Visit Beautiful Port Angeles WA

Tucked in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, Port Angeles is the epicenter for the Olympic Peninsula with visitors arriving from near and far to experience a magical vacation. As the gateway to the Olympic National Park—a top-of-the-bucket-list worthy wonder and one of few national parks in the Northwest—this smallish seaside-meets-mountain town has nuggets of history, hints of fame, bewitching beauty, and adventure waiting to be discovered. Port Angeles is the spot to start –and stay — during your Olympic Peninsula journey. Continue reading and visit Port Angeles WA!

Port Angeles Weather (When to Visit)

Port Angeles’ coastal climate makes for mild weather year-round. Temperatures range during the daytime from 40 degrees in the winter months to 70 degrees in the summer and fall. Even though Western Washington has a reputation for its abundance of rain, Port Angeles sits in the “banana belt” of Washington. Port Angeles receives, on average, 10 less inches per year of rain than Seattle and has 128 days of mostly sun compared with only 88 for Seattle. All of this sun — and 25 inches of rain — make for superb gardening and farming conditions all year-long in the region.

As for snow, the Olympic Mountains tower over 7,000 feet above Port Angeles making winter activities like skiing, sledding and snowshoeing possible. Even more ideal, the snow stays in the higher elevations leaving the city snow-free so you can bike, hike, golf and beachcomb year-round.

Best Port Angeles Beaches

Rialto Beach

Rialto was named one of the top 10 best west coast beaches by USA Today. There isn’t a trail to hike along to get to this beach — the beach is your trail. You can choose to hike about two miles to the Hole-in-the-Wall, a sea arch, where you can explore saltwater pools teeming with sea life. Keep an eye out for whales, sea lions, otters, and bald eagles along the way.

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Shi Shi Beach

Bring your hiking shoes for a trip to this beach — and perhaps a surf board! The four-mile round trip walk in is worth every minute though. The Point of Arches is breathtaking so keep walking the extra half mile down the beach. Backpackers will need two permits to stay overnight: the Makah Recreation Pass and an Olympic National Park wilderness permit .

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La Push Beaches (First Beach, Second Beach, Third Beach)

Each sandy beach has a separate trail and is a fairly easy to get to. The three beaches are part of the Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge. First Beach, made famous from the Twilight movie sagas, can be accessed by car. Second Beach is only a mile trek and starts at the trailhead on the Quileute Indian Reservation. Third Beach is a 1.6-mile trek to the beach, which can get kind of messy and slick during stormy weather.

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Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach is a short jaunt (0.25 miles) from the parking lot to the beach where sea stacks and drift wood compliment the turbulent Pacific. Come at low-tide for epic tide pooling. There are no additional fees for accessing this park. Despite the short walk from the parking lot, Ruby Beach isn’t ADA accessible due to drift wood logs at the bottom of the trail.

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Salt Creek Recreation Area

Salt Creek Recreation Area is about 15 miles west of Port Angeles. It is a 196-acre park that features such attractions as tidal pools, campsites, forested areas and access to hiking trails. Catch a wave or a few rays of sunshine on the park’s sandy beach along the coastline of Crescent Bay. The park features a hiking trail from the beach to the old bunker at the Camp Hayden World War II site.

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Best Port Angeles Restaurants

Bella Italia $11 – 30

Classic Italian fare can be found at Bella Italia in downtown Port Angeles. This fine dining restaurant has been around since 1996 and features fresh local food seafood, produce and herbs from area farms, plus an award-winning wine list. And if you’re a Twilight fan, you can dine where Edward and Bella went on their first date. Bella Italia’s mushroom ravioli, the dish that Bella orders on her date, is one of their most popular dishes and they even have a frozen version sold in local grocery stores. Telephone: 360-457-5442 Web: Bella Italia.

Kokopelli Grill $11 – 30

Kokopelli Grill is one of Port Angeles’ finer dining restaurants in downtown with waterfront views from the upstairs bar area, hand crafted southwest cuisine, fresh local seafood and stiff drinks. They even have an extensive wine list with a full wine shop so you can buy a bottle to take back to your hotel room. Telephone: 360-457-6040 Web: Kokopelli Grill.

