Olympic Hiking Co.
A commercially authorized tour company in Olympic National Park since 2016
Guided Day Tours
Olympic Hiking Co. employs a locally-based team of Naturalist Hiking Guides that lead our guided small group tours, custom private tours, and other guided trips in Olympic National Park. Ranging from wilderness guiding in Southeast Alaska, instructing at the National Outdoor Leadership School, and adventuring into the rugged, remote interior of the Olympic Mountains, our team of guides bring a diverse skill-set, decades of professional guiding experience, and collaborate together to continually refine our guiding curriculum to lead safe, memorable, educational, and authentic guided experiences here in the epicenter of Olympic National Park.
Eric: Naturalist Hiking Guide
Born in the Adirondack Mountains to a father who was a professor of environmental science and forestry and a mother who was both an English teacher and as close to a “homestead wife” as could be found, Eric’s love for the wilderness and wilds was brewed into him from birth. As a young adult, life took him to Alaska where he spent the lion’s share of his adult life. Eric found his way into professional guiding and wilderness leadership and stayed the course for years, taking a few year hiatus in the entertainment industry which saw him “out of his element” and living in Los Angeles and New Mexico. Eric made his way back to the great Pacific Northwest and Port Angeles where he leads wilderness trips into Olympic National Park. Eric’s passions and loves include trail running, mountain biking, backcountry skiing and sea kayaking. When he isn’t busy with those actives he is also an amateur photographer and wildlife viewer. Eric is proud to be working for Olympic Hiking Co. and enjoys the professionalism and camaraderie amongst the team members and finds it to be a wonderful fit for his life’s arc.
Oscar: Naturalist Hiking Guide
Born and raised on the Olympic Peninsula, Oscar loves Olympic from its sea-stack shores to its glacier-sided peaks and all the flora and fauna in between. Raised as a feral child he found comfort among Douglas fir and western red cedar, eating Oregon grape blossoms and sheep sorrel. This familiarity with what is out there has persisted through botany and forestry classes, through field guides to the feet of dedicated herbalists and naturalists. He delights in the wild places and the centuries-old sentinels who guard some of our most magical places. His favorite conversations tend toward the relation with the wild places that can only develop through prolonged and immersive interaction. Oscar’s wide-range of immersive and advanced backcountry experiences inspire his backpacker shuttle clients and his expert local knowledge of Olympic Peninsula flora and fauna make his guided hiking tours hands-on.
Daniel: Naturalist Hiking Guide
Daniel grew up in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and developed a passion for the outdoors early on in life. He earned a degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Western Carolina University in 2016 and worked as a river guide and a ski shop technician while he was in school. After graduating he spent time in Australia guiding wilderness expeditions that included a variety of outdoor pursuits such as backpacking, rock climbing, and canoeing. Upon returning to the U.S., he began guiding for at-risk youth at wilderness therapy. In 2020, Daniel started guiding adventure tourism trips including backpacking, hiking, and sea kayaking trips in areas such as Olympic National Park, Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Yosemite National Park. He has also spent time working with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s youth and traditional culture programs. Beyond his passion for nature Daniel loves playing music and seeing his favorite bands, relaxing in his hammock with a good read, and spending time with friends and family.
Karissa: Naturalist Hiking Guide
Karissa grew up on the Olympic Peninsula in Port Angeles. Raised in an outdoorsy family, she spent a lot of time camping, hiking, and exploring as a kid. Her passion for nature re-ignited as an adult, and with that came employment in outdoor education and tourism. Karissa has spent the last several summers in Southeast Alaska, helping others experience the beauty of nature thru hiking, bushwhacking, kayaking, or by skiff. She loves the mental calm that the forest brings, the physical exertion of climbing a mountain, and appreciating “the small stuff.” She was a member of Search and Rescue in Alaska, and is an active volunteer with the Clallam Country Fire District 2 as a Firefighter-EMT. The Olympics called her back home, and she couldn’t be more excited to share with you her knowledge of her backyard.
