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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Forks
Give Forks 1–2 nights as a wet-weather base for the Hoh Rainforest and La Push beaches; skip it if you only want Port Angeles and Lake Crescent.
Forks is a small logging town on US-101 that works as the west-side base for Olympic National Park: the Hoh Rainforest is about 1–1.25 h south (18 mi on US-101 plus 13 mi on Upper Hoh Road), Rialto and La Push beaches 20–30 min west. It rains here more than almost anywhere in the contiguous US, so plan indoor backups. Twilight fans add a half-day; everyone else uses it for beds, fuel and groceries between park days.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Sep (driest, long daylight)
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (heavy rain, short days)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–5 |
| Diner breakfast | $10–16 |
| Burger or sandwich | $10–18 |
| Pizza, one large | $18–28 |
| Grocery run for two, one day | $25–45 |
| Gallon of fuel | $4–5 (check) |
| Forks Timber Museum entry | $3, free for ages 12 and under |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SEA · Seattle–Tacoma International
- About 4 h by car; shuttle services run door to door (check current operators and fares)
- S18 · Forks Municipal Airport
- General aviation only; no scheduled commercial flights
- UIL · Quillayute Airport
- About 10 mi west; general aviation, no commercial service
Typical fares
- Shuttle Sea-Tac → Forks
- about $66–150 one way, 30% off each extra passenger (check)
- Clallam Transit local fare
- check current fare and day pass
- Fuel, Forks → Hoh and back
- about $15–25
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical choice: sights are 11–18 mi out on US-101 and WA-110 with no park shuttle. The town grid itself is walkable in 15 min. Clallam Transit routes 14, 15 and 16 plus Jefferson Transit's Olympic Connection stop at the Forks Transit Center on US-101, but buses stay on the highway and do not enter the national park.
See and do
Known for
- Hoh Rainforest access
- Rialto and La Push beaches
- Twilight settings
- Logging and timber history
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hoh Rainforest | US-101 south about 18 mi, then Upper Hoh Road about 13 mi to the visitor center | About 1–1.25 h each way |
| Rialto Beach and Mora | WA-110 west about 13 mi, then Mora Road | About 30 min |
| La Push (First Beach) | WA-110 west about 14 mi | About 25 min |
| Second and Third Beach | WA-110 west, trailheads off La Push Road | About 30 min, then a 1.5 mi walk each |
| Lake Ozette and Cape Alava | US-101 north, then Hoko-Ozette Road | About 1.5 h |
| Port Angeles | US-101 east about 77 mi | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Downtown Forks (Forks Ave / US-101)
- Motels, diner, grocery and gas within a 10-min walk; best for one night with a car.
- North on US-101
- Highway B&Bs and lodges 2–5 mi out; quieter, need a car for dinner.
- La Push / Mora area
- Closest beds to Rialto and First Beach, about 15–25 min west; lodging is very limited — check availability and book early.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the trailhead? | Where is the trailhead? |
| Is the road open? | Is the road open? |
| One night, two people | One night, two people |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the nearest gas station? | Where is the nearest gas station? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Rain is the default: bring a waterproof shell and dry bags for camera gear.
- Cell signal and Wi-Fi are patchy outside town; download maps and park info before you drive out.
- Fuel and groceries are limited — Forks Outfitters is the main grocery; fill up before heading to the coast or the Hoh.
- Some Twilight sites are private homes or working buildings: view from outside only.
- Elk and deer on US-101 and WA-110 at dawn and dusk; drive slow.
- No commercial flights: the nearest big airport is Seattle, about 4 h away.
Very low crime; the real risks are rain, remote roads, wildlife on the highway and cold ocean water. Tell someone your route before heading to the coast or the Hoh.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Forks yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hoh Rainforest access
- Rialto and La Push beaches
- Twilight settings
- Logging and timber history
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Forks Chamber of Commerce: forkswa.com/
- Clallam Transit: www.clallamtransit.com/
- Jefferson Transit — Olympic Connection: www.jeffersontransit.com/168/Olympic-Connection-Route-Forks-Amanda-Pa
- Forks Timber Museum: forkstimbermuseum.org/index.html
- Wikivoyage: Forks, revision 5322783 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5322783
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Forks
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Forks; nearest consulates are in Seattle. US visitors: 911 for emergencies.
Tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/forks). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.