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WASHINGTON

12 DAYS

03 NATIONAL PARKS

04 NATIONAL FORESTS

01 WILD ADVENTURE

This is a two-week camping itinerary that requires a lot of flexibility. We went into the trip with no expectations and a willingness to change things at the last minute. Sleeping in our van made it easy to be flexible- especially since the parks are massive, so you are driving quite a bit in-between trails. We would look for campsites near the trails that we planned on doing the following morning. It is possible to do this itinerary while staying in the parks' lodging, but be aware of where trails are located in relation to the hotel(s) you choose to stay in. With that being said, you should research the trails that you may be interested in and check in with park rangers when you arrive at each national park. During our trip, most of the trails in Mt. Rainer were impossible to get to due to a rockslide, so make sure you are aware of trail closures. However, no matter where you end up hiking in Washington, you're bound to get a beautiful view! Happy trails!

Day one: fly into seattle

In order to hit all of the national parks on a budget, we rented a "stow and go" mini-van.
- We packed sleeping bags, camping sleeping pads, and camping pots/ pans.
- When we arrived in Seattle, we bought groceries and other camping necessities.
We arrived around 3:00 pm and drove into the city. We only spent one night in the city because we were eager to get to the parks. Because we went during Covid, we figured it was best not to stay too long.
- Seattle is a beautiful city and definitely worth exploring! Under normal circumstances, I would recommend adding another day or two to spend more time downtown.

day two: drive to mt. rainer national park

Mt. Rainer is about an hour and a half out of the city. When we arrived, we found out that Carbon River Road was closed due to a rock slide.
- This made it a little difficult for us to get to some of the hikes that we had planned, so make sure to check the national park website for updates.
Hikes/ pull offs we were able to do on day one:
- Grove of the Patriarchs:
  - easy 1.2 mile out and back hike
- Silver Falls Trail:
  - Moderate 4 mile loop
We found a campsite near the river; we called it an early day so we could get setup for our first night and be ready for a full day of hiking the following morning.

day three: Mt. rainer northern region

Drive up to the Sunrise Visitor Center
- This was about an hour from our campsite, so budget time in the morning depending on where you decide to sleep.
- The website has all kinds of hikes from this location.
Day three hikes:
- Mount Fremont Lookout Trail
  - Moderate 5.6 mile out and back hike
  - Be mindful of the weather. The trail had quite a bit of snow in early July- hiking boots will work just fine! I would not recommend trying to do this hike in sneakers if it's snowy.
  - This hike gives you gorgeous views at sunrise if you're willing to wake up early!
- Sunrise Rim Trail
  - Moderate 5.5 mile loop. This trail is actually connected to the Mount Fremont Trail
  - Together, the trails add up to about 8.7 miles
- Sunrise Lake and Clover Lake
  - Easy 1.4 mile hike. You can go an addition 1.5 miles to reach Clover lake.
  - These hikes weren't "must do's" in my opinion, but still pretty spots if you're looking for a low key hike nearby.
You can also drive to reflection lake for a beautiful sunset- this area was closed while we were there.

day four: Mt. rainer ashford region or leavenworth

We hoped to do the Ashford area on our last day, but this area was completely blocked off to cars. Instead, we drove to the enchantments for one of our favorite hikes! However, I'm going to include the hike that we had to skip.
Skipped Hikes in Mt. Rainer:
- Tolmie Peak Trail:
  - Moderate 6.4 mile out and back hike

Back-up Plan since we couldn't do our last hike
- Drive about 3 hours to Leavenworth, Washington
- Minotaur Lake Trail
  - Hard 3.0 mile out and back hike
- We found another campsite near Leavenworth to sleep in
- If you are going before mid-August, be prepared for snow!

day five: leavenworth & Drive to north cascades national park

Hike Colchuck Lake via Stuart Lake trail
- Hard 9.0 mile out and back hike
- If you go in late July or August, pack a bathing suit! The lake is a gorgeous spot to lay out and take a dip if you're willing to jump in to glacier water.
- Some people were swimming early July, but it may be a little too cold for that. Regardless, this i a great lunch spot! Be prepared to spend a few hours at the top.

Drive about 3.5 hours to the North Cascades National Park
- We found a state park on the way that let us buy shower tokens, so we were able to shower before hitting the road
- Enjoy a bonfire at your campsite before enjoying another three days in your next national park!

