We almost skipped Mount Rainier National Park! It was only added to our U.S. itinerary at the last minute, when we spontaneously decided to make a loop through Washington and Oregon states. And what a great decision that turned out to be! We completely fell in love with this majestic volcano and its stunning national park, which we had the chance to explore under glorious sunshine.

Saturday, September 3, 2022

We have left behind the mysterious Olympic Peninsula, the ocean, and its ever-present mist, and we are now heading toward Mount Rainier National Park, located in the heart of Washington State, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Seattle. We arrive at the end of the day. From our overnight spot, we catch our first glimpse of Mount Rainier. Wow! It looks promising 😀 It greets us under a beautiful blue sky and golden evening light. A perfect place to spend the night.

Sunday, September 4

We wake up early under a perfectly clear blue sky. It’s the ideal weather to explore Mount Rainier National Park! What we didn’t plan for? Today is Sunday, and we hit the park entrance right at peak time! It takes us a solid hour to get through the entrance booth and reach the Sunrise area. The road up is stunning, winding, scenic, and at times a little dizzying. Then, around a bend, there it is, up close: Mount Rainier, towering at over 4,300 meters (14,000 feet).

🥾 Fremont Lookout Trail – 9 km / 5.6 miles, 300 m / 980 ft elevation gain

This short and fairly easy hike is absolutely spectacular. The trail gently climbs the mountainside, offering breathtaking views, on one side, the surrounding peaks; on the other, Mount Rainier in all its glory.

It leads to the Fire Lookout, where we enjoy perfectly clear 360° views. Simply incredible.

We descend slowly toward the lovely visitor center, passing through lush alpine meadows dotted with wildflowers and pine trees. A calm, restful, and peaceful landscape that we love.

We leave the Sunrise area in the late afternoon. It’s a long drive around the volcano to reach the other part of the park: Paradise. Since camping inside the park isn’t allowed, we drive a few more kilometers to find a quiet spot for the night. After an hour of searching, we finally find a discreet pullout in the woods, not far from the park entrance. Brrr… we are not big fans of the forest at night, it’s dark and silent in there. As soon as the night falls, we dive into the Jeep and stay safe inside!

Monday, September 5

Not making the same mistake twice! We get an early start today to beat the crowds. It works! We enter the park right away. The road up to Paradise is long and steep, but Jeepy handles it like a champ! We have breakfast straight from the parking lot, then hit the trail.

🥾 Skyline Trail – 9 km / 5.6 miles, 518 m / 1,700 ft elevation gain

This gorgeous hike begins with a long climb through blooming alpine meadows. We cross charming wooden bridges and follow a well-maintained path that just keeps going up and up. The scenery is even more stunning than the day before.

After a few kilometers, we reach the glacial moraine, where everything is gray rock and no vegetation. Eventually, we arrive at the Skyline, where Mount Rainier, cloaked in snow and ice, stands before us in all its glory. What a view! Absolutely mind-blowing.

We descend back to the parking lot through a thick crowd. We wonder why there are so many people on a Monday in September, before realizing it’s a holiday! After lunch, we hit the road again. Tomorrow, we are off to discover another volcano, further south: Mount St. Helens.

Tuesday, September 6

Mount St. Helens last erupted on May 18… 1980! Practically yesterday. Back then, it was a perfect, snow-capped cone, reaching 2,950 meters (9,678 feet). But during the eruption, the entire dome collapsed. Today, the volcano stands at 2,538 meters (8,327 feet). The eruption was unbelievably violent. The collapse triggered a massive landslide, a shock wave, a pyroclastic flow, and a mudflow that killed about 50 people—most of them campers. The gaping crater is still extremely impressive. We walk alongside old lava flows, surrounded by volcanic rock. Getting closer to the crater is not possible without a permit, so we simply admire the breathtaking view from the hiking trail.

But our road trip through the Pacific Northwest is not over yet! We still have several hours of driving ahead before reaching THE highlight of our adventure in this part of the US: Crater Lake National Park in Oregon!

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Here we go, 4 months of road-tripping through the U.S., from Canada to Mexico!! 😃🇺🇸 We’re buzzing with excitement, fully motivated, and ready to be amazed every single day. That’s what the U.S. is all about, right? 😎 After a month in Alaska in July, we are now setting foot in the continental U.S. for the first time, starting in the mysterious—and rainy—state of Washington, at Olympic National Park. Between lush rainforests and dramatic, misty Pacific beaches, one thing’s for sure: here, we’re not afraid of bears, but vampires!

Thursday, September 1, 2022

We arrived at night in Port Angeles, fresh off the ferry from Vancouver Island, and spent the night in the Walmart parking lot. Which actually works out perfectly, after the border agent confiscated all our veggies the day before, we have a lot to restock! Apparently, U.S.-grown tomatoes bought in Canada are a threat to public safety in the U.S. Go figure. Anyway, for the first time in our lives, we go grocery shopping at 7 a.m. That’s efficiency! Walmart also has decent WiFi, so we take advantage of it to call our families from the parking lot. Then, off we head toward Olympic National Park.

After a quick stop at the visitor center to gather some info and pick up a park map, we head up Hurricane Ridge, a stunning scenic drive that winds its way up to Sunrise Viewpoint, sitting at 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) above sea level. Jeepy has a lot of work to do this morning, considering we start the climb from sea level! At the top, the view over the misty ocean and surrounding mountain peaks is absolutely breathtaking. We enjoy a picnic with one of the best views we’ve had on the trip so far.

Then it’s time to drive back down to the coast. We follow the scenic coastal road all the way to Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point of the United States (excluding Alaska). A short hike of about 1.5 km (roughly 1 mile) leads us to an incredible viewpoint over the Pacific Ocean and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates the Olympic Peninsula from Vancouver Island. Despite the mist swirling around us, the spot is magical. Rémi even catches a glimpse of a gray whale fishing near the cliff!

Our campsite for the night is everything we could wish for, we park right on the beach, facing the Pacific Ocean. Sure, it’s chilly and damp, but hey, we’re not in Mexico yet! 🤪 We eat facing the ocean and spend the evening lulled by the waves and the song of seabirds.

Friday, September 2

After breakfast in the sun (finally!) by the ocean, we hit the road again and drive straight into… Twilight territory! Forks and the nearby Quileute Reservation of La Push are filled with playful signs warning visitors of local dangers, not bears this time, but vampires! It totally brings back memories of my high school years 😁No vampire sightings today, though, it’s super sunny! At least inland. As soon as we approach the coast again, a thick marine fog rolls in and covers everything.

Rialto Beach is everything we imagine a Washington beach to be: moody, wild, and dramatic, with sea stacks rising from the water and driftwood piled high on the shore. We love it.

But as beautiful as the mist is, it’s not exactly warm. So we head inland in search of a bit of warmth. And just like that, a few kilometers away, the fog lifts, the sun shines, and the temperature skyrockets. We swap socks and sweaters for shorts and T-shirts and head out to hike in another part of Olympic National Park: the rainforest. We spend the afternoon walking two beautiful trails: Hall of Mosses (1.2 km / 0.75 miles) and Spruce Trail (1.9 km / 1.2 miles), completely surrounded by towering trees and thick, lush moss. This is what a rainforest looks like!

As evening falls, we follow a Forest Road in search of a quiet camping spot. No luck, everything is dark, damp, and under thick tree cover. Eventually, we pull into a small clearing just off the road. Not ideal, but it’ll do. Tomorrow is a new day, with (hopefully) a better spot. One thing is for sure: we are leaving the forest and the ocean behind and heading for the mountains. Next stop: the stunning Mount Rainier National Park!

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