Adam: Naturalist Hiking Guide
Adam hails from Port Angeles, WA and grew up exploring the Olympic Peninsula through Boy Scouts and adventures with his brothers. After returning back home from college and a bit of globe trotting, Adam’s focus turned to hiking all the remote parts of Olympic National Park. Adam soon merged his love for the diverse ecosystems of this place with his passion for education by teaching environmental education at Lake Crescent for 5 years, along with stints teaching in the deciduous forest of Washington D.C. area, and hike-guiding in Alaska. Adam has since taken his penchant for education into the classroom at Port Angeles High School, teaching science for the past 7 years. Adam still takes his students outdoors and manages a school garden along with spending hours in his own garden. When not grading papers or pulling weeds, Adam loves to run on trails, read meaty nonfiction, and take road trips throughout the American West with his wife and dog. Working for Olympic Hiking Co. as a Naturalist Hiking Guide allows Adam to continue to follow his passion for teaching others and showcasing the wonders the Olympic Peninsula has to offer.
Bob: Naturalist Hiking Guide
Bob came to the Olympic Peninsula in the 1970s as a trail crew leader in Olympic National Park. Since then Bob has devoted his life and career to environmental conservation and environmental education. Bob has led countless trips in the Olympics and on the Olympic Coast, where he spent his last 20 years of work with NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Bob is an author (over a dozen books, including The Northwest Coastal Explorer, 2016) and currently spends his time photographing landscapes and wildlife. His current project is following and photographing Pacific Flyway sandhill cranes between the Sacramento Delta and Alaska. Bob looks forward to sharing the best of the Olympics with his hiking companions on our Olympic Hiking Co. adventures.
Pete: Naturalist Hiking Guide
Pete has called the Olympic Peninsula home since 2019. Prior to that, he spent most of his life in the San Francisco Bay Area exploring various hiking trails individually and as a leader. He has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Fuji, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Shasta and Mt. Mauna Kea and has the summits of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Aconcagua on his to-do list. In addition to his hiking duties, Pete supports college students as a Professor of Marketing, is a certified Laughter Yoga instructor teaching the joy of laughter in his community, and performs as an improv comedy cast member throughout the Puget Sound area.
Matt: Naturalist Hiking Guide
Matt has been guiding people outdoors for many decades. Foraging, birding, botanizing, tracking are all part of exploring the wilds with Matt. “My goal is to help people become more familiar with the outdoors so they can create their own wild adventures.” Matt has a Bachelor’s degree in natural history, and a Masters in adventure-based therapy. He has managed outdoor education programs for elementary students, adjudicated youth, university students, and retirees. He is a gardener at the Rhododendron Species Foundation, a volunteer researcher for the UW Rare Care program, and an environmental monitor for the 10,000 Years Institute. Currently he runs Valley of Giants Rainforest Tours in Quinault Washington, and guides interpretive day-hikes in the Quinault Rainforest. We are thrilled to have Matt’s help covering the Southwest region of Olympic National Park with Olympic Hiking Co.
Guided Backpacking Trips
Olympic Hiking Co. assembled a team of Wilderness First Responder certified Backcountry Guides to begin leading Guided Backpacking Trips in Olympic National Park in 2021. Since then, our backcountry team has helped lead Guided Backpacking Trips for a wide array of clients including friends/families, outdoor education groups, and other non-profit organizations. Led by Sean, who is a professional EMT and Wilderness Medicine Instructor, our Backcountry Guiding team continues to expand its number of trips and offerings each year.
Sean: Lead Backcountry Guide
Sean's journey began in a mitten. The Michigan Mitten that is. Born in a suburb of Detroit, Sean's world perspective was blown to smithereens during a cross country road trip to Washington. After that, he realized there was a whole natural world out there, just yearning to be discovered. Sean's yes-first attitude to the call of adventure has taken him to many parts of this country and many different work experiences. Yet, Washington has always called him back. Whether he's professionally guiding travelers or out on his own, Sean has made it his mission to become deeply connected with Washington's National Parks and natural places. When he's not out hiking, Sean can be found either listening to Blink 182, eating Cheez Its, riding his bike, or working in the Seattle area as an EMT. For Sean, guiding for Olympic Hiking Co. is an honor. Sharing Washington's "wild" places, in its most intimate aspects, and helping others find joy in the outdoors is a high responsibility that he does not take lightly. He hopes to show that these "wild" places are not some abstract nature sanctuary but are in fact a part of us.
Amy: Backcountry Guide
Amy is a life-long outdoors enthusiast. Growing up in the woods of Vermont and the Adirondacks she spent her free time hiking, biking, skiing, boating and just plain exploring. After college a few years in the Rockies reaffirmed her love of adventure and she took everything up a notch - conquering many of Colorado’s famous 14ers, completing Century bicycle rides, and spending all winter on the slopes. Now spends as much of her free time as she can adventuring in and around the Olympic Mountains, usually with her adventure pup by her side! With her Wilderness First Responder certification, Amy helped guide Olympic Hiking Co. various Guided Backpacking Trips in 2022.
