Fall Break in the Pacific Northwest

We continued our focus on national parks, taking our week of fall break this year to check out three parks in Washington State. We did it a little differently this time, taking off Friday evening after the boys got out of school. This was partially due to flight schedules, and partially to help us get an extra day on the ground.

Part 1: Mount Rainier

First up was Mount Rainier. After arriving an additional hour late at SeaTac International on Friday night, we drove to our cabin in Ashford, WA, at the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. Despite getting to the cabin after midnight, we pushed ourselves to get up early and have a full day in the park. It didn’t go quite as we planned.

We decided to make our first stop at Reflection Lake. We were on the road by about 8:30 but it still took over an hour due to the excess Saturday traffic going into the park. Luckily, we manged to hit the lakes at a time when the crowds were relatively small, the mountain was in full view, and the wind was calm enough to allow a pretty good reflection.

We continued exploring along Stevens Creek road to the eastern entrance of the park. Along the way we were treated to numerous dramatic views of Mt Rainier with some very nice fall colors mixed in. The cloud cap above the mountain added a unique bit of interest to the views. After a picnic lunch along Stevens Creek road, we headed up to Paradise to hike the main trails around the visitor center.

First we hiked along the Skyline Trail up to Glacier View and on to Panoramic Point, where we decided to turn around rather than continuing the loop. Along the way, we hiked past Atlas Peak, where we came across some grouse and deer along the trail. Before leaving the trail system, we turned left to complete the walk over to Myrtle Falls. At that point, we decided we had to hit a couple of more falls before leaving the park. We viewed Narada Falls and Christine Falls in the twilight.

There is plenty of scenery in the Mount Rainer park, especially on a crisp fall day, but we would recommend avoiding weekends if at all possible! The traffic was a challenge, and the crowds of people tramping off trail in search of the perfect selfie even made the local news.

Part 2: Olympic & Forks

After a much-needed night’s rest, we headed west for Olympic national park. We did a brief driving tour around Lake Quinault before heading to the coast and the southern Olympic beaches. The first few are simply named “Beach 1/2/3/4”, before hitting Ruby Beach. They each had their unique charm, but it was the tide pools at Beach 4 that captured our attention the longest.

We spent two nights in Forks, which is now known as the setting for the “Twilight” novels. While much of the movies were filmed in Oregon, it was still a treat for Evan to check out the town.

That first morning in Forks, the traditional Pacific Northwest October set in. The rain was pouring down, so naturally we decided to check out the Hoh Rain Forest. It was really cool in the rain, though we cut our visit short after the Hall of Mosses trail since we were actually worried about soaking through our rain gear.

From there, we drove up the coast to Cape Flattery, the northwestern-most point of the continental US. It was a relatively slow and long drive, but it was worth the effort. The views from the trail are simply awesome, especially once the clouds broke up. After Cape Flattery, we tried to hike to Shi-Shi beach. This trail takes you through some fantastic coastal forest, once again lined with moss-covered trees.

Unfortunately, the morning rains had completely saturated the trails. We picked our way through about a mile of mud before we admitted defeat maddeningly close to the beach. We were less then a quarter mile away before turning back. As disappointing as that was, the trail itself was well worth the visit. We headed back to our rental house in Forks to dry out and get ready for the next leg of our adventure.

Part 3: Olympic & Port Angeles

The next day we were back on the road, headed to the northern side of Olympic, but first, we just had to take the side trip out to the coast toward the town of La Push, another well-known Twilight scene. We stopped at “First Beach”, where the high tide and misty conditions swamped any photo opportunities. We pressed on to Rialto Beach, well known for its famous sea stacks. A pounding surf combined with the high tide to prevent us from hiking down the beach, but we enjoyed watching the waves roll in (and roll a few tourists that weren’t watching for the incoming tide).

Then we headed back inland to the Sol Duc river and waterfall. This hike was absolutely gorgeous. The overcast morning light seemed to make the forest glow, and the triple falls into the ravine below were stunning. Lara and Evan couldn’t help but join in the photography. There was so much to see.

Our final hike of the day was from the Storm King visitor center on Lake Crescent to see Marymere Falls. The trail was pretty, if not quite as interesting as Sol Duc. Still, the falls is worth the ~1 mile hike. We added another mile or so up the Barnes Creek trail before heading back to the car and on to our next rental house at Port Angeles.

It took us a bit of sleuthing to find our house, as both Google and Apple maps overlooked the long driveway and sent us on a wild goose chase down a narrow road. When we finally found the house, we were simply stunned by the view. From the back deck, we could see the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with a clear shot to the mountains on the Canadian side. Since we arrived just before sunset, we were rewarded with a beautiful light display.

