Pacific Northwest National Parks: Olympic, Mount Rainier and Crater Lake

1. Day 1: Arrive in Seattle

   Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to your hotel in central Seattle, then Pike Place Market

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Seattle
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), about 25 km south of downtown. We meet arrivals at set times through the day and drive you to a central hotel; the pick-up windows come with your final itinerary. At about 4 pm your See Sight Tours guide walks anyone who has arrived down to Pike Place Market, which has run above the waterfront since 1907: the fish stalls, the craft and glass sellers on the lower levels, and the viewpoints over Elliott Bay, where the ferries cross toward the Olympic Mountains you will reach tomorrow. At about 6 pm the whole group meets at the hotel for a short briefing on the week: how the days are paced, why some mornings start early, and what to pack for rain in the Hoh and cold mornings at altitude. Then we walk to a welcome dinner nearby, with salmon and other Pacific Northwest food on the menu. Seattle gets one night on this trip; for more of the city, book extra nights before the trip starts and we will suggest where to stay.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
   • Walk through Pike Place Market and down to the waterfront with your guide
   • Welcome briefing
   • Welcome dinner in Seattle

   Free time: Free until the afternoon walk

   Activity: Land by about 2 pm to join the market walk; the briefing and dinner are at about 6 pm.

   

2. Day 2: Across Puget Sound to Hurricane Ridge

   Seattle to Bainbridge Island by ferry, then Port Angeles and Hurricane Ridge

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Port Angeles
   Day 2 details

   After breakfast we board the Washington State ferry at Colman Dock for the 35-minute crossing to Bainbridge Island, with the Seattle skyline behind and, on a clear day, Mount Rainier to the south, where we sleep on nights four and five. From the island we drive about an hour and three quarters over the Hood Canal Bridge and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Port Angeles, the gateway to Olympic National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunch is on your own in town. In the afternoon, when the morning cloud has often lifted, we climb about 27 km to Hurricane Ridge at around 1,600 m. The view runs across a deep valley to the glaciers of Mount Olympus and the Bailey Range, and the meadows below the road hold black-tailed deer and Olympic marmots, found nowhere else. We walk the meadow paths together before heading back down. The evening is free in Port Angeles, on the water.

   Included

   • Seattle to Bainbridge Island ferry across Puget Sound
   • Olympic National Park entry
   • Hurricane Ridge viewpoints and meadow walks with your guide

   Easier option: Stay on the flat meadow paths near the Hurricane Ridge parking area, about 1 km in all.

   More active option: If the road beyond the parking area has reopened, walk the paved Hurricane Hill trail, about 5 km return with about 200 m of climbing. If it is closed, your guide leads a longer loop on the ridge paths instead.

   Free time: Evening free in Port Angeles

   Activity: Hurricane Ridge can be cold and windy even in summer, and only basic facilities are open at the top since the day lodge burned in 2023. We carry water in the van.

3. Day 3: The Hoh Rain Forest and Ruby Beach

   Port Angeles to Lake Crescent and the Hoh Rain Forest, then Ruby Beach, Kalaloch and Lake Quinault

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Lake Quinault
   Day 3 details

   We leave Port Angeles at 7 am, with a short stop by the deep blue water of Lake Crescent, and reach the Hoh Rain Forest entrance at about 9:15, ahead of the queue that builds at its single gate in summer. The Hoh gets several metres of rain a year: Sitka spruce and western hemlock rise from fallen nurse logs, and bigleaf maples hang with curtains of moss. We walk the Hall of Mosses and the Spruce Nature Trail with your guide, watching for Roosevelt elk in the river valley. Then it is under an hour down to the coast. At Ruby Beach a short, steep path drops through the trees to sea stacks and piles of bleached driftwood, and we picnic near Kalaloch. The last leg to Lake Quinault is about 45 minutes, so the day's four hours of driving come in pieces of two hours or less. Dinner at the lake is included, since there are few places to eat out here.

   Included

   • Lake Crescent
   • Hoh Rain Forest: the Hall of Mosses and the Spruce Nature Trail with your guide
   • Ruby Beach
   • Picnic lunch on the Olympic coast near Kalaloch
   • Dinner at Lake Quinault

   Easier option: Walk only the Hall of Mosses, a flat loop of about 1.3 km, and watch the waves from the top of the Ruby Beach path.

   More active option: Walk out along the Hoh River Trail for about 3 km and back while the group finishes the nature trails.

   Free time: Evening by the lake

   Activity: About 5 km on foot, on flat forest trails and soft sand. The 7 am start is what gets us into the Hoh before the queue; ask for a boxed breakfast if you would rather eat in the van.

