9 Things to Know About the Washington National Parks
Exploring the Washington National Parks is one of the most unique trips anyone can take. From lush rainforests to a 14,000-foot volcano to jagged peaks and alpine lakes, Washington’s landscape has it all.
It’s an incredible luxury to visit the Pacific Northwest and see these amazing places in person. Inside my mini-guide, you’ll learn tidbits about visiting and planning a trip, my favorite hikes, and where to stay.
Here’s to the most amazing trip that will likely spur future ones, too!
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Things to Know When Exploring the Washington National Parks
1. Visiting all three Washington National Parks in a single trip is tough
If you have a week to nine days in Washington, I would not recommend visiting all three Washington National Parks. I’d pick two and do that. But I would say that Mount Rainier needs to be one of them, and then you can choose what to do afterward.
Let’s say you do Rainier and Olympic; you can still do some really great hiking in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area, which may not technically be the North Cascades but offers surreal views otherwise.
2. Most people don’t step foot in North Cascades National Park
Fun fact: most people who visit actually only set foot in the Ross Lake National Recreation Complex and not the National Park. In 2023, less than 45,000 people visited the North Cascades NP, while some 880,000 people explored the Ross Lak area.
This is mostly semantics because you’re looking at peaks in the park. But the area is so rugged that the average tourist won’t want to nor can do much in the area.
3. Inexpensive Lodging can be hard to find in Olympic National Park
Many people may not realize that the Olympic Peninsula is sparsely populated and, because of that, doesn’t offer much lodging. This is partly due to it being cold and wet for much of the year, the US Government shoving native tribes into the far-reaching corners and offering no resources, and changing economic times where logging is not as prevalent as it once was.
It’s safe to say that not many people live out here, and those who do are not living a life of luxury. (But they do have epic views.)
This is all to say that there’s not a lot of lodging outside of Forks or Port Angeles, but if you’re okay camping, there’s a ton of it. If you don’t get a National Park campground, try HipCamp.
4. Summer starts in July
Overall, most visitors to Washington should not expect the epic hiking views to be accessible until June. For the Washington National Parks, it’s primarily fine because even though snow will still be lingering at higher elevations during June, the more popular locations in the NP’s will be accessible.
Olympic National Park is accessible year-round, and the south side of Rainier is usually accessible by June. However, the Sunrise Visitor Center does not open until the end of June because it is almost 7,000 feet in elevation.
If you want full freedom throughout the state, book a mid-July trip.
5. Avoid driving near Seattle during rush hour
Seattle traffic is terrible, especially during rush hour. If you’re going from one of the Washington National Parks to another, avoid driving on I-5 between the hours of 3-6pm. If you do, odds are you’ll be doing a lot of sitting and not much driving.
6. Mount Rainier might have timed entry permits during the summer (Unsure if this continues after 2024)
It is not certain that Mount Rainier will have timed entry permits in 2025 as it did in 2024. But I’d be pretty surprised if they changed anything. From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., you had to have a pass to visit during the heaviest visitation months, which helped keep the parking lots manageable.
And in all honestly, while slightly annoying, with how late our summer days are, you can do a heckuva lota from 3pm until 10pm.
7. Bring your bug spray
Once the snow melts and water lingers on the trail, the mosquitos can become quite bad. Depending on elevation, July and August are the worst months, though June can be bad at lower elevations. Make sure to have bug spray, long sleeves, and a bug net to keep your sanity!
8. Winter doesn’t affect Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is the only National Park that doesn’t see winter disruptions (for the most part). While some high-elevation hikes will get snowed in, most of the popular places, such as the coastal areas, waterfalls, and rain forests, are open year-round.
It’s far less crowded from October through April, making it a nice way to explore without throngs of people.
9. It’s some of the most beautiful landscapes you’ll ever see
Whatever Washington National Park you choose, it’s going to impress you and put a spell on you that will be hard to shake off. Since my first visit in 2017 and now that I live here, it is easily my favorite area to explore.
Yes, it’s primarily due to the hiking, but even just driving to places such as Artist Point near Baker or up to Mount Rainier will allow those who just wish to sightsee the chance to soak it all in.
Keep your camera and phone batteries charged, as you won’t be able to stop taking photos and videos as you explore the Washington National Parks!
