North Cascades National Park

Best time to visit: Late Summer

Recommended Hikes: Blue Lake, Maple Pass, Hidden Lake, Sahale Arm

Ideal For: Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, Boating

Where to stay: Colonial Creek and Newhalem campgrounds, town of Marblemount

Park Website - Park Map

Useful Info:

• Dogs - the general rule for dogs in national parks is that they must be leashed and are only allowed on paved areas, which includes parking areas, roads, and front country campgrounds. Dogs are not allowed on park trails, even when leashed.

• The North Cascades Highway which runs through the park is closed November - April.

• Reaching the southwest region of the park requires dirt road driving, but it’s doable in a 2-wheel drive car.

• North Cascades is home to black bears - proper food storage is required at all times. Read more about bear safety here.

• There is a small general store in the center of the park in the town of Newhalem, its hours are 10AM to 5PM every day. There are no other stores or services in the park.

• Drinking water is available at the campgrounds and visitor center. Bring your water bottles to fill up.

North Cascades is located in northern Washington state, just a few hours drive from Seattle. It is one of the lesser visited national parks in the country, partly because it receives a lot of rain and snow. Late summer brings the best weather and the least amount of rain, along with snow-free hiking routes. When the clouds clear, the mountainscapes in North Cascades are as beautiful as any in the country.

Must See Attractions:

Diablo Lake - Right in the center of the park, Diable Lake is surrounded by rising mountains and has a distinctive turquoise color. There are several viewpoints, and hikers can get close to the lake's shoreline at the Ross Lake Dam and near the Colonial Creek Campground.

Washington Pass - This area is outside of North Cascades’ boundaries but it offers the best attractions that you can reach on paved roads in the park. Rewarding hikes here include Blue Lake and Maple Pass.

Cascade Pass Area - This region is more remote and requires a long drive and hike, but it's well worth it. It’s located on the southwest side of the park, at the end of a long dirt road from the town of Marblemount. The Hidden Lake and Sahale Arm hikes are both in this region. Read more about these two in the hiking section below.

Where to Stay:

Most options in or near the park are either campgrounds or RV parks. Newhalem Campground and Colonial Creek Campground are both in the central part of the park. Newhalem can be reserved in advance here. Colonial Creek is located right on the shore of Lake Diablo - it can be reserved here. There is also a few first-come-first-serve campsites in more remote areas of the park. There is an RV park in Marblemount in addition to the RV campsites at Newhalem and Colonial Creek.

A small amount of cabins are available at the Ross Lake Resort - click here for more information.

Hiking in North Cascades

Most hikes here are steep and long, but incredibly rewarding. Large elevation gains allow you to see the repeating ridge lines of the Cascade Mountains in a way that is not possible from the park road. You must be in good shape to do the hikes discussed below.

Blue Lake - The best moderate hiking option - this trail is about 4 miles roundtrip and climbs about 1,000 feet in elevation. Blue Lake is striking with an imposing rock wall backdrop. Read more about the hike here. 

Maple Pass - The best hike in the Washington Pass area. The trail loops around and then high above Lake Ann and Rainey Lake, and it has an stunning summit with panoramic views at Maple Pass. Read more about the hike here.

Sahale Arm - A challenging climb that offers fantastic views and possible mountain goat sightings. Most of the hike is on a steep dirt trail, but the final ascent crosses rock scree. Look for the cairns (small towers of rocks balanced on each other) which mark the easiest ascent up the rock field. Read more about the hike here.

Hidden Lake - the trail to Hidden Lake climbs 3,200 vertical feet in just 4.5 miles. Hidden Lake is a true gem, perfectly blue with a backdrop of mountains. You cannot reach the shoreline of Hidden Lake, but can descend a rock field once reaching the viewpoint to get a closer look. The dirt road up to Hidden Lake is steep and narrow with potholes, but it is doable in a two wheel drive car. Read more about the hike here.

