Discover the perfect week-long itinerary for a summer road trip through Washington state, including Mount Rainier, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and North Cascades National Park! Cozy cabins, foggy pine forests, and crystal clear lakes await you on a trip to the Pacific Northwest.
Chapters
- Days 1-2: Mount Rainier National Park
- Day 3: Seattle
- Days 4-5: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
- Day 6: North Cascades National Park
Planning Your Road Trip
- Length: 6 Days
- Season: July – September
- Plane Travel: 5-6 hours from the US East Coast
- Driving Miles: 700 miles, 15 hours
- Activities: Hiking, Camping, Scenic Drives, Swimming, Paddle-boards, Coffee Shops
- Cost: $1,000 – $2,000 for two people
Owen and I traveled to Washington State for the first time in August for a wedding, and stayed an extra week since a road trip through Washington’s national parks had been on my bucket list for a long time.
Transportation: We reserved a rental car a month before our road trip and did not need 4WD.
Lodging: I booked the Dalles Campground near Mount Rainier for two nights and our cabin in Maple Falls near Mount Baker for three nights, about two months in advance of our trip. Some of the popular camping spots in Mount Rainier sell out quickly, with reservations available starting in June. If you don’t want to camp in Mount Rainier, Enumclaw and Packwood are the closest towns with amenities.
Timed tickets to enter Mount Rainier National Park: The Sunrise and Paradise sections of Mount Rainier require timed entry tickets between 6 am and 3 pm between May and September. For this trip, we only used one morning entry to the Paradise Area, but we recommend reserving one morning entry to Paradise and one morning entry to Sunrise on separate days. The first round of tickets for the season are released in February each year on recreation.gov. These also sell out quickly, but if you don’t get one in advance, more tickets are released 24 hours before each day throughout the summer.
Day 1: Mount Rainier National Park – Sunrise
Mount Rainier National Park is a roughly square area surrounding Mount Rainier – an active volcano! The two most popular areas of the park are Sunrise to the north-east and Paradise to the south. We planned our trip to spend a full day in each area and found the east side of the park to be less crowded than Paradise.
It took us about two hours to drive from Snoqualmie Falls, WA to the east side of Mount Rainier National Park (it’s also 2 hours from Seattle). We had a timed entry ticket for the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier from 7 am to 9 am which we didn’t end up using because we were tired out after the wedding. We opted for more sleep before heading out into the wilderness.
Tipsoo Lake
Our first stop in Mount Rainier was Tipsoo Lake. This area on the east side of the park does not require a timed entry ticket like Sunrise and Paradise. The Tipsoo Lake Comfort Station has a large parking lot with restrooms and picnic tables. We arrived at the comfort station at noon and had no trouble finding parking even though it was pretty crowded. Take the path at the end of the parking lot to hike the short loop around the lake, where you can soak in a perfect view of Mount Rainier on a clear day.
You can also start the Naches Peak Loop Trail at the base of the lake closest to the parking lot, leading through a beautiful wildflower meadow before joining the Pacific Crest Trail.
Sunrise Visitor Center
The road to Sunrise is only open in the summer. Because of it’s popularity, the National Parks Service requires visitors to reserve a ticket to enter this section of the park between 6 am and 3 pm. We entered the Sunrise corridor after 3 pm without a ticket. There was a line of cars at the entrance station, where you will need to either buy a one-day entrance pass or show your America the Beautiful pass. After about 10 minutes of driving, we reached our first stop, Sunrise Lookout, an overlook with a small parking lot where you feel like you are in the clouds!
At the end of the road lies Sunrise Visitor Center, with a gift shop and ranger station. We picked up a trail map, checked the weather report in the visitors center, and bought an ice cream sandwich before starting our hike.
