Northwest road trip help

[GusGus77]

I am hoping some of you are familiar with the Northwest and like to help others plan! We are going on a several week road trip in June and I am really struggling with the Northwest portion. My knowledge of the area or even the basic geography is causing problems. So here is the challenge- We have six full days and one half day to go from Redwood National Park to Glacier National Park. (So we will spend a few hours at the Redwoods in the morning and then depart. Leave Redwoods late Wednesday morning and arrive near Olympic National Park/Whitefish, MT Tuesday evening.)

In between those places we want to visit the following:
1. Somewhere in Oregon (thinking Crater Lake, but open)
2. Mount St Helens
3. Olympic National Park
4. Mt Ranier National Park
5. Seattle (but seriously only for like 2hrs- we want to go to Pike’s Place, grab a cup of coffee, see the Space Needle from a distance, and be on our way.)
6. Somewhere in Idaho (enough to say we have been there. So seriously, a 30 minute stop somewhere is sufficient. It has to be more than getting gas, though, for it to “count.”

So how would you do it day/time wise? I threw something together on paper, but not knowing the area at all, I just don’t know if it’s feasible and I don’t know the best routes or order of locations, etc. Many hours of research online just have my head spinning...so trip planners help!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Leave Redwoods late Wednesday morning and arrive near Olympic National Park/Whitefish, MT Tuesday evening.)

Are traveling back in time?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

In between those places we want to visit the following:
1. Somewhere in Oregon (thinking Crater Lake, but open)
2. Mount St Helens
3. Olympic National Park
4. Mt Ranier National Park
5. Seattle (but seriously only for like 2hrs- we want to go to Pike’s Place, grab a cup of coffee, see the Space Needle from a distance, and be on our way.)
6. Somewhere in Idaho (enough to say we have been there. So seriously, a 30 minute stop somewhere is sufficient. It has to be more than getting gas, though, for it to “count.”

This could be helpful:
https://wanderlustphotosblog.com/2019/01/21/epic-national-parks-road-trips-pacific-northwest-road-trip/

 

[Diznotyzed]

Hi there, I live in Portland and hope you have a wonderful time. You'll be making tracks in that time frame and adding in Idaho will take up a lot of time that might be better spent enjoying the other locations a bit longer.

 

[SteveMouse]

You will need to consider the ferry schedule, transit time, and route from Olympic Nation Park to Seattle.

Olympic National Park is very large. It’s a good idea to have a lodging reservation in place well before travel as there are not a lot of options. There are almost no chain hotels in the general area of the park.

 

[bcla]

Are traveling back in time?

That's 6 days.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

That's 6 days.

I figured that out, but it's written "we're leaving Wednesday and arriving Tuesday", so it looked a little funny.

 

[GusGus77]

Are traveling back in time?

no- leaving Wednesday and arriving the following Tuesday- six days later.

 

[GusGus77]

Hi there, I live in Portland and hope you have a wonderful time. You'll be making tracks in that time frame and adding in Idaho will take up a lot of time that might be better spent enjoying the other locations a bit longer.

But won’t we have to drive through Idaho to get to Montana from Washington? We really don’t need to spend time there. Stopping for an hour in the state is good enough.

 

[GusGus77]

You will need to consider the ferry schedule, transit time, and route from Olympic Nation Park to Seattle.

Olympic National Park is very large. It’s a good idea to have a lodging reservation in place well before travel as there are not a lot of options. There are almost no chain hotels in the general area of the park.

We will definitely have lodging booked before we go. I am trying to figure out this part of the trip so I can figure out where to stay and book it. We obviously won’t be seeing all of Olympic National Park. (I know it is big, but know nothing else.)

I honestly don’t know anything about the route and Washington more than the directions Google maps gives me. That is why I am hoping someone from the area could give me suggestions of a schedule and such. I am really clueless and out of my element here. For example, I did not know we would need to take a ferry. I am from Illinois and have never been in that part of the country and honestly am quite ignorant about it.

 

[GusGus77]

This could be helpful:
https://wanderlustphotosblog.com/2019/01/21/epic-national-parks-road-trips-pacific-northwest-road-trip/

Thank you! That is very helpful!

 

[Diznotyzed]

But won’t we have to drive through Idaho to get to Montana from Washington? We really don’t need to spend time there. Stopping for an hour in the state is good enough.

Sorry, misunderstood the part about Olympic National Park (WA) and Whitefish Montana. That just seems like a lot of time in the car overall to me.

 

[GusGus77]

Thank you! That is very helpful!

So this has one day at Mt Ranier and one day at Olympic. (We would probably skip North Cascades due to time.) For those in the know, Would 1 day be enough to scratch the surface so to speak? We know we won’t be able to fully explore them.

 

[GusGus77]

Here was my initial uneducated thought....

