National park · WA · Printable preview
Olympic National Park scavenger hunt for kids
Olympic National Park has rainforests, mountains, and wild ocean beaches all in one place. You can walk through a magical green forest dripping with moss and then visit tide pools full of sea stars!
What makes Olympic National Park worth investigating
With its incredible range of precipitation and elevation, diversity is the hallmark of Olympic National Park. Encompassing nearly a million acres, the park protects a vast wilderness, thousands of years of human history, and several distinctly different ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles of wild coastline. Come explore!
President Theodore Roosevelt first protected this area in 1909 as Mount Olympus National Monument to save the Roosevelt elk from extinction. It became a national park in 1938.
Hoh Rain Forest receives over 12 feet of rain per year, making it one of the wettest places in the continental US. The park contains three distinct ecosystems: temperate rainforest, alpine mountains, and rugged Pacific coastline. Hurricane Ridge offers panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains and on clear days you can see across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Canada. Ruby Beach features dramatic sea stacks and tide pools teeming with marine life. The best seasons to visit are summer and fall. Summers tend to be fair and warm, with high temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees F. July, August and September are the driest months, with heavier precipitation during the rest of the year.
10 things to look for
Use this as an observation menu, not a race. Choose fewer items for younger children, pause for questions and sketches, and leave every natural and historic object where it belongs.
- Roosevelt Elk Wildlife
Large elk with big antlers that roam the Hoh Rain Forest valleys Observe only from the required distance; a sound, track, or other safe sign may count. - Banana Slug Wildlife
Bright yellow slug up to 10 inches long found on the forest floor Observe only from the required distance; a sound, track, or other safe sign may count. - Nurse Log Nature
A fallen tree covered in moss with new trees growing out of it - Sea Star Wildlife
Colorful starfish clinging to rocks in the tide pools at Rialto Beach Observe only from the required distance; a sound, track, or other safe sign may count. - Moss Curtains Nature
Long hanging moss draped from tree branches in the Hoh Rain Forest - Driftwood Logs Nature
Giant logs washed up on the beaches from Pacific storms - Sea Stack Geology
Tall rock pillars standing in the ocean off the coast - Mountain Goat Wildlife
White goats with black horns seen on rocky slopes at Hurricane Ridge Observe only from the required distance; a sound, track, or other safe sign may count. - Sitka Spruce Nature
Massive old-growth evergreen trees that can grow over 200 feet tall - Anemone in Tide Pool Wildlife
Green sea anemones that look like underwater flowers in coastal pools Observe only from the required distance; a sound, track, or other safe sign may count.
Checklist items describe things a visitor might observe. A sighting is never guaranteed. Do not approach wildlife, cross barriers, leave approved areas, or handle protected objects to complete an item.
Adapt the hunt by age
Ages 3–5: notice and name
Choose three items. Ask the child to point, name a color or shape, imitate a safe sound, or draw one thing they noticed. Keep the child within arm’s reach where terrain, water, roads, or wildlife require it.
Ages 6–8: observe and describe
Choose five items. Have the child sketch one, describe two details, and tell one fact about how it connects to the park. Let “we did not find it” become a question rather than a failure.
Ages 9–10: compare and support a claim
Invite the child to classify finds by Wildlife, Nature, Geology, compare two observations, and use visible evidence to explain one idea about the park. A photo, field note, or labeled drawing can become a homeschool portfolio artifact.
Turn “I want to go there” into a family plan
- The child finds Olympic National Park in the HomeSchool.You park catalog and taps the heart.
- The parent receives an in-app alert that the child wants to visit.
- Olympic National Park appears in the child’s Travel Wish List inside the parent area.
- The family chooses timing together, checks current conditions, and prints or opens this hunt.
- After exploring, the child can save visit memories and progress in the park passport.
Plan from the official source: weather, closures, reservations, fees, trail conditions, accessibility, wildlife guidance, and permitted activities can change. Check Olympic National Park’s official website before leaving.
Respect the place
An adult should supervise the entire visit. Observe wildlife from the required distance, stay on allowed routes, follow posted and ranger instructions, pack out waste, and do not collect plants, rocks, cultural objects, or animals. HomeSchool.You is an independent learning platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service or any state or local park agency.
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