Ash: Backcountry Guide
Originally from the southeast, Ash got bit by the hiking bug when she moved out west and things have never been the same. The magic of living on the trail led her to go on many long distance hikes, and it was during her journey along the Pacific Northwest Trail that she fell in love with Washington, and the Olympic Peninsula in particular. Along the way, she acquired an education in environmental sciences from Skagit Valley College, and dedicates her time restoring degraded watershed habitats in Jefferson County. In addition to being a wilderness first responder, Ash is an herbalist, artist, and dog mom.
Trailhead Shuttles
Olympic Hiking Co. employs a friendly team of Trailhead Shuttle Drivers based in Forks and Port Angeles to drive trailhead shuttles throughout the Olympic Peninsula for over 2,000 backpackers each year! With daily summer group shuttles on the Olympic Wilderness Coast, Sol Duc, and Hoh Rain Forest, plus a variety of custom shuttles throughout the Olympics, our team of shuttle drivers help make through-hiking in Olympic National Park a reality for travelers from all over the world.
Gene: Trailhead Shuttle Driver
As a lifelong resident of the Olympic Peninsula, Gene has fished, hunted, foraged, and explored nearly every corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Gene knows the highways and remote backroads like the back of his hand. He enjoys sharing his experiences of explorations with his shuttle clients on these familiar driving routes, pointing out sights, wildlife, and stories most visitors miss. Gene joined the Olympic Hiking Co. team in 2021 and has logged more miles than any employee since, helping facilitate daily shuttles along the Olympic Wilderness Coast as the primary full-time Forks Driver. With his hand-written driver’s log, shuttle manifest, and scheduling, Gene doesn’t miss a beat and is a reliable, valuable “driving force” of our shuttle operations in Forks.
Chris: Trailhead Shuttle Driver
Chris was hitchhiking to the North Cascades from San Francisco in 1977 when his ride suggested a different park, a place called Olympic, which he had never heard of. After being dropped off in Olympic, Chris hiked up the Bogachiel Valley and out the Sol Duc. He was so taken by the beauty, wildness, and vastness that when Chris finished he turned around and did it again. Chris returned in late March of the following year and camped in the Park until mid June. That experience initiated a decades long pursuit of mostly solitary, weeks long wilderness explorations, mostly in ONP, Southern Utah, Grand Canyon, and the Wilderness areas of the NW. Chris moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2002 and is now living his dream in a small off grid cabin on property that borders the Bogachiel River. It is a beautiful place to pursue his other passion, playing classical music on piano, cello, and recorder. “I love my job at OHC. I love driving on the Olympic Peninsula, but what I love most are the interactions I have with my clients. The conversations I am present for, or part of, are always engaging, often enlightening, and sometimes profound. Everyday that I drive for OHC is an adventure.”
Wayne: Trailhead Shuttle Driver
Wayne moved to Sequim in 2001 and has been driving professionally on the Olympic Peninsula ever since. Wayne has driven thousands of miles throughout Western Washington and has served thousands of travelers while driving guests between Port Angeles and SeaTac Airport for Olympic Bus Lines. As a Professional CDL Driver, Wayne also helps Olympic Hiking Co. safely transport guests up the snowy, icy roads for the Hurricane Ridge Winter Shuttle Bus operation during the winter season. During our summer operations, Wayne loves to assist with our backpacker trailhead shuttles and has enjoyed some of the most long-haul shuttle routes with his professional driving experience doing so. If you take a shuttle with Wayne, you will appreciate his genuine attitude, light-hearted humor, and willingness to go the extra mile (literally and figuratively) for his guests. He deeply cares about the customer experience, while providing a safe, professional shuttle service. “The Olympic Peninsula is a very beautiful area and I look forward to making your trip memorable.”
Darcy: Shuttles & Operations
Darcy’s discovered her outdoor spirit after moving to Alaska in 2004. Always ready for a new experience, she jumped at every invite to scramble up the side of a mountain or hike into glaciers and remote cabins. After 15 years in Alaska as both an aircraft mechanic and an English teacher, Darcy made the move to Washington and landed in Port Angeles. Now that she lives at the gateway to the Olympic National Park, Darcy is ready to learn more about the area as an Olympic Hiking Company team member. When she isn’t helping with a shuttle or operations, you’ll most likely have to look up to find her as she loves to explore the peninsula from a bird’s eye view with her private pilot’s license. Camping, hiking, and trail running with her kindred 4-legged friend, Roxy, also fills her time. Never short on stories, Darcy looks forward to hearing about your adventures or sharing some of her own.