4. Day 4: From the rainforest to Mount Rainier

   Lake Quinault to Aberdeen and Olympia, then US 12 to Packwood below Mount Rainier

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Packwood
   Day 4 details

   Start with a short walk on the Quinault Rain Forest Nature Trail at about 8 am, while the forest by the lake is still quiet, and leave at 9. This is a travel day of about four hours on the road, in two halves. The first runs about two hours past Aberdeen and along the southern edge of Puget Sound to Olympia, Washington's state capital, where we stop for a sit-down lunch and a look at the domed Capitol on its hill above the water. The second follows I-5 south, then turns east on US 12 up the Cowlitz River valley, through farmland and forest to Packwood, a small mountain town just outside the southeast corner of Mount Rainier National Park, our base for two nights. On a clear afternoon the mountain shows itself above the trees as we near town. We arrive by about 3:30 pm, with the rest of the day free. Packwood has a few cafes and a general store; your guide can point you to the river for an evening walk.

   Included

   • Quinault Rain Forest Nature Trail
   • Sit-down lunch in Olympia
   • Washington State Capitol grounds

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Packwood

   Activity: A light walking day: about 2 km on the morning nature trail and a short stroll in Olympia.

5. Day 5: Sunrise, the high side of Mount Rainier

   Packwood over Cayuse Pass to Tipsoo Lake and Sunrise, then back to Packwood

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Packwood
   Day 5 details

   We leave at 7:30 am, earlier than most days, because the Sunrise car park fills by late morning in summer and the mountain is often clearest early. The road climbs over Cayuse Pass and up a long series of bends to Sunrise, at about 1,950 m the highest point in the park you can reach by road. We arrive at about 8:45. From here Mount Rainier, 4,392 m, fills the view, with the Emmons Glacier, the largest by area in the lower 48 states, pouring down its northeast face. Your guide leads the short walk to Emmons Vista and then up onto Sourdough Ridge, with Mount Baker and Glacier Peak far to the north on a clear day. Hoary marmots whistle from the rocks. We picnic at Sunrise, then drive back by Tipsoo Lake at Chinook Pass, where the mountain reflects in still water, and reach Packwood by about 2:30 pm for a free afternoon. If Sunrise Road is closed by snow or wildfire, we walk the Naches Peak Loop at Tipsoo Lake and start on Paradise instead.

   Included

   • Mount Rainier National Park entry
   • Sunrise: Emmons Vista and Sourdough Ridge with your guide
   • Picnic lunch at Sunrise
   • Tipsoo Lake at Chinook Pass

   Easier option: Walk only the short paths to Emmons Vista and around the Sunrise meadow, about 2 km on gentle ground.

   More active option: Hike on from Sourdough Ridge to Frozen Lake and the Mount Fremont fire lookout, about 9 km return with about 300 m of climbing, at altitude.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Packwood

   Activity: About 3 to 9 km on foot, at about 1,950 to 2,200 m; the thin air makes climbs feel harder. Snow can lie on the higher trails into July. Sunrise Road has no fixed opening date and can close for wildfire; we confirm it before departure.

6. Day 6: Paradise meadows, then south to Portland

   Packwood to Stevens Canyon, Reflection Lakes and Paradise, then Ashford, Morton and I-5 to Portland

   • Drive about 4.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Portland
   Day 6 details

   We leave at 7:45 am up Stevens Canyon Road, stopping at Reflection Lakes, and reach Paradise, at about 1,650 m on Mount Rainier's south slope, by about 8:45, before the late-morning rush. From late July to mid-August its meadows are thick with lupine, paintbrush and avalanche lilies. Your guide leads the walk up the Skyline Trail to Myrtle Falls and the meadow loops above it, and lunch is at Paradise before we leave at about 1 pm. This is one of the two longest days, about four and a half hours on the road, half an hour over our usual cap, because Rainier and Portland sit far apart and there is no good place to sleep between them. We break it into legs: about an hour down past Longmire and Ashford to Morton, a coffee stop, two hours on I-5, a last half hour into Portland by about 5 pm. The evening is free in the city.

   Included

   • Reflection Lakes
   • Paradise: Skyline Trail to Myrtle Falls and the meadow loops with your guide
   • Lunch at Paradise

   Easier option: Walk the paved path to Myrtle Falls and back, about 1.6 km, and take the Nisqually Vista loop for the view of the glacier.

   More active option: Climb the Skyline Trail to Panorama Point, about 6.5 km return with about 400 m of climbing, for the view south to Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens; the full Skyline loop does not fit before lunch.

