Entrance station · Olympic National Park
A staffed fee stop before the Sol Duc Valley drive.
Overview
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 Entrance Exhibit: A Quick Orientation“Up ahead is the Sol Duc entrance exhibit, a covered kiosk with nine illustrated panels. The last panel maps the valley's destinations, making this a useful orientation stop.”
Plays as you drive up to Sol Duc Entrance Station in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Sol Duc Entrance Station is the seasonal fee booth on the road into Olympic’s Sol Duc Valley. The small wooden station sits on an island in the roadway; drivers pull alongside its sliding window for entry help, passes and information when staff are there. It’s a functional checkpoint, not a visitor center or a place to plan a long stop.
The NPS Sol Duc Entrance restroom is a distinct facility about 150 metres northeast of the booth. It is a single-stall, all-gender accessible restroom, so do not mistake it for a restroom inside the station.
Beyond the entrance, the valley shifts into old-growth forest, subalpine lakes and snowy peaks around the Sol Duc River. Coho salmon migrate through the river toward the headwaters. The separate Salmon Cascades stop, about five miles down Sol Duc Road, is a useful place to look for them in late October and early November.
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
ChallengingAurora Ridge Trail16.9 mi · 12 hr · 1.8 mi awayA long, quiet ridge climb with optional lake and peak detours.
ModerateFairholme Campground Loop0.8 mi · 45 min · 2.1 mi awayOld-growth forest on a short loop that rises more than expected.
EasySalmon Cascades Trail0.1 mi · 15 min · 3.8 mi awayA tiny accessible walk to a waterfall and seasonal salmon.
ChallengingPyramid Peak Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 4.7 mi awayA steep climb to a WWII lookout above Lake Crescent.
ChallengingNorth Fork Sol Duc River Trail to Second Ford12.5 mi · 7 hr · 4.9 mi awayA 12.5-mile river out-and-back to the second ford.
Sight · 0.1 mi awaySol Duc Entrance Interpretive ExhibitNine panels make a useful first stop in Sol Duc Valley.
Sight · 2 mi awayFairholme Boat LaunchGet on the water before Lake Crescent’s afternoon wind rises
Store · 2.1 mi awayFairholme StoreA handy seasonal stop for Lake Crescent supplies and boat rentals.
Campground · 2.1 mi awayFairholme CampgroundLakeside sites trade a steep gear carry for Lake Crescent access.
Picnic area · 3.4 mi awaySol Duc River View Picnic AreaA picnic table above the river’s fast, foamy run.
Sight · 3.8 mi awaySalmon CascadesA short platform stop for the cascades and coho run.
Picnic area · 4.1 mi awayPicnic Area along Sol Duc RiverA picnic break beside the Sol Duc River.
Picnic area · 4.4 mi awayLa Poel Picnic AreaFire rings, tree shade, and a glimpse of Lake Crescent.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
