Washington and Olympic National Park are both very popular tourist destinations and you will be traveling during peak season so we encourage you to make all of your reservations well in advance of the wedding weekend.

NatureBridge is about 3 hours from Seattle. To access the Olympic Peninsula from the Seattle area you will either drive south around the Sound or take a ferry across the Sound. The two ferries most easily accessed from Seattle do not require (or allow) reservations, however, vehicle delays are frequent during the summer season and on weekends. The two ferries are:

-Edmonds/Kinston Ferry which is north of Seattle, crossing time ~30 minutes

-Seattle/Bainbridge Ferry which is downtown Seattle, crossing time ~35 minutes

You can see the three typical routes below. We personally always prefer the ferry routes because they are more scenic, you can get out of the car and walk around the boat to take in the views so it is also less time in the car, and you can avoid Tacoma traffic and sprawl.

You can find ferry schedules as well as real-time updates regarding how many spaces are left on the next ferry on the WSDOT website: https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries

Port Angeles is the last town of significant size that you drive through prior to arriving at NatureBridge. If you want to pick up any last minute food, drinks, toiletries, etc. this will be your best option. There is a Safeway, Country Aire Natural Foods store, and many restaurants near the center of town. The next town after NatureBridge is Forks which is 45 minutes away and has fewer and less appealing options.

If you rather not stay in the rustic, summer-camp style cabins with bunkbeds, then here is a list of other lodging options in the area. The closest town to NatureBridge is Port Angeles which is about 25 minutes away. Port Angeles has all basic amenities like grocery stores and well-known motel/hotel chains.

You will also find a couple locally owned and operated motels between Port Angeles and NatureBridge such as Emerald Valley Inn which is connected to Granny's Cafe. I would suggest you use your favorite travel website (VRBO.com, AirBnB.com, Kayak.com, Hotels.com, etc) to see if you find anything that meets your needs.

The Lake Crescent Lodge is a 10 minute walk away from NatureBridge. The lodge was built in 1916 and has cabins, motel rooms and rooms in the historic lodge building available for rent. There is also a dining room, lounge and coffee bar, gift shop and boat rentals. We reserved a small block of rooms at the lodge for those people that prefer more traditional accommodations and privacy. Please let us know if you want one of these rooms. You are also welcome to make your own reservation but they sell out fast and reservations open 366 days before the date of your arrival.

If you want to bring your own tent, van, or RV to stay in while attending the wedding or after the weekend, then here is a brief list of campgrounds. See the link below for a complete list of campgrounds in the National Park. Keep in mind that most campgrounds are booked out for the summer so check when the reservation system opens if you are interested in camping nearby.

-Fairholme is the closest campground to NatureBridge and located on the west end of the lake. We love this campground in the off-season.

-Heart of the Hills is located at the base of Hurricane Ridge and is about 25 minutes from NatureBridge. This campground is great because it is first come, first serve and quite large so sometimes it is easy to snag a last minute spot.

-Kalaloch is on the ocean and has several oceanfront campsites. The beach is wild and magical. There are some great coves to the north of the campground within walking distance that are great for a private skinny dip if you don't mind cold water. This campground is 90 minutes from NatureBridge. This would be a great option before or after the wedding if you are interested in staying in the area.

Here is a link to camping in Olympic National Park: https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/camping.htm#CP_JUMP_755146?wwpath=www.theknot.com/us/nicki-harris-and-max-aristov-sep-2025

Relaxing lakeside in the van at Lake Crescent