r/PNWhiking • u/daphnegeronimo • 5d ago
Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic in 3 consecutive days
We will be in Seattle from October 3 to 8 and it’ll be our home base for the duration of our trip/vacation. I was wondering if our itinerary is doable? Or is it too much?
It’s our first time to visit and we’re beginner/moderate hikers. I don’t mind the driving since I’m used to waking up early.
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u/LeftistsArentLiberal 5d ago
Doable maybe. Enjoyable. Idk. That's a lot of just... driving for such a short amount of time there. Also day 5?? Pick 1. I also believe Gold Creek pond is and has been closed for a bit
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u/audiophile_lurker 5d ago edited 5d ago
Hurricane Hill and Lake Crescent are not worth waking up at 2 am and driving for 3 hours.
Also, slow down, otherwise you will not experience these places, you will just see them at breakneck speed. Take a day to hike Skyline and Panorama Point, and take a while to linger at the big vistas. Maple Pass Loop in early October will make you stop and go “fuuuuck how can this even be real?”.
Move Maple Pass Loop to the absolute front of your vacation. Larch season is extremely fleeting, and our fall has started already. You should be perfect on October 4th, but risking missing the peak on October 7th.
Enjoy driving in Rainier and North Cascades - those roads are a pleasure in their own right.
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u/Chris023 5d ago
The drive from Paradise to Sunrise is more like 2 hours from parking lot to parking lot
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u/gurndog16 5d ago
Way too much. As the other commenter said, pick one. Washington is an amazing place and you should come back several times rather than cram it all in. Also keep an eye on wildfires before your trip.
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u/Optimal-Finger-2526 5d ago
You have not accounted for traffic, pit stops or service road travel. Those drive times are kind of laughable. I mean that in the nicest way! Pick one and you won’t be disappointed! Come back for the rest!
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u/West-Ad-1144 5d ago edited 5d ago
Going to Olympic and only going to those two locations is (affectionately) delulu. You’d need to see the coast and the rainforest area too and that’s quite a lot of driving. I would say you should prioritize the coast and the rainforest if you’re already seeing mountains elsewhere.
I’d just pick one. Olympic has the most diversity of scenery. They’re all wonderful. NC is less of a typical national park experience and is more pure backcountry.
Edit: also seeing your date now. Missed that. East slope of NC outside the park boundary (the places you have already chosen) are magical in that time of year especially. I’d either do Olympic only or do Rainier/NC with a priority on NC.
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u/Spiritual_Reindeer68 5d ago
Agreed, if you're making the trip all he way out to the Olmoics you're seeing a snipet for a looong drive. Would make more sense to pick one place or the other so you can really experience all the area has to offer and get immersed in nature. Definitely recommend hitting the the beach and the Hoh or Quinalt area but on a separate trip.
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u/baldiedc 5d ago
Ditch Seattle as a base and if you want to do all this make a loop Rainier > Olympics > Ferry to Whidbey Island > N Cascades
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u/daphnegeronimo 5d ago
I thought of this too!!! Will definitely look into changing where we stay
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u/baldiedc 5d ago
excellent - generally the less you see of I5 the more memorable your trip will be. you won't need the 3am wake ups either.
Not to put you off the journey to Cascades, it's certainly an experience, but adds a lot of driving, with only 5 days you may it better to focus your time on Rainier/Olympics - especially in October your chances of bad weather are higher, but with Olympics say you can just explore the beaches if the weather doesn't cooperate. If you do make it keep eye out for bald eagles along the Skagit valley. For the ferry from Port Townsend you may need a reservation check https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries
Your Day 5 lists a bunch of things over wide area, maybe those are just options on ur mind, but Mt Baker and Leavenworth are closer to N Cascades than Seattle. If you want something closer to Seattle, you can certainly explore up I90 easily for the day to Snoqualmie Falls, Mt Si/Tenerife; at Snoqualmie area Gold Creek Pond is closed but there are other bigger hikes to Snow Lake etc. Given the choice on a short trip I would just spend more time in Rainier/Olympics tho but it depends how much you want to see/drive vs. hike. wta.org is a good resource for info on hikes.
If you're hitting a weekend you may want to reverse the order and do Olympics first then Rainier during the week.
Sunrise may not be open for your trip - "The Sunrise Road usually opens in late June or early July and closes in late September to early October. Check the road status before setting out." https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/sunrise.htm
There is construction on SR123 but it's slated to be back open to one lane with estimated 30 minute delay in October so allow for extra time getting from Paradise to Sunrise (or Tipsoo Lake/Naches Peak Loop). Check https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/park-construction.htm#SR-123-Closure
There is also a bridge out on 410 between Buckley and Enumclaw if trying to drive round that way, I think WSDOT are trying to get it back open by end September but keep eye on that if needing that route.
Hope this helps. Enjoy!
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u/FishScrumptious 5d ago
I live in the area, absolutely love hiking, and am willing to drive for hikes. I say this from experience - this much driving will suck (not to mention your three hour estimates are insufficient as traffic can vary widely and Google is mediocre at catching some of it).
I have done this sort of thing before - when I was trying to get as much mileage as possible for WTA's Hike-a-thon fundraiser. I quickly learned that this much driving, back to back, was tortuous.
Also, the whole Good Creek Pond closure thing. (I think the road between Paradise and Sunrise will be open by then, unless it's opened, then closed due to snow.)
I'm in "pick one" camp. Or even "pick two, find something nice in the middle, and camp so that you don't have to drive back every day" camp.
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u/daphnegeronimo 5d ago
I appreciate everyone’s insight! I think we’re just going to pick one. Thank you!
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u/Sudden-Suggestions 5d ago
Oh sweet summer child... this itinerary is a recipe for unhappiness. Pick a single park, stay nearby it rather than driving all the way back to Seattle, and you'll have a much better experience.
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u/Pattysgame 5d ago
That’s a very ambitious plan. You might be able to do two or three in a week but it still will be an exhausting trip and you won’t be able to stop for even a moment. The drive / hike times on these are pretty under-represented. most of the times are nearly double for them unless you are an experienced trail runner. I would recommend picking one or two of your locations and having a slower enjoyable experience rather than a mad dash that leaves you barely able to function every day.
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u/Mentalfloss1 5d ago
Why? Sounds miserable. It's like those European, "See 11 nations in 7 days!!" things. You see very little and get back home exhausted.
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u/thatwoodsbitch 5d ago
This is way too much….. like others have stated pick one. You will not have time to do all of this. Just do north cascades and mt baker, they are the closest to each other and you can spend 4 days easily at both of those paces.
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u/Spiritual_Reindeer68 5d ago
It seems very packed and chaotic- it will be a lit of drivin and you wont have a lot of time to just relax and enjoy nature. Don't forget there will be traffic and crowds at some locations... can take an hour or two back up for the ferry if its a nice day/weekend...can get backed up at all the entrances to Rainer and Olmpic gate/hurricane ridge entrance. Youre planning pretty early arrival times so you should miss any back-ups but just something to think about and factor in planning. I think you would enjoy your trip more if you chose to see either cascades or Olympics. Both are beautiful, many, breathtaking hikes. Reminder you may get cloudy hazy views only ...because...WA.
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u/bulbagooey 5d ago
are you driving back to seattle after each day? cause then that would be crazy. it's already crazy to fit this much into three days to be honest. i feel like getting to the ONP is such a beast on its own that it really needs a couple days and you should stay over there overnight. and then driving to each park MAY be doable but only if you're not driving back to seattle each time. omg i can't even imagine. the traffic is already crazy and i swear people do not know how to drive here in the rain so throw in an accident and you're absolutely screwed! and also it wouldn't make sense to go to n. cascades in the middle of the trip, drive back to seattle, and then drive another 3 hours to leavenworth or somewhere if you decided to do that. it needs to be like clustered together to make the most sense.
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u/FrontAd9873 5d ago
Good itinerary for anyone who loves driving and doesn’t like hiking or spending time outside.
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u/I_think_things 5d ago
Have you accounted for how late sunrise is in October with the start of your hikes? You're arriving in the dark for some of these.
You also don't mention days of the week for these. On a weekend, Maple Pass and Blue Lake during larch season is absolutely SLAMMED. Don't expect any solitude.
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u/Swimming_Director_50 3d ago
Um...are you flying from Paradise to Sunrise? Because highway 123 is closed and even when open that is nowhere near a 20 min drive.
Anyone in your group have asthma? That could make some decisions for you because the smoke all around Rainier is BAD right now with the Wildcat fire (we are talking HAZARDOUS ratings in some areas). Even with lungs healthy at the start, going out with an AQI of 100+ is not recommended (that crap is in your lungs forever).
All of your drive times are unrealistic with the traffic and road work this time of year. Is this a...vacation? Your start times are brutal and you are going to wear yourself out with all the driving. Why stay in Seattle? You would have a much better time if you focused on one or two areas (look into the smoke for Oly and NC) and then instead of frantic drives back and forth each day, stay someplace out from Seattle and take a more leisurely pace. You seem to be looking for lots of Mother Nature and driving in and out of Seattle daily will negate any relaxation you glean from your schedule!
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u/peptodismal13 5d ago
Honestly pick one.