Strait Slice Pizza Under $10

A local pizza joint in downtown Port Angeles serving up fresh slices and full-size 18″ pies with a lot of local flavor. Local ingredients, custom toppings, gluten-free pizza options, beer and vintage bottled sodas are served up daily. You can choose to dine outside or in to enjoy the tunes coming from the house vinyl record player. Telephone: 360 504-2430 Web: Strait Slice Pizza.

Toga’s Soup House Deli & Gourmet $11 – 30

Toga’s Soup House is just up the hill from downtown Port Angeles and is certainly worth the extra 10 minute walk or short drive. They offer more than soup, too. Everything in this tiny Victorian house is handmade by scratch by Toga himself (say hello to him in the kitchen!). Try one of their daily specials like a hearty Italian meatball open-face sandwich or one of their fresh salads or a bowl of their house-made soup. Enjoy your meal on the patio on a warm day and make sure to order a bottle of Bedford’s Root Beer, a Port Angeles made staple. Telephone: 360-452-1952 Web: Toga’s Soup House Deli & Gourmet.

Frugal’s Under $10

Frugal’s is a local fast-food burger drive-thru like no other. Frugal’s has several restaurants in Washington state and Montana, but Port Angeles was the first! Since 1988, they’ve perfected the drive-in burger experience: burgers cooked to order, a tasty seasoned option for your french fries, and real deal milkshakes made from seasonal ingredients (Huckleberry!). Check out their website for daily and monthly specials and be sure to taste for yourself why they’ve won so many best burger, best fries and best milkshake awards. Telephone: 360-452-4320 Web: Frugal’s.

Best Port Angeles Nightlife

Spruce

Locally-sourced comfort food, beer and cocktails are available at Spruce, located in downtown Port Angeles, Washington. The Spruce restaurant features seasonal menus based on what’s fresh from around the Olympic Peninsula and the Pacific Northwest in a cool cabin-chic atmosphere. Some of their popular menu items include big fancy burgers (made with Oregon beef) and fried chicken with homemade biscuits. They have a yummy selection of small plates ranging from roasted cauliflower to sauerkraut balls, Brussel sprouts and even Scotch eggs. Telephone: 360-504-2951 Web: Spruce.

Kokopelli Grill

Kokopelli Grill is one of Port Angeles’ finer dining restaurants in downtown with waterfront views from the upstairs bar area, hand crafted southwest cuisine, fresh local seafood and stiff drinks. They even have an extensive wine list with a full wine shop so you can buy a bottle to take back to your hotel room. Telephone: 360-457-6040 Web: Kokopelli Grill.

Next Door Gastropub

Next Door Gastropub has tasty casual pub eats and drink in downtown. Their portions are large and they often feature fun and unique food specials like Black & Bleu Totchos (tater tots tossed with cajun spices, topped with ground beef, crumbled bacon, bleu cheese, bbq sauce and ale battered onion straws), which is similar to their Black & Bleu burger, a menu staple. They also have a full cocktail bar, epic Bloody Mary’s and a variety of regional and local craft beer with live music on most Sundays. Telephone: 360-504-2613 Web: Next Door Gastropub.

Camaraderie Cellars

Camaraderie Cellars is located a few minutes from downtown Port Angeles and open on weekends from mid-May through October — or by appointment only.  Their wines are made to be enjoyed with food and crafted with a minimalist approach by Camaraderie’s vintner, Don Corson. The winery has a lovely sculpture garden and outdoor fireplace for enjoying a local Washington “fine wine experience”. Telephone: 360-417-3564 Web: Camaraderie Cellars.

Harbinger Winery

The Harbinger Winery is known for wine made from hand-picked grapes that are then crushed by hand by the Harbinger crew themselves within hours of harvest. The wine drinking scene here is delightfully laid back. If you’re not a wine fan, they also have Northwest craft beer on tap to please your palate. Admire the surf-inspired art by local artist Todd Fischer who also hosts regular “learn to paint like Todd” classes. Telephone: 360-452-4262 Web: Harbinger Winery.

Best Port Angeles Hotels