In the morning it was time to head up the hill to Hurricane Ridge. I was most excited about this leg, since it would be our best opportunity to see the grand peaks of the Olympics. We thought we had hit some good luck, as the rain that seemed to last all night broke just in time for morning. It was cold, but partly cloudy most of the drive up the hill. Unfortunately, by the time we made it to the top, the clouds had rolled in. It was beautiful, but it sure messed with the views. As we were to learn, that wasn’t all.

We decided to hike up Hurricane Hill, hoping the clouds would blow off. There were gaps that hinted at the true grandeur of this place, but just glimpses. There were other times when we were hiking in the clouds themselves, and the howling wind combined with the mist turning to snow made for some really cold hiking. We were reasonably prepared for bad weather, and so we pressed on to the top of the Hill, only to find it a complete white out.

Undeterred, we headed back to the parking lot to grab some lunch before taking on another hike. The clouds would roll through in waves about every 15-20 minutes. There was no end in sight. So, we buckled up and headed out for one more loop around an area called the High Ridge Trail. Again, we were teased with momentary views of incredible beauty, alternating with periods of 25 foot visibility. It was actually a great experience.

We saw enough that I’m ready to put Olympic in my top 5 national parks. That’s a tough call, but this place is truly magnificent. I can’t wait to come back and spend more time, hopefully deep in the wilderness with a backpack. For now, it’s on to North Cascades.

Part 4: Whidby Island and North Cascades

Thursday morning we packed up from a wonderful stay in Port Angeles and drove to Port Townsend to ride the Ferry to Whidby Island on our way to Marblemount and the North Cascades. The ferry ride itself was pleasant, if unremarkable. Lara and I couldn’t help but experience flashbacks to “An Officer and a Gentlemen” with the views as we departed Port Townsend.

We stretched out our time on Whidby Island, exploring the shore guns and lighthouse at Fort Casey, before sitting down for an excellent lunch in Coupeville. Then we stopped at Deception Pass to walk out onto the famous bridge, and back down to the beach for some scenery. While there, a harbor seal was swimming just off shore and seemed to be surfacing just to say hello.

We dropped off our bags at the rental house in Marblemount, and raced into the park to see what we could see before night fell. It was quite dark before we stepped out at the first viewpoint, but we still got a sneak peak into some amazing scenery.

The next morning we tried to get into the park early to beat the weather that was predicted to hit in the afternoon. There were low clouds and mist hanging all over the valley, which limited visibility but created some dramatic scenery. Our first hike was to Thunder Knob, with views over both Diablo and Ross Lakes. We caught some awesome views of the surrounding mountains on the way up. By the time we started down, the clouds were soaking the valley.

We stopped for lunch at the Diablo Lake overlook, and then headed for Happy Creek to hike up to the waterfall. The hike seemed gentle enough, starting along an easy boardwalk, then following along the road for a mile or so before heading straight up the hill. We followed several steep switchbacks to climb up to the top of the ridge and finally reaching the falls. It was raining lightly through the entire walk, and we were glad we had our rain gear.

The weather continued to worsen throughout the afternoon, to the point where visibility was nil. We took a walk around the Gorge Power Station before calling it a day and heading back to Marblemount for some hot cocoa and dinner. I’d like to try the Cascades again when the weather is better. It’s obviously a beautiful area, and we were barely able to scratch the surface.

Part 5: Seattle

Saturday morning was time to say goodbye to national parks and rental houses and head back to the real world. We woke up to more rain and thick, gray cloud cover that quickly doused any thought of one more trip into Cascades. We made our way to Seattle and decided to show the boys the usual tourist spots.

The first stop was the Chittendam Fish Ladder and the Ballard Locks. It was too late in the season for any Salmon to be making their way up the ladder, but we could show the boys how the engineers solved the problem of a dam and ship locks blocking the fish’s return to their spawning grounds. While we were there, several boats were going up and down stream through the locks, giving us a chance to see them in operation. It’s simple enough, but you still have to be awed be the engineering.

Then it was off for a walk around the Space Needle and sculpture gardens around the base. We opted to not spend the $34 per person for an elevator ride up the tower. Of course, we had to stop by Pike Place Market. The place was crawling with tourists on a Saturday morning. So much so that the fish market resorted to letting tourists take a shot at catching fish rather than conducting business.As a final stop, we had to drive by Lumen Field so Alex could see where the Seahawks play. Don’t ask me why, but just seeing the stadiums in different towns has become a big thing for him.

Finally, we were on our way to the airport for our evening flight home. We all had a great trip. The boys once again admitted they liked the hikes around the parks, despite their objections heading into the trip. The weather was about what we expected. We learned that the Hurricane Ridge road and several roads in Mount Rainier had been closed for several days due to snow shortly after we left those parks. Our timing was pretty lucky. I’d like to see Olympic and Cascades earlier in the fall, when maybe there isn’t quite so much rain, but I have to admit it seemed fitting for the Pacific Northwest.