Mt. Fremont Lookout
The 5.6 mile out-and-back hike to the Mt. Fremont fire tower lookout starts right behind the Sunrise visitor center. After hiking uphill, we made it to the tower but decided not to wait at the top for sunset since it was very chilly and clouds rolled in soon after we arrived. Owen and I started a little before 5 pm and completed the hike in about three hours, just in time to catch the alpine glow on the Sourdough Mountains on the way down. 40 minutes later, we arrived at the Dalles Campground to set up camp, eat dinner and end our first day.
Day 2: Mount Rainier National Park – Paradise
If you only have time for one day at Mount Rainier, I would definitely spend it in Paradise. It is very popular but for good reason, there is plenty of spectacular hiking and you get the feeling you are close enough to touch Rainier. This area of the park also remains open year round.
After waking up early, we drove 1 hour from the Dalles Campground to the Paradise area of Mount Rainier. The drive was beautiful, with glimpses of Mt Rainier peeking through the clouds. When you arrive, make sure to park in the Overnight/Long Term parking lot, since parking at the visitor center has a time limit of 2 hours.
Skyline Trail
This hike in Mount Rainier National Park is a must-see for your summer road trip through Washington. Starting Skyline Trail early is essential to avoid the crowds since it’s one of the most popular hikes in the park; we started hiking a little after 8 am. I was a little discouraged starting out because of the clouds that hung over Mount Rainier all day, but I shouldn’t have worried because this hike is 100% still worth it if its cloudy. The trail starts out in a magical meadow filled with wildflowers and marmots.
Its recommend to hike the 5.7 mile loop clockwise, with in your face views of Mt Rainier on the way up to Panorama Point and spectacular views of the Tattoosh Range on the way down, including Mt Adams and Mt Saint Helens in the distance. We didn’t encounter any snow across the trail (which you should expect on the loop if you’re hiking before August).
Paradise
There are so many other trails breaking off from Skyline and also starting from the Paradise Visitors Center, which we plan to explore when we return. If you have time, you may want to check out the Lakes Loop or the Vista Point trails.
Next stop was coffee at the Paradise Inn and a picnic at our car before we drove 10 minutes to Reflection Lake. The clouds were still hanging low, but the view was beautiful regardless. We took a short walk around the lake before jumping back in the car.
Dalles Campground
We decided to take the scenic route west out of Paradise, through Longmire and down through Packwood, to grab a bite to eat. The Packwood Brewery was a great choice for a hot meal before heading back to our campsite.
The Dalles Campground is perfectly situated on the east side of the park and we really enjoyed our two nights there. On the banks of the White River, each of the 40 campsites have a picnic table and fire ring (although there was a fire ban when we visited). The entire campground is shadowed by massive Douglas firs. There is drinking water available and pit toilets, but no showers.
Sunset at Tipsoo Lake
We had some time to hang out and relax at our camp before heading back to Tipsoo Lake to watch the sunset. Driving to the parking above the lake, we had the area mostly to ourselves and found a flat rock to sit and munch on some snacks while we watched the sunset. It was quiet and peaceful, and the perfect way to end our second day in Mount Rainier.
Day 3: Seattle
To start our third day, we had one last cozy morning at camp before packing up. We grabbed coffee at one of the drive-through coffee shacks in Enumclaw, north of Mount Rainier, on our way up to Maple Falls. Since we had some time before being able to check into our Airbnb in Maple Falls, we decided to visit Pike Place Market since our route from Enumclaw to Maples Falls passes by Seattle.
Pike Place Market
Founded in 1907 and known for the flying fish, Pike Place market has a lot to offer and is an iconic destination in downtown Seattle. At Pike Place you can visit the first Starbucks store, buy fresh fish and organic produce, arts and crafts, and eat a lot of great food. Owen and I walked away with a poke bowl, skincare from Moon Valley Organics, two pastries for the next morning from Three Girls Bakery.
Cabin in Maple Falls
Two hours from Seattle lies the cozy town of Maple Falls. There are also places to stay in the nearby town of Glacier, heading west on Mt Baker Highway towards Mt Baker Ski Area. The town’s amenities are limited to a small general store and a coffee shop. We arrived at our Airbnb cabin on Silver Lake, unpacked, and changed into swimsuits to paddle board and swim in the lake before dinner.