Day 1: Leaved Redwoods late morning
Drive to Crater Lake National Park and
spend 2 hrs.
Drive somewhere in the direction of
Mount St Helens and overnight

Day 2: Finish drive to Mt St. Helens
Visit Mt St Helens
Overnight in the direction of
Olympic National Park

Day 3: Visit Olympic National Park
Stay nearby ONP

Day 4: Partial Day at Olympic NP
Drive to Seattle
Overnight outside Seattle

Day 5: Seattle in am (Pikes Market)
Drive to Mt Ranier
Spend an hour or two at Mt
Ranier
Overnight nearby

Day 6: Explore Mt Ranier
Overnight nearby

Day 7: Drive to Whitefish, MT
Pass through Idaho and stop
somewhere for an hour there.

 

[BethID]

Crater Lake is a great place to go. Be prepared for snow in June. We went a few years ago in late June and it snowed 3-4 inches. It was also so foggy we didn't even see the lake! We stayed at Crater Lake Lodge for the view, but there was none to be had.

Make sure you go to the Mt St Helens Visitor's Center. When we did a trip of the western Washington, we spent about 4 or 5 hours there total. Make sure to go to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. It was well worth the admission price. Of course, I was about 10 or 11 when Mt St Helens erupted and it was so interesting to have everything explained.

We spent 3 days in Olympic National Park. We stayed at Lake Crescent Lodge. I really enjoyed hiking Hurricane Ridge and would recommend that if you just wanted to go there for a quick visit.

Mt Ranier is my second favorite national park after Glacier. There is so much to see and do. We usually stay at the Paradise Inn and do lots of hiking. Make sure to do the drive to the Sunrise area and hike if you have time.

Be prepared to spend lots of time in traffic in Seattle. It is truly awful. Even though you want to plan a couple of hours there, you will end up using an entire day. We were once downtown at rush hour and tried to make it to the freeway. We went one mile in an hour. You might look into parking in one of the outlying areas and taking the light rail into the area. It is at least something to look into.

Stop in Coeur d'Alene for your Idaho stop. It is about 4-5 hours from Seattle. Go down to the lake and look around. Grab lunch. I live here and it is a beautiful. It is on your way to Whitefish. We are where I-90 and US-95 meet. You can head to Whitefish on either highway. We are about 5 hours from Whitefish. We usually go to Glacier one way and then the other way back home.

You would be able to stop at each spot, but you are going to be spending a lot of time in the car. Are you really going to want to do that? Having to been to all those locations, I would miss Olympic National Park and Seattle and spend more time at Crater Lake, Mt St Helens and Mt Ranier. But it really depends on what your goals are.

PS-Are you aware you will now need reservations to use the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier? This is something new. I don't know a lot of details, but saw something in the paper about it.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I know you only want to stop in Idaho, but I highly suggest you make it overnight in Coeur d’Alene. If you’re really against that, make it your stop Idaho in the very least.

 

[Diaz]

I’ve been to Olympic and Glacier. I’m going to suggest you adjust your itinerary to spend more time at fewer places. It sounds like a lot of time in the car, and limited time actually in the parks. Best Wishes!

 

[GusGus77]

Crater Lake is a great place to go. Be prepared for snow in June. We went a few years ago in late June and it snowed 3-4 inches. It was also so foggy we didn't even see the lake! We stayed at Crater Lake Lodge for the view, but there was none to be had.

Make sure you go to the Mt St Helens Visitor's Center. When we did a trip of the western Washington, we spent about 4 or 5 hours there total. Make sure to go to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. It was well worth the admission price. Of course, I was about 10 or 11 when Mt St Helens erupted and it was so interesting to have everything explained.

We spent 3 days in Olympic National Park. We stayed at Lake Crescent Lodge. I really enjoyed hiking Hurricane Ridge and would recommend that if you just wanted to go there for a quick visit.

Mt Ranier is my second favorite national park after Glacier. There is so much to see and do. We usually stay at the Paradise Inn and do lots of hiking. Make sure to do the drive to the Sunrise area and hike if you have time.

Be prepared to spend lots of time in traffic in Seattle. It is truly awful. Even though you want to plan a couple of hours there, you will end up using an entire day. We were once downtown at rush hour and tried to make it to the freeway. We went one mile in an hour. You might look into parking in one of the outlying areas and taking the light rail into the area. It is at least something to look into.

Stop in Coeur d'Alene for your Idaho stop. It is about 4-5 hours from Seattle. Go down to the lake and look around. Grab lunch. I live here and it is a beautiful. It is on your way to Whitefish. We are where I-90 and US-95 meet. You can head to Whitefish on either highway. We are about 5 hours from Whitefish. We usually go to Glacier one way and then the other way back home.

You would be able to stop at each spot, but you are going to be spending a lot of time in the car. Are you really going to want to do that? Having to been to all those locations, I would miss Olympic National Park and Seattle and spend more time at Crater Lake, Mt St Helens and Mt Ranier. But it really depends on what your goals are.

PS-Are you aware you will now need reservations to use the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier? This is something new. I don't know a lot of details, but saw something in the paper about it.