   Free time: Evening free in Portland

   Activity: About 2 to 7 km on foot at about 1,650 to 2,080 m, on paved and stepped trails. Stay on the paths: the meadows are fragile.

   

7. Day 7: Over Willamette Pass to Crater Lake

   Portland to Eugene, then OR 58 over Willamette Pass to Salt Creek Falls, then US 97 and the north entrance to Crater Lake

   • Drive about 5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Crater Lake
   Day 7 details

   We leave Portland at 8 am for the longest day of the trip, about five hours on the road. It is the price of reaching Crater Lake from the north in one go; a night halfway would cost the trip a day in the parks. We break it into three legs. About two hours down the Willamette Valley on I-5 bring us to a coffee stop at Eugene. Then an hour and a quarter up OR 58 into the Cascades to Salt Creek Falls, which drops about 87 m into a basalt gorge a short walk from the car park, and we picnic there. The last leg, about an hour and three quarters, crosses Willamette Pass and runs south on US 97 and OR 138 to the park's north entrance and the rim, which we reach at about 2:45 pm. Crater Lake fills the caldera left when Mount Mazama collapsed about 7,700 years ago; at about 594 m it is the deepest lake in the United States. We drive the west rim viewpoints, and after dinner anyone who wants it climbs Watchman Peak for sunset.

   Included

   • Salt Creek Falls
   • Picnic lunch at Salt Creek Falls
   • Crater Lake National Park entry
   • West Rim Drive viewpoints with your guide
   • Dinner at Crater Lake

   Easier option: Watch the sunset from the rim near the lodge instead of climbing Watchman Peak.

   More active option: Climb the Watchman Peak trail at sunset, about 2.6 km return with about 130 m of climbing, to the fire lookout above the lake and Wizard Island.

   Free time: Late afternoon on the rim

   Activity: Light walking until the optional Watchman Peak climb. The rim is at about 2,150 m and evenings are cold; bring a warm layer and a torch for the walk down after sunset.

8. Day 8: Cleetwood Cove, then Bend

   Crater Lake East Rim Drive to the Cleetwood Cove trail, then OR 138 and US 97 to Bend and Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM)

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   Day 8 details

   After an early breakfast we drive the east side of Rim Drive, stopping above Phantom Ship, a small island of old lava that looks like a ship under sail, and reach the Cleetwood Cove trailhead at about 9 am, before the heat and the queue for the boats. The trail is the only way down to the water: about 1.8 km of switchbacks dropping some 210 m to a rocky shore where the lake is clear to a great depth and very cold. Swimming is allowed, for the brave. The climb back up takes most walkers 45 minutes to an hour. We leave the park by the north entrance at about 11:30 and drive about two hours through the pine and lava country of Central Oregon to Bend, on the Deschutes River, for a farewell lunch. Then we drive up Pilot Butte, a cinder cone in town, for a last look at the Cascades, and reach Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) at about 3:30 pm. Book a flight leaving after about 5:30 pm.

   Included

   • East Rim Drive and Phantom Ship Overlook
   • Cleetwood Cove trail to the lake shore with your guide
   • Farewell lunch in Bend
   • Pilot Butte viewpoint
   • Drop-off at Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM) or a hotel in Bend

   Optional experiences

   • Crater Lake boat tour from Cleetwood Cove, when it runs, if the timing fits

   Easier option: Stay at the top of the Cleetwood Cove trail and walk a short way down for the view, or wait at a rim viewpoint while the group walks down.

   More active option: Walk the full Cleetwood Cove trail down to the shore and back, about 3.6 km with about 210 m of steep climbing on the return.

   Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 5:30 pm. The Cleetwood Cove trail is steep, with benches on the way up; it has closed for rebuilding in recent seasons, and if it is shut on your dates we walk the Garfield Peak trail from the rim instead.

   

Wildlife and weather: July to September is the driest stretch. Seattle and Portland are often in the mid-20s C, the Olympic coast stays near 15 to 18 C and is often foggy in the morning, and the high ground at Sunrise, Paradise and Crater Lake is cool, with cold mornings. Paradise meadows flower from about late July to mid-August, and Sunrise a little later. Look for Olympic marmots and black-tailed deer at Hurricane Ridge, Roosevelt elk in the Hoh, hoary marmots and mountain goats on Rainier's high slopes, and Clark's nutcrackers on Crater Lake's rim.

• Seattle1 night
• Port Angeles1 night
• Lake Quinault1 night
• Packwood2 nights
• Portland1 night
• Crater Lake1 night