Locations include Sahale Arm, Maple Pass, and Hidden Lake

Olympic National Park

Best time to visit: Summer

Recommended Hikes: Seven Lakes Basin, Rialto Beach, Ruby Beach, Hurricane Ridge, Hoh Rainforest

Ideal For: Hiking, Camping, Backpacking, Auto-Touring, Boating

Where to stay: North or West side of the park

Park Website - Park Map

Useful Info:

• Dogs - the general rule for dogs in national parks is that they must be leashed and are only allowed on paved areas, which includes parking areas, roads, and front country campgrounds. Dogs are not allowed on park trails, even when leashed.

• Olympic NP is deceptively large - It will take about 3 hours to drive from its East side to the coast. It's best to devote a full day to one area; for example, spend one day exploring the coastline, and another day in the northern mountain regions of Hurricane Ridge and Sul Doc.

• Be prepared for weather, including rain during summer. The park service does snow plowing during winter, but only for weekends.

• The vegetation in Olympic is dense which makes for a complete lack of viewpoints at low elevations. In order to see the mountains, you will have to drive to Hurricane Ridge or do one of the longer hikes.

• Drinking water is available at most developed areas of the park, bring your water bottle to fill up.

Olympic is a big, mountainous national park, covering most of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. It is very diverse with mountains and rainforests and sections of the Pacific coastline. The park receives a lot of rain and snow - summer months offer the best chance of good weather along with open hiking routes.

Must See Attractions:

Hurricane Ridge - This is the only place accessible by car where you can see the mountains in the heart of Olympic, including Mt Olympus. It's located on the north side of the park and the road is open most of the year, except on winter weekdays when there is snow. There is a visitor center at the peak and numerous hiking routes from there.

Lake Crescent - An impressive lake surrounded by rising mountains. The Lake Crescent Lodge is right on its shoreline and it’s a great place to stay, eat, or watch the sun set. Lake Crescent is located on the northern boundary of the park.

Sol Duc - This a cool area with a lodge, restaurant, and hot spring heated pools. Sol Duc Falls is really pretty and it’s just a short hike from the lodge. A longer trail to Seven Lakes Basin is also in this area and it’s a great hike - read more about it in the hiking section below.

Coastline - The park includes 73 miles of rugged coastline. The two primary coastal areas are Ruby Beach and Rialto Beach. Both offer cool rock formations with coarse sand and lots of driftwood. The Ozette area is also along the coast but requires several miles of hiking through dense vegetation to reach the ocean.

Rainforests - The Hoh and Quinault rainforests sit in the western and southern sections of the park. They are worth seeing, but if you just have a few days, I recommend focusing on the coastline and mountains instead.

Where to Stay:

In general, try to stay somewhere on the north or west boundaries of the park. Lake Crescent and Sul Doc are good central locations on the north side that have campgrounds and lodging. There are also options along the coast if you want to make the ocean the focus of your trip.  

Avoid staying on the south or east sides of the park to reduce drive times.

Hiking in Olympic

Olympic makes you work for it when it comes to hiking, but the rewards are worth the effort. Hiking at easier, lower elevations is exclusively through dense forests with tall trees and zero distant views. If you are capable of hiking in the 10-15 mile range with significant elevation gains, you can get above the tree-line for views of lakes, repeating ridge lines, and Mount Olympus.

Seven Lakes Basin - This is a strenuous hike that continues on from Sol Duc Falls, roughly 15 miles roundtrip. It can be done as a loop or an out and back (via Deer Lake), and it is also great overnight backpacking destination (permit required). I highly, highly recommend this hike, it will not disappoint! Read more about it on the park's website here.

Hurricane Ridge - There are multiple trails that take off from Hurricane Ridge. This a beautiful area high above the treeline which offers great views no matter how far you hike. Read more about the area’s hiking options here.

Rialto Beach - An awesome beach hike at Rialto goes to the "Hole-in-the-Wall" natural arch, about 2 miles one way. There are several impressive rock formations along the way. The sand is coarse and abrasive so be sure to wear solid shoes. Read more about the hike here.

Also consider researching:

Deer Park and Obstruction Point - these are both accessible via dirt roads, near the Hurricane Ridge area. From what I've read, the roads are narrow and steep, but the reviews are good. Deer Park has a first-come-first-served campground which is highly reviewed as well.

Round Lake, part of the Seven Lake Basin in Olympic National Park