Yes, I read about the Going to the Sun Road. Thanks for checking! Any tips for two days at Glacier?

 

[bcla]

First - I'm pretty sure you meant getting to Glacier National Park?

You're not going to be able to manage everything unless you just want to say that you drove through them stressed for time without doing anything. My wife and I went on a trip where we did 1 through 5, but not necessarily in that order. Ours was:

1) 2 nights at Crater Lake camping.
2) 1 night in Olympia.
3) 1 night at Kalaloch Campground at Olympic NP (the ocean portion)
4) 2 nights at Sequim, although along the route we visited the Hoh Rainforest, Sol Duc Hot Springs, and Hurricane Ridge at Olympic NP. Took the ferry to Seattle from Bainbridge Island.
5) 3 nights in the Seattle area staying with my brother in law. Did a bunch of things there including visiting Pike Place Market.
6) 2 nights at Mt Rainier National Park camping. Spent time hiking around Paradise and the next day at Sunrise. Did a quick trip to Mt St Helens (Johnston Ridge Observatory) before heading to Portland.
7) 2 nights in Portland. Did a bunch of things there including Multnomah Falls and dinner at McMenamins Edgefield.
8) 1 night in Medford. No real reason other than it was a convenient.
9) Going home to San Francisco Bay Area.

6 days is not going to be enough to do all that stuff you're looking to do. You're going to need to compromise a little bit. Crater Lake is a little bit out of the way. Olympic National Park is separated from Seattle by either a long detour or a ferry. I'd say maybe instead of Crater Lake, Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River Gorge. Olympic National Park is extremely varied. It depend if you're looking for rainforests or something else like mountains, lakes, or hot springs. There might be some spots closer to Olympia where you can say that you were there.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/crgnsa/recarea/?recid=30026​

Multnomah Falls is the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest with more than 2 million stopping by each year to take in the views! Fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain, the flow over the falls varies, but is usually highest during winter and spring. This is also one of the best places in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to study geology exposed by floods.​

How about this? It's just a sample, but I'm thinking what's realistic in regards to pace, time to eat, lodging, etc.

1) Wed morning - drive from Redwood NP area through Crater Lake NP and onto Portland (about 8 hours). I like Troutdale. I recommend the McMenamins Edgefield for lodging, which was the former Multnomah County Poor Farm. It's really kind of a unique experience with a lot of on-site breweries, wineries, restaurants, and other entertainment.
2) Thursday morning - go to Multnomah Falls for an hour (or previous day if you get there early enough) and then drive to Mt St Helens - Johnston Ridge Observatory (about 3 hours). From there drive to Olympia - the state capital of Washington (about 2 hours).
3) Friday and Saturday - Loop around Olympic National Park. Maybe Hoh Rainforest and/or Quinault Rainforest. Options include going to Sol Duc or stopping at Lake Crescent on the way to Port Angeles.
5) Sunday morning - Hurricane Ridge at Olympic NP. About 1 hour one way. Then you can drive back and take the ferry to Seattle. There are different options, but the Bainbridge Island to Seattle Ferry is closest to Pike Place Market. Maybe stay near Seattle or closer to Mt Rainier NP.
6) Monday morning - spend the day at Mt Rainier. Maybe a night in Yakima?
7) Tuesday morning - leave for Whitefish. This will be a long drive from Yakima to Whitefish.

Another important thing is to make sure you have enough fuel since that might be difficult to come by until you're in a town with a gas station. I don't know how much driving time you can take in a day. My preference is to take it easy, but you've got six days. I'd generally recommend a day in Portland and a day in Seattle.

 

[GusGus77]

Crater Lake is a great place to go. Be prepared for snow in June. We went a few years ago in late June and it snowed 3-4 inches. It was also so foggy we didn't even see the lake! We stayed at Crater Lake Lodge for the view, but there was none to be had.

Make sure you go to the Mt St Helens Visitor's Center. When we did a trip of the western Washington, we spent about 4 or 5 hours there total. Make sure to go to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. It was well worth the admission price. Of course, I was about 10 or 11 when Mt St Helens erupted and it was so interesting to have everything explained.

We spent 3 days in Olympic National Park. We stayed at Lake Crescent Lodge. I really enjoyed hiking Hurricane Ridge and would recommend that if you just wanted to go there for a quick visit.

Mt Ranier is my second favorite national park after Glacier. There is so much to see and do. We usually stay at the Paradise Inn and do lots of hiking. Make sure to do the drive to the Sunrise area and hike if you have time.

Be prepared to spend lots of time in traffic in Seattle. It is truly awful. Even though you want to plan a couple of hours there, you will end up using an entire day. We were once downtown at rush hour and tried to make it to the freeway. We went one mile in an hour. You might look into parking in one of the outlying areas and taking the light rail into the area. It is at least something to look into.

Maybe Seattle isn’t worth it and we can just see it in the distance and wave as we pass by