Washington state National Parks

I am watching an excellent documentary on Mount Rainier National Park on Amazon Prime:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U7PC28G/ref=atv_feed_catalog&tag=iw_prime_movie-20&ref_=asc_homepage

and a thought occurred to me. Three incredible National Parks are located in Washington and they never get any love on this forum so I thought I would pour some love on them. I read about people wanting to visit the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Redwood, Yellowstone, Glacier and Death Valley all the time, but never about Mount Rainier, North Cascades or Olympic.

I will start with Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier is the classic image of the Pacific northwest. It is only 100 feet shorter than Mount Whitney which is the highest peak in the lower 48. It is covered in snow and glaciers all year long and it is basically impossible to take a bad photograph of it. But the real draw is a once in a lifetime bucket list event around August 1st every year. There is a wildflower bloom in Paradise that beats any wildflower bloom you could ever imagine.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mount+rainier+paradise+wildflower+bloom&rlz=1CAACAR_enUS803&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj86O7grP_cAhXQrVMKHXmyDNQQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=667

Olympic is three great parks in one. Any one of the three could be a park all by itself. Hurricane Ridge is an alpine meadow full of wildflowers and critters that is to be seen to be believed. Then there is Kalaloch Campground on the beach one of the most beautiful beach campgrounds. But the third one, the Hoh Rainforest will knock your socks off. How rainy is it? Well Seattle gets 36 inches of rain per year. The Hoh rainforest gets 14 feet of rain per year.

http://www.sevenwondersofwashingtonstate.com/the-hoh-rain-forest.html

But my favorite of the three in my book is North Cascades. Three glacier fed turquoise lakes and a pristine forest. Best thing about North Cascades is no one knows about. It is like having your own private National Park.

Marrowstone Island near Port Townsend is some 90-odd air miles from Mt. Rainier and the strait between the island and the mainland lines up with the mountain like looking through a boresight.

Normally as you cross the bridge to the island, you only see the water of Puget Sound to the horizon, but on a rare clear day when the mountain is "out" (not hidden behind the cloud cover) you'll see it rising out of the water like it's blocking the end of the strait.  Made for quite the sight as you came out of the trees and went across the bridge.

I'm hitting all three in September 2019, Olympia is the one I'm most excited about. North Cascades will just be a one day trip, so I won't get too in depth there, just skim the surface.
Your photography is out of this world Seriously impressive.

RVMommaTo6 said:

I'm hitting all three in September 2019, Olympia is the one I'm most excited about. North Cascades will just be a one day trip, so I won't get too in depth there, just skim the surface.
Your photography is out of this world Seriously impressive.

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Thank you Amanda. That is a good month to hit there, too bad you couldn't change that to August. North Cascades has a power house for a dam and right behind it is Ladder Creek Falls. It is the highlight of the park but you have to see it after about 9pm. They light up the falls and there is a short trail to the top of the falls. If you can spend one night there you will be blown away.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ladder+creek+falls+at+night&rlz=1CAACAR_enUS803&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiY48zy-oDdAhVNvVMKHdDxBXIQ7Al6BAgAEBE&biw=1366&bih=667

We've been to Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rainforest and have to agree.  They are worthwhile additions to any bucket list.  We went as far as Forks, the wife is a huge fan of the Twilight series, but never heard of Kalaloch campground.  Port Townsend is one of our favorite locations so likely we will return and visit Kalaloch.  We never made it to Olympia so most likely will include that as well as a return to the Peninsula on our next visit. 

Great pictures Tom.  Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for your kind words Gary.

Tom, great photos for this discussion.  Back in the 1960s we were new to the west coast and traveled every chance we got.  Thanks for reminding me of Mt. Ranier where we had the neatest experience.  It must have been summer (maybe August) because the alpine wildflowers were everywhere.  We were on a trail up to the glacier when we came across the cutest little mountain beaver about ten feet away.  He was sitting up on his haunches munching on the tiny flowers between his little paws.  We stood there for a long time just watching him eat flowers.  I haven't thought about that in years so thanks for bringing that happy memory to life.

ArdraF

RVMommaTo6 said:

I'm hitting all three in September 2019, Olympia is the one I'm most excited about. North Cascades will just be a one day trip, so I won't get too in depth there, just skim the surface.
Your photography is out of this world Seriously impressive.

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Quick note to RVMommaTo6:  Washington state is very cloudy most of the time.  When the previous comment talked about Mt Rainier coming out of the clouds, they are not kidding.  I was in Washington state probably 5 days before I was able to see it....and it was grand!

So plan on maybe spending a few days before you see something, just to be prepared!

I once saw a billboard for ice cream there that stated "For the Sunny days - and the other 363 days of the year" 

According to locals Washington has two seasons. Winter and July.

ArdraF said:

Tom, great photos for this discussion.  Back in the 1960s we were new to the west coast and traveled every chance we got.  Thanks for reminding me of Mt. Ranier where we had the neatest experience.  It must have been summer (maybe August) because the alpine wildflowers were everywhere.  We were on a trail up to the glacier when we came across the cutest little mountain beaver about ten feet away.  He was sitting up on his haunches munching on the tiny flowers between his little paws.  We stood there for a long time just watching him eat flowers.  I haven't thought about that in years so thanks for bringing that happy memory to life.