I was obsessed with the cabin. The decor, the backyard, and all the woodsy touches were the perfect vibe for a few days in the moody Pacific Northwest. We ended the day with a relaxing soak in the hot tub.
Day 4: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Although its not a national park, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest was my favorite place in Washington on our road trip last summer. Owen and I woke up on our fourth day feeling refreshed after sleeping in a warm bed (that wasn’t a sleeping bag). We started with coffee at Joe’s in Maple Falls, which we took to the Silver Lake Park to enjoy. We decided to drive up and check out Picture Lake and the Heather Meadows Visitors Center, where we would start our hike the next day.
Heather Meadows
Heather Meadows Visitor’s Center is open from July through September and lies on Mount Baker Highway about 45 minutes from Maple Falls. The highway ends a bit further on at Artist’s Point. From the town of Glacier to Artist’s Point, there are several turn-offs for hiking throughout the national forest.
The drive was spectacular. It was very cloudy, so we only saw sneaks of Shuksan through the fog. After passing the ski area, we arrived at Heather Meadows. We bought a 2-day parking pass at the kiosk, since we would be returning for our hike the next day. Near the visitors center is Picture Lake and the start of several trails, including Bagley Lakes and the Chain Lakes Loop.
The afternoon and evening found us cozied up in the cabin watching Twilight, more time on the paddle boards, cooking steak on the grill and relaxing with a glass of wine in the hot tub. Overall, a 10/10 relaxation day!
Day 5: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
I was super excited for the Chain Lakes Loop hike on our fourth day. We parked at the Heather Meadows Visitor Center and started our hike there, hiking up to Herman Saddle, past the lakes, to Artist’s Point and then taking the Wild Goose section of the trail back to Heather Meadows. You can also drive further to Artist’s Point and start the hike there at the official start, to hike it clockwise. However, I would highly recommend starting at the visitor center and hiking the trail counterclockwise. We had the trail to ourselves until reaching the lakes, and ended with descending the steepest part of the loop, the Wild Goose trail, instead of having to hike up at the end.
Chain Lakes Loop
This 6.2 mile hike was incredible, with views of Mount Shuksan on the way up to the saddle, before you crest the ridge for views of Mount Baker and Iceberg Lake.
The water of Iceberg Lake was an incredible color and crystal clear, perfect for a swim. After passing Hayes Lake and Mazama Lake, there’s a bit of a hill to reach the top of Ptarmigan ridge, where you are again greeted with amazing views of mount Shuksan. Then its a mostly flat, straight shot to Artist’s Point, and less than a mile downhill on the Wild Goose trail back to the visitors center.
Picture Lake and Nooksack Falls
After the hike, we ate our packed lunch and stoped at Picture Lake again, and then started the drive back to Maple Falls. Along the way we turned off on a short dirt road to check out Nooksack Falls. There is a short walk down from the parking lot for views of the falls.
Day 6: North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park was the last stop of our Washington summer road trip.
It was raining pretty hard on our last day. We packed up and started the 2 hour drive from Maple Falls to the North Cascades National Park visitors center.
I was hoping to hike Maple Pass Loop, but because of the weather and wildfires in the area, we decided to skip the hike and do a drive through the park instead. We stopped at the visitors center, Gorge Lake Overlook, the Diablo Lake overlook, and drove as far as the Happy Creek trailhead. The water of Diablo Lake was an incredible color! It reminded me of Peyto Lake in Banff.
Next time we’re hoping to check out some of the hikes on the east side of North Cascades, like the Maple Pass Loop. It was 4 hours back to Seattle, then time to check into our hotel before flying out from Seattle-Tacoma the next morning.
This incredible trip is one of my favorites, and I can’t wait for our next trip to the Pacific Northwest!
