Most people race across the Olympic Peninsula on the way to somewhere else. The ones who know better make Sequim their home base — because no other town on the peninsula gives you fields of lavender at sunrise, glacier-capped mountains by afternoon, and old-growth rainforest by evening, all within an hour's drive. Here's a three-day loop that starts with what makes this corner of the world unique, and builds out from there.
The three days
The lavender valley
Begin where the region's identity begins. More than 20 lavender farms sit around the valley, and the SLGA member farms are free to visit. Spend the morning cutting U-pick bundles, break for lunch in town, and save a farm or two for the late-afternoon light. Build your loop with the trip planner so the farms group efficiently, or browse them on the farm map. If you're here in mid-July, check the dates for festival weekend.
The lavender is the reason you came. Everything else is the reason you'll come back.
Hurricane Ridge & the Dungeness Spit
Forty-five minutes from the lavender fields, the road climbs to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park — alpine meadows, wildflowers, and views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Canada. On the way back, walk the Dungeness Spit, the longest natural sand spit in the United States, with a lighthouse at the end and eagles overhead. Cap the day back in Sequim with dinner and one more golden-hour farm stroll.
Lake Crescent & Sol Duc
Head west for the peninsula's wilder side: Lake Crescent, impossibly blue and glacier-carved, with the short hike to Marymere Falls; then soak at Sol Duc Hot Springs deep in the rainforest. It's a full day out and back, and Sequim's sunny, dry evenings are a welcome contrast when you return.
Why base yourself in Sequim
Sequim sits in the Olympic rain shadow, with about sixteen inches of rain a year and far more sun than Seattle, so your home base stays dry while the rest of the peninsula does what rainforests do. It sits between the park entrances, it's the center of the lavender valley, and a few farms have lodging on the property. See where to stay in Sequim, then map your days in the planner.
Turn this into your trip
Pick your farms and days, get an efficient route, and email yourself the plan — free.
Open the trip planner →More: Just have a day? Day trip from Seattle · Where to stay · When the lavender blooms