Follow Along our Travels!

If you haven’t realized it by now, Chuck and I are both very into exploring National Parks throughout the US. While we haven’t made it to all of them, it is a mission of ours. Why? Well mostly it is curiosity about why a particular area of land is designated as “extra special” but it also has to do with our love of nature and seeing different eco-systems that are present throughout the US. I have to admit that nearly all the National Parks we’ve been to have provoked a moment of awe and inevitability lead to one of us saying, “Oh, that is why this is a national park!”. Spoiler alert, these two national parks in Washington are no different.

This is another classic road trip where we spent each night in a different area. You can see from the itinerary that it is split up into two parts: Olympic NP part and Cascades NP part. I’m going to split this blog post the same way since each park/part of the trip had unique highlights!

Olympic National Park

Part of what makes Olympic NP so incredible is its diversity. You have the area that is probably most well known — the rainforests — but there are also miles of coastline/beaches and then Mount Olympus too. It is why we took 4 days to explore this park and really could have spent an entire week there. We also went over Labor Day week/weekend which lent itself to some additional traffic and lines to get into areas of the park (more on that later).

Highlights from Olympic National Park part of road trip:

• I really loved all of the lodges we stayed at on this trip. From a logistics standpoint, they were well spaced so we could enjoy each day in the park. From an aesthetic standpoint, each one fit into the overall vibe of the region well. I think my favorite was the Lake Crescent Log Cabin Lodge because of its location, but the BnB we stayed in in Anacortes was pretty special too (and had laundry which is a huge bonus on a longer road trip!)
• The coastal area of Olympic NP is really beautiful. Now coming from someone who lives by the beach and has her whole life, it is sometimes hard for a beach to impress me. I think what made these so special is that they butt right up to the forest and the forest makes a stunning backdrop for the beaches. Plus, there are some great rock formations (Hole in the Wall being the most famous) but there are a bunch of them that are impressive. My recommendation is to do as many walks as you can handle in this area, but it really is unique.
• The highlight of the Wall of Moss trail (the rainforest portion of Olympic NP) was that we saw a giant moose on trail! I’m kind of obsessed with moose sightings while we travel but I have to be honest, this was almost too close for comfort. We turned a corner and BOOM! Giant moose snacking on trail. It wanted nothing to do with us and we kept our required distance (once you see a moose in person and realize how large they are, there is no desire to get close to one) and passed it, but in hindsight it was a pretty cool experience. Oh and this trail is beautiful and worth the two hour line to get into that portion of the park (more on that later).
• Mount Olympus is huge! That’s it. That’s the highlight. It is much bigger than I expected and while there isn’t a lot to do at this area of the park, it is worth going to. (This is the Hurricane Ridge area of the itinerary).

North Cascades National Park

To set the scene, as you drive into North Cascades NP, there is a sign that declares it the “Swiss Alps of America” at which point I slightly scoffed as it seemed a bit grandiose for a NP that I hadn’t heard much about. Ha! How wrong I was! This mountain range is absolutely incredible. It has everything you’d expect out of a NP: beautiful, clear lakes of unreal colors, large snow-capped peaks (yes, even in September), and a ton of trails to explore. That is my big regret on this trip — that we only spent one day on trail. I cannot wait to go back and check out some of the other trails that we weren’t able to get to.

After the NP, we drove through Winthrop and Lake Chelan before finally getting to the Bavarian town of Leavenworth. I really enjoyed exploring all three towns, but being a lake lover, I think Lake Chelan was my favorite. Unfortunately there was a fire there while we were there so we didn’t get to get on the lake, but I look forward to doing so one day.

Highlights from North Cascades National Park part of road trip:

• Maple Pass Trail – One of our friends from the area recommended this trail if we only had time for one real hike (which we did) and it was one of my favorite under 6 mile trails I’ve ever done. The scenery throughout is dynamic as you are climbing around a lake. The subtle changing into fall colors definitely added to this. But the view at the top is really what makes this trail special. You can see peaks for miles. Make sure you go counterclockwise on trail to get the best views throughout. It does make for a very steep descent but it is worth it!
• Other hikes worth checking out (and we did) were Ross Dam Trail (short and sweet but gives you a good view of the lake below), Gorge Creek Falls and Washington Pass Overlook (quick look out).
• Lake Chelan wine tasting! Washington State has some great wine growing regions and we made it to two tasting rooms for some taste testing. The wines were great, but the views across the lakes were even better.
• Leavenworth. So I have another friend from Washington and so I know this little town gets a bad rap as being cheesy and touristy. It is both, but that is part of the charm! It is a small but true to the style of a German village. The shops are fun and the backdrop against the greenery of Washington makes this a fun little gem. Plus, I think we had the best meal of the trip here at Larch. Definitely worth getting a reservation at if you can!

Tips about this area/Changes to this Itinerary: