The Olympic Wilderness is one of the wildest places left in the Lower Forty-Eight states! This year, nearly 40,000 people will camp in the Olympic Wilderness and several hundred thousand people will take day hikes and walks. Olympic is fragile. But if we care for Olympic, we can preserve its wildness and grandeur for future generations.
Wilderness travel can be challenging and often risky. To maximize your safety, we hope you will take the time to learn about some of the risks and hazards that exist throughout the Olympic Wilderness.
In 1988, Congress designated 95% of Olympic National Park as Wilderness. Find out more about other
nearby wilderness areas, other
National Park Service Wilderness areas, wilderness designation and the
Wilderness Act.
When you visit the Olympic Wilderness, whether to clamber along the roaring beaches of the wilderness coast, to immerse yourself in the freshness and healing of the old-growth forests, or to push yourself up onto the peaks and ridges of the high country, keep in mind that this remnant of wild America is fragile.