Operations
Whether we’re assisting with group tours, private tours, backpacking trips, or a trailhead shuttle, our Operations Team helps make sure that the 4,000+ hikers we serve each year have a memorable experience with Olympic Hiking Co. and in Olympic National Park.
Trevor: Operations Manager & Guide
Trevor came to the Olympic Peninsula in 2012, assigned to US Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles as a Petty Officer First Class. He found a home among the shorelines and mountains of the peninsula greater than anywhere he had lived before. A lifelong hiker, biker, and climber, Trevor spent every moment exploring western Washington when he wasn't flying on search and rescue cases, or deployed to disaster areas. His time in the service spanned 20 years and took him all over the western hemisphere, but nothing felt like home more than Port Angeles. Trevor decided to retire from the Coast Guard as a Chief Petty Officer and fulfill his dream of making the Olympic Peninsula his home for good. He brings with him a wealth of leadership and management experience, as well as a few skills he picked up along the way. Notably, Trevor has been a member of three Arctic expeditions as a mountaineer and logistics manager. In his off time, you may be likely to run into him almost anywhere on the northern peninsula. His favorite activities are the ones where he gets to spend time outdoors with his wife and their dogs. A life of travel has given him a passion for the outdoors, a love of nature, and a desire for adventure. He is beyond excited to be a part of the Olympic Hiking Company team, and he looks forward to being a part of your experience on the Olympic Peninsula.
Brittany: Operations Coordinator
Born and raised in Sequim, Brittany’s formative years were spent outdoors. Whether it was hiking, camping, or summers on Lake Crescent, her family encouraged any activity to burn off that childhood energy. Since then, life’s adventures have taken her far and wide, including moves to South East Asia and New Zealand, but the Olympic Peninsula will always be home. Over the last decade her hospitality career has covered everything from budget hotels to 4-star resorts. Now, after 5 years in the greater Seattle area, Brittany is excited to be back home for the 2024 season with Olympic Hiking Co. In her downtime you can find her reading, snacking, or dilly dallying
Jessie: Remote Operations
Hearing the call of the mountains, Jessie came to Olympic Hiking Co. in May 2017. After graduating from Western Washington University with a degree in Environmental Education in December 2016, she took off to Spain to hike 500 plus miles as a pilgrimage. As time to return to the US approached, she wanted to continue walking. On the flight back, she found Olympic Hiking Co.’s job posting for a Naturalist Guide and applied. She's been walking forward since! In college, Jessie earned the title "The Walking Field Guide" from her friends, as she would point out plants along their hikes. Developing OHC’s tour curriculum and teaching our guests about the natural history of our beautiful corner of the world has only increased her mental field guide pages. She has a passion for sharing the stories of the land and people of the Olympic National Park area with our clients and providing a memorable trip. After a short time away from Olympic Hiking Co. to work as a certified EMT, Jessie returned for the 2021 summer season and is excited to get back to the trail, see the company continue to thrive, and show folks our corner of the world!
Tommy: Owner & Founder
After growing up on the Olympic Peninsula, Tommy Farris combined his passions for the outdoors and entrepreneurship by founding the Olympic Hiking Company in 2016. In what started as a business school project at the University Washington, Tommy eventually left his career in Finance, moved back to Port Angeles, and began leading guided day tours of Olympic National Park as a solopreneur. Today, Tommy now leads a 17-employee team as Olympic Hiking Co. serves over 4,000 travelers each year on its guided day tours, trailhead shuttles, and backpacking trips. While Olympic Hiking Co. continues to grow, Tommy’s core mission for the company remains the same – provide authentic local experiences that strengthen our guests’ connection with nature through responsible recreation and a greater admiration for the natural wonders of the diverse ecosystems that surround us. Outside of OHC, Tommy volunteers his time as a Board Member for State of Washington Tourism, as well as the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce (former Board Chair). When windows of opportunity arise, Tommy enjoys backpacking deep into the most remote regions of the Olympic Mountains on multi-day through-hike routes.
Want to learn more about how Olympic Hiking Co. was founded?