Last updated on .
Port Angeles, Washington, is the location of the headquarters of Olympic National Park, and where visitors can access Hurricane Ridge. It’s also the birthplace of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. The real attraction is the surrounding nature, and there isn’t much to do in town.
Olympic National Park Visitor Center
We drove to Port Angeles from Seattle with the hopes of visiting Hurricane Ridge. Our first (and only) stop was the temporary visitor center to Olympic National Park, situated in a trailer next to the park headquarters. The official visitor center was closed for renovation.
The very friendly and helpful ranger told us that there were some road hazards, but visibility was limited at the top. She suggested a few other places we could visit that day, so we decided to save Hurricane Ridge for another trip. We then popped in to the other trailer and asked if we needed a permit to visit Shi Shi Beach in the next few days, and the ranger also gave us some tips on the tides and weather.
Toga’s Soup House
We decided save our visit to the small downtown for our next trip and to focus on the national park. As we were leaving Port Angeles to head to the Lake Crescent area of Olympic, we spotted Toga’s Soup House and decided to stop for lunch. The weather was cold, windy, and wet – a perfect day for soup. When we walked in, the line was nearly out the door and every table was full. This was definitely a good sign.
The owner was sitting at the register, and when it was our turn, she apologized for the long wait and took our order. I had a half roast beef sandwich with chili while Marisol had a salad. Our friend Tim had a bowl of black bean soup. We were all very satisfied with our meals.