ArdraF

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Thank you Ardra. It brought back a lot of great memories for me too. My favorite is sitting on the beach on the Skagit River watching Bald Eagles picking out fish from the river.

Nice pictures.  Some day we hope to spend some time there. 

SeilerBird said:

According to locals Washington has two seasons. Winter and July.

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LOl, I think that saying is adapted around the country.  They say that up here as well.

Thank you all for the kind words about my photos but I can't take all the credit. The National Parks are so beautiful it becomes hard to take a bad shot.

egalt said:

Quick note to RVMommaTo6:  Washington state is very cloudy most of the time.  When the previous comment talked about Mt Rainier coming out of the clouds, they are not kidding.  I was in Washington state probably 5 days before I was able to see it....and it was grand!

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In Western Washington, a "sunny" day is any one where the sun peeks out from behind the clouds, no matter how briefly.  It could rain in the morning, drizzle in the afternoon with a one hour dry patch in between and qualify as a sunny day.

When I lived up there, Seattle TV forecasters would predict "sun breaks" hour by hour so people could plan their outdoor activities around them.

East of the Cascade Mtns the state is much dryer, almost like a high desert.  Yakima regularly hits 100 degrees during the summer. 

Yep Tom,

Those  are very enticing  photos of some very  beautiful spots.  You capture such terrific images!

BB

Great post Tom.

I would say if in the area don't miss Mount St Helens. The history is sad but interesting and it's a beautiful area with great views.

Betty Brewer said:

Yep Tom,

Those  are very enticing  photos of some very  beautiful spots.  You capture such terrific images!

BB

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Thank you BB. It is hard to miss in Washington.

jackiemac said:

Great post Tom.

I would say if in the area don't miss Mount St Helens. The history is sad but interesting and it's a beautiful area with great views.

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Thank you Jackie. Nice photos. I am depressed to admit that I never once went to Mount St. Helens when I was so close. Shame on me. But the focus of my trips was always National Parks so I missed a lot of areas that are not NPs. I think I was assuming I would be travelling forever. :-[

RVMommaTo6 said:

I'm hitting all three in September 2019, Olympia is the one I'm most excited about. North Cascades will just be a one day trip, so I won't get too in depth there, just skim the surface.
Your photography is out of this world Seriously impressive.

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Take a trip across the Sound on one of the Washington State Ferries, especially if the weather is clear.  The trip from Bainbridge Island to downtown Seattle is impressive on a clear day.  You can leave the RV on the Bainbridge side and walk onto the ferry, then use public transportation in Seattle as a way to see the city without the hassle of driving in and finding parking for the RV.

Also, you could take an all day cruise through the San Juan Islands via the ferries, again leaving the RV on shore until you return.

garyb1st said:

We've been to Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rainforest and have to agree.  They are worthwhile additions to any bucket list.  We went as far as Forks, the wife is a huge fan of the Twilight series, but never heard of Kalaloch campground.  Port Townsend is one of our favorite locations so likely we will return and visit Kalaloch.  We never made it to Olympia so most likely will include that as well as a return to the Peninsula on our next visit. 

Great pictures Tom.  Thanks for sharing.

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Kalaloch is our favorite of the Olympic Nat'l Park campgrounds. if you're lucky...you can get a spot that overlooks the cliffs above the ocean. If not...well, there are a LOT of nice campsites in that cg. Depending on traffic, we're about 3 hours from Kalaloch...if we can get there via 101 by Crescent lake...if not, 4-1/2 hours via the southern route. (lots of folks don't know, US 101 makes a loop around the peninsula)
We're about the same travel time from Mt. Rainier...if traffic is light.  We spent several days just before Labor Day just west of White Pass, which is south of Mt. Rainier. Nice location. (not all the campgrounds are as nice)  The one we stayed in needs a complete overhaul...(see my thread in campground reviews)
We've spent a couple of nights in dry camping sites in the Washington state park in the Hoh Rain Forest near Kalaloch. Nice enough...for smaller rigs.
And for those who hinted that it might rain here occasionally...the Hoh rainforest averages between 140 and 170 inches of precipitation annually...here in Kitsap county, 50-60".

egalt said:

Quick note to RVMommaTo6:  Washington state is very cloudy most of the time.  When the previous comment talked about Mt Rainier coming out of the clouds, they are not kidding.  I was in Washington state probably 5 days before I was able to see it....and it was grand!

So plan on maybe spending a few days before you see something, just to be prepared!

I once saw a billboard for ice cream there that stated "For the Sunny days - and the other 363 days of the year" 

Click to expand...

Living in CENTRAL Washington (Wenatchee) all my life, I beg to differ with that statement!    We get more sun than you can stand. 105* at times thru the summer and 5* in the winter. Once you cross the Cascade mountains we get all four seasons.