Lodging Near the Washington National Parks
Once you leave the Seattle/Tacoma metro area, the lodging drops off, and you get into some rural areas without the infrastructure other national parks offer. Yes, there’s lodging, but it’s not overly numerous, and there’s no “big” town/city nearby.
Thankfully, there are plenty of campgrounds in the parks and in the area. If you can’t snag a public campground, you can always check out HipCamp. You can camp on people’s property around the national park boundaries. (I did it for Olympic near Lake Crescent and had a great experience.)
Another option is to use a Camper Van while traveling throughout the Washington National Parks. Companies like Escape Campervans, Moterra Campervans, or Outdoorsy can get you into a vehicle quickly and easily.
- Mount Rainier: Packwood, Ashford, Tacoma, Enumclaw
- Olympic: Port Angeles, Forks
- North Cascades: Mazama, Newhalem, Concrete, Sedro-Wooley
How Many Days Should You Spend in Washington?
I tell people to spend nine days exploring while only using five vacation days. (Fly in on a Saturday and leave the following Sunday.) This won’t let you see it all, but it’ll allow you to hit some beautiful places and feel that you weren’t too rushed throughout your trip.
In the end, there will always be more to experience on a future trip, but make sure you enjoy yourself and aren’t constantly in a go-go-go state.
My Favorite Hikes in Each Washington National Park
These trails have so many awesome places to hike that narrowing these down should be taken with a big grain of salt. If you want my full guides to these parks, you can view them here.
Olympic National Park Guide
North Cascades National Park Guide
Top Mount Rainier Hikes
Mount Rainier National Park
Burroughs Mountain Trail
While 90% of the hikers will head right on the trail to Fremont Lookout, ditch the crowds, and go left. This will take you up to Burroughs Mountain, which offers awesome views of Mount Rainier and the neverending layers of the Cascades looking to the north.
If you have the time, head to Third Burroughs. Depending on where you turn around, it should be about 10 miles round trip.
Hiking Gear
30L Backpack – Men’s & Women’s
Hiking Shoes
Hiking Poles
Sun Hoodies
Skyline Loop Trail
You’ll complete a loop from the Paradise Visitor Center with incredible views of Mount Rainier, wildflowers, surrounding peaks, glaciers, and other stunning sights. The loop is about 6.5 miles long and moderate to tough in difficulty.
Tolmie Peak Lookout
This hike is doable all summer and does not require a timed entry permit. Starting from Mowich Lake, it’s a 6-mile round-trip hike with 1500 feet of elevation gain. It’s perfect for a sunset hike as the sun’s glow will light up the face of Mount Rainer as it sets.
Olympic National Park
Shi Shi Beach
On the far upper left corner of Washington, Shi Shi Beach is known but not hugely popular as it’s a 5-7 hour drive from Seattle. The hike is pretty easy – albeit muddy – and dropped you down on a two-mile-long beach. The rock formations are wild, and you’ll get to choose your own adventure.
Hurricane Hill
You can choose to hike up to Hurricane Hill or hang out in the parking lot where the old visitor center used to be before it burned down. The views are epic and offer some of the most picturesque photo opportunities in the state.
Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rainforest
Inside the Hoh Rainforest is the popular 1-mile loop of the Hall of Mosses. It looks more or less like the rest of the area, but this is perfect if you’re looking for a quick hike or have little ones and want to limit your hiking. You can also do this and then hop on to the Hoh River Trail for a longer but still easy hike in the forest.
North Cascades National Park
Technically speaking, hiking within the national park boundaries is not easy or super common.
Cascade Pass and Sahale Glacier Camp
The preeminent hike and backpacking destination of all the Washington National Parks. Camping at Sahale Glacier Camp is a bucket list goal and one that offers arguably the most picturesque views in the entire state.
Copper Ridge Trail
Starting from near Mount Baker on the park’s west side, you have to hike about five miles before crossing the boundaries. The views are awesome, and once you get on top of the Copper Ridge Trail, you’ll have miles and miles of peak visibility.
Wrapping up the Washington National Parks
As you can see, there’s a lot to cover and conquer with the Washington National Parks, but you are in for an incredible trip. While many other national parks are excellent, the PNW ones are truly on a land of their own and will wow you from the start.
Until next time, adventurers, stay safe.
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