

Want more from your experience?
Add an ExtensionYou won’t find many walking tours of Olympic National Park—and that’s exactly what makes this unique naturalists’ adventure so special. Without the crowds, you’re free to explore this diverse landscape in serene tranquility, walking through temperate rainforests, verdant valleys, and along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Your experienced local leaders are experts in the region—regaling you with tales of local sustainability efforts in the rainforest and along the salmon-rich Elwha River. Learn about the local Quinault people from Harvest Moon, a community elder and storyteller who entertains you with enchanting fireside tales. Along the way, you’ll stay in rustic waterfront lodges with charming lakes and the shores of the Pacific Ocean right out your door. Here, you’ll enjoy the region’s warm hospitality, exceptional farm-to-table cuisine, and clear, starlit nights.
Country Walkers is proud to support The Center for Whale Research with a donation on behalf of each guest on this tour. The Center for Whale Research is the leading institution for study, research, and health assessments of killer (orca) whales in the Pacific Northwest. Since 1976, the center has conducted an annual photo-identification study of their local killer whales. Because of this, more is known about this population of orcas than any other in the world. Each guest on tour visits a salmon habitat crucial to the survival of killer whales.
2026 Pre-Tour Extension - Seattle
1 Nights From
$
245
per person, double occupancy
Single Supplement: From $245
Your Pre-Tour Extension begins at The Westin Seattle, located in the heart of downtown Seattle. This modern, full-service hotel offers sweeping views of the city skyline, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains. Within walking distance are many of Seattle’s top attractions, including Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and the Museum of Pop Culture. Guests enjoy access to an indoor heated pool, fitness center, and on-site dining options. With its central location, The Westin Seattle provides a convenient and comfortable base for exploring the Emerald City.
Lunch and dinner are on your own today. Seattle is known for its dynamic culinary scene, offering everything from fresh seafood and artisan coffee to global cuisine and local favorites. Country Walkers provides city information that includes recommendations for dining, museums, shops, and other local highlights to help you make the most of your time.
Important Note for Arrival at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA):
Transportation from the airport to the hotel is not included. The Westin Seattle is located approximately 15 miles from the airport (about 25–40 minutes by taxi, rideshare, or public transportation). Please note: The hotel does not provide a shuttle service. For ground transportation options, including light rail and shuttle services, visit the airport’s official ground transportation webpage.
The Westin Seattle
We had a spectacular week on the Olympic Peninsula with Heather and Eric. Beautiful weather, beautiful hiking, so much wonderful information about geology, geography, history and the native stories of Harvest Moon, made for an informative week. Good food, charming hotels, and a wonderful group of new friends- a great week in a magical place.
Washington: Olympic Peninsula
I expected to be wowed by the ancient trees and racing rivers but hadn't expected to have our first delicious lunch provided by a rural homesteader in her cozy green garden, to watch a bear cub snacking on roadside wildflowers in the National Park, or to be introduced by our guides to the work of PNW writers commenting on the very landscape we would walk through each day. Heather and Eric have designed an excellent itinerary. Five stars aren't enough.
Washington: Olympic Peninsula
Experience your destination like an insider with people who call it home.
Eric Kessler
Eric Kessler studied the natural history of the Olympic Peninsula in college and has explored its jagged peaks and forested valleys as a wilderness traveler ever since. Eric has guided worldwide and pursues his parallel photography career documenting the planet’s native peoples and ecosystems, including a writing/photo project on the Olympic Peninsula’s Elwha River, which was part of the largest dam removal and watershed restoration project in US history. Eric often guides in our National Parks with his partner and co-guide Heather Harding.
Heather Harding
Heather Harding has been guiding for decades on both Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, where she lives in the summer, and in the canyons and plateaus of the Southwest, where she earned college degrees in biology and Southwest Studies, and where she continues to explore from her winter residence in Kanab, Utah. Heather brings a world-wide background of whale research and Waldorf teaching to her guiding. When she isn’t guiding, she enjoys life to the fullest with her partner and frequent co-guide Eric Kessler, and she shares her knowledge by training guides and naturalists for the Jefferson Land Trust and the National Association for Interpretation.
Maribeth Crandell
Maribeth Crandell has been a naturalist, educator and trail guide in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years. From her homebase in Whidbey Island, Maribeth enjoys exploring the region’s waterways, islands, and mountains-as well as learning about its rich history. Her work has taken her from the Columbia River Gorge to Southeast Alaska. Before guiding Country Walkers adventures, Maribeth was a whale watching guide, a ship’s naturalist and an environmental educator. In 2006 she hiked the Appalachian Trail and later wrote her book: Flip Flop on the Appalachian Trail. In 2019 she published a local trail guide, Hiking Close to Home on Whidbey, Fidalgo and Guemes Islands.
Vicki Beaver
An environmental educator, and guide, living on the Olympic Peninsula, Vicki has turned her passion for the environment into a career combining travel, research, and education. Fascinated by wildlife, much of Vicki’s career has revolved around studying and photographing whales-and teaching others about them. She often works as an expedition guide in the Arctic and Antarctic-and is delighted to return to her beloved home on the Olympic Peninsula.
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