi awayA 12.5-mile river out-and-back to the second ford.
EasyAncient Groves Nature Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1.3 mi awayA mossy forest loop with a much hillier tread than it looks.
ModerateFairholme Campground Loop0.8 mi · 45 min · 3.5 mi awayOld-growth forest on a short loop that rises more than expected.
ChallengingPyramid Peak Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 4.2 mi awayA steep climb to a WWII lookout above Lake Crescent.
ChallengingAurora Creek Trail6.8 mi · 6 hr · 4.3 mi awayA shaded leg-burner to the Aurora Ridge junction.
ModerateMink Lake Trail5.2 mi · 4 hr · 4.4 mi awayA steady forest climb to a small lake tucked into meadow.
ChallengingAurora Ridge Trail16.9 mi · 12 hr · 4.5 mi awayA long, quiet ridge climb with optional lake and peak detours.
Sight · 0.3 mi awaySalmon CascadesA short platform stop for the cascades and coho run.
Picnic area · 0.8 mi awaySol Duc River View Picnic AreaA picnic table above the river’s fast, foamy run.
Picnic area · 3.2 mi awayLa Poel Picnic AreaFire rings, tree shade, and a glimpse of Lake Crescent.
Store · 3.3 mi awayFairholme StoreA handy seasonal stop for Lake Crescent supplies and boat rentals.
Sight · 3.4 mi awayFairholme Boat LaunchGet on the water before Lake Crescent’s afternoon wind rises
Campground · 3.5 mi awayFairholme CampgroundLakeside sites trade a steep gear carry for Lake Crescent access.
Entrance station · 4.1 mi awaySol Duc Entrance StationA staffed fee stop before the Sol Duc Valley drive.
Sight · 4.2 mi awaySol Duc Entrance Interpretive ExhibitNine panels make a useful first stop in Sol Duc Valley.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