day six: North cascades national park

Our first day in the North Cascades was rainy, so we stuck with hikes that were ground level because it was too overcast to see anything from higher peaks
- Trail of the Cedars Nature Walk
  - Easy 1.9 mile loop
  - Great views of giant cedar trees
- Lake Ann Trail
  - Easy 3.5 mile out and back hike
- Rainy Lake Trail
  - VERY easy 2.0 mile our and bike hike
  - This hike is actually wheelchair accessible and gives you a view that you normally need to hike 5 miles for!
Because of the weather in the mountains, we drove out to a very cute town Old West Town of Winthrop
- The town looked like you stepped into an old western movie
- Browse the shops and restaurants- the ice cream shop in town is incredible! They have homemade flavors.
  - There is also a large grocery store, so you can stock up on whatever you need.
We headed back to our campsite for dinner and a bonfire

day seven: North cascades lake day

Hike around Diablo Lake
- We did the Diablo Lake trail because it had good reviews, but I would recommend swapping it out for a different hike. The trail ends on a bridge that overlooks the dam. There are other hikes in the area that may give you a more scenic ending.
Rent a boat at the Ross Lake Resort
- If you're willing to splurge, it would definitely be worth it to stay the night in one of their cabins! Definitely book early as they fill up quick!
- If you're unable to secure a reservation, you can always spend the day at the resort by renting a small motor boat or kayak
- To get to the resort:
  - Hike one mile down the Ross Lake Trail. There is a phone at the bottom of the trail for you to call their taxi boat to pick you up.
  - You can also take the Ross Lake Ferry, but this was closed while we were there due to Covid.
- Boat Rental:
  - In addition to the daily fees posted in the link above, they do offer hourly rates as well (2 hours minimum)
  - There is an island nearby and other areas for you to enjoy on the lake.

day eight: North cascades national park & Drive to olympic national park

Hike Lake Thornton Trail:
- Hard 8.3 Out and Back Hike
  - This trail was also very snowy when we did it- the lake was still frozen in early July. Make sure to have quality hiking boots to keep your feet dry, and dress in layers.
  - We were warm when we started the hike, but it got to be pretty cold when we were eating lunch at the top.
Drive about 4.5 hours to Olympic National Park
- one hour was spent on a ferry- the ferry was $30.00 for two people.
- you take your car onto the ferry

day nine: olympic national park

Hike Mount Storm King
- Hard 5.3 mile out and back hike
- This hike features ropes to help you climb up the exceptionally steep parts- be mindful if someone in your group is afraid of hikes. Overall, the hike isn't too intimidating, but some people didn't feel comfortable on the ropes.
- This was one of our favorite hikes from the whole trip! definitely a must-do!
  - We started the hike around 8:30 am, which was a good time. When we were hiking down A LOT of people were making their way up the mountain. There isn't a ton of room at the top and trying to do the rope sections when people are going in the opposite direction can get complicated, so it's good to go a little earlier to avoid crowds.
Hike Sol Duc Falls
- Easy 1.6 mile nature trail that features a beautiful waterfall and river
- I have read that this trail can get pretty crowded with families.
Check into the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort
- We decided to stay one night in a hotel because the thermal spa was only available to hotel guests at the time.
- Reviews say that the hot tubs can be overly crowded- it was relatively empty for us, but again we were in the park during Covid.
- You would definitely have enough time to do another short or mid-length hike. We decided to take it a little easier.

day ten: olympic national park

Drive to obstruction point about 8.0 miles from Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center
- Hike Grand Lake via Grand Pass Trail
  - Hard 7.4 miles out and back trail.
  - There are several other trails that will give you incredible views! all of the trails start at the same trailhead.
Drive back to Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center
- - We made an early dinner in the parking lot in order to time our second hike with the sunset.
  - If you decide to do a sunset hike, make sure to pack plenty of layers- the temperature drops significantly during the golden hour.
There are two fantastic sunset hike options from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, or you could do hikes around the visitor center during the day and save obstruction point for sunset.
- (first option) Hike Sunrise View Point via High Ridge Nature Trail
  - Easy 1.0 Out and Back hike.
  - This hike is a good option if you want something shorter
- (second option) Klahhane Ridge Trail to Lake Angeles
  - Hard 12.6 miles out and back trail
  - Because it's a ridge trail, you can always do a section of the hike for sunset.
- Drive to campground

day Eleven: olympic national park

Drive to Rialto Beach
- Hike Hole-in-the-Wall from Rialto Beach
  - Be mindful of the tide when you do this hike. You can only do it during low tide, so give yourself enough time to walk out and back.
  - Moderate 3.3 mile hike (the entire hike is down the beach)
- It would definitely be worthwhile to come back to the beach for sunset if you have enough time.
Drive to the Hoh Rainforest (about one hour from the beach)
- Hike the Hoh River Trail
  - Moderate 32 miles hike
  - We hiked about 8.5 miles of this trail to get to the large cedar tree grove
We called it an early night in order to enjoy our last night at the campsite
- One last fire, smores, and campfire dinner

day Twelve: olympic national park

We used the morning to pack up our van and suitcases
After a long 10 days of hiking, we decided to lounge by a lake and read. We found a small grocery store and packed a picnic lunch.
- After a few relaxing hours, we made our way back into the city (about a 3.5 hour car ride)
- We stopped at a fantastic Mexican restaurant, El Toro, before checking into our hotel.