We are in Seattle for a wedding in August. H wants to visit both Rainier and Olympic national parks while we are there. It is a short trip - so we will only have two days before the wedding and two days after the wedding (includes travel time, so technically just one night at each park).
I currently have planned to head out Thursday to Rainier. We will do the Sunrise section, stay in Packwood for the night (I know I have to get a vehicle reservation for this). Do the Paradise section the next day before heading back to the Newcastle area for the wedding.
Sunday/Monday after the wedding is for Olympic National Park. We are thinking of taking the red eye flight back home on Monday night.
Is it best to take the ferry to Bainbridge island and then drive from there to Port Angeles? Stay the night in Port Angeles? I think we would want to visit Hurricane Ridge and maybe the waterfalls/rainforest area.
How will traffic be heading back Monday to the airport? Try the ferry again or just drive through Tacoma? What time would you suggest heading out on Monday?
It might have been better to do Rainier on Sunday/Monday but we are with friends who want to do Rainier too and they can only do Thursday/Friday.
When we went to Olympic we drove through Tacoma because we didn’t want to deal with ferries. Just know that the rainforest is quite a drive from Port Angeles. You can easily do Crescent Lake and many waterfalls in one day. There are good tide pools at some of the beaches near Forks, which is a little closer than the rainforest.
Before you go to the Hoh rainforest, check if the road has been repaired. It was washed out earlier in the year,
and the timing of the repairs was uncertain.
Just did a day and 1/2 at Olympic. Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent were doable in that time frame (including some waterfalls). The Hoh rainforest was just too far to get in. It was fantastic. We stayed overnight at Lake Crescent lodge.
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As a potential alternative, I highly recommend looking into visiting Whidbey island and Deception Pass.
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Yes, I was on a limited internet connection and couldn’t look it up. Thanks for the update- I just saw that the state has paid for the repairs. Not going to say anything further.
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You are very ambitious- August at both national parks is peak season.
The roads around the northern part of ONP and forest and peninsula have been undergoing work for culvert removal and replacement. I highly recommend looking at the Washington state DOT website and/or app for what is planned in the area as well as the Parks Service website as you get closer.
Hurricane Ridge had a fire in 2023 which destroyed the day lodge. While it’s absolutely beautiful up there, the facilities are meager. Lines to get in were very long back before the fire, but I don’t know how they are now or how they’ll be later in the summer. Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge rebuild is at an impasse 2 years after fire | The Seattle Times
We always take the Edmonds/Kingston ferry because we’re going to our place on the canal and we live north, but Bainbridge (Winslow) works, too. The DOT app will tell you what kind of a wait there is for the boats; it can be 2-3 hours on sunny or summer weekends. You will have to go over the Hood Canal Bridge in either case and the DOT site/app will tell you about bridge openings (read: delays) for marine traffic.
You have to plan for a lot of traffic. I’d add at least an hour for whatever you think is the worst case.
Even with a reservation for Mt Rainier, allow for traffic and lines. You will be driving slowly.
My daughter drove around - 101 to Olympia and then I5 North through Tacoma to Seattle - on Monday evening. What should have been 2.5 hours took 3.5 because of an accident. The area around Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) will be jammed morning and afternoon, then more around the Tacoma Dome. I would not recommend taking the route over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge because of windy roads and non-highway conditions.
Look at Via Michelin for routes and times to plan. I also suggest the Olympic National Park and Mount Rainier NP forums on Trip Advisor. There are some area experts who can give you local knowledge and advice.
It’s beautiful, it’s gorgeous, it’s a dream. I count my lucky stars that I live here. I’m also realistic about what’s possible and pack a lot of patience when I drive distances.
One last note: if you’re driving and looking at the scenery, pull off to the side of the road so other cars can go around you.
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Thanks for all the responses.
Yes, this is very ambitious and we’ll only be seeing a small portion of each park. A lot of driving but this is what H wants to do. So, I am trying to plan this the best way we possibly can.
Any recommendations for places to stay in Port Angeles? Or Packwood for Mt Rainier?