Visiting National Parks in Washington State

We absolutely loved visiting all the National Parks we did in 2020. But I’ve got to say, Washington overall had some of our favorites! We are also partial to Utah but that is home so it’s a little different.

Honestly, each of these parks probably deserves their own post! And I may eventually detail out all the trails and camp spots we discovered. But for now here is a quick run down of the 3 National Parks in Washington!

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park is the type of place where a moderate trail feels like an expert trail, ya feel me?! We did the Hurricane Hill Nature Trail which is supposed to be moderate but the first like quarter mile is I swear a 90 degree angle straight up the mountain.

Am I being dramatic? Possibly. But my glutes definitely got a workout that day is all I’m saying! But the view from the top is breathtaking. You can actually see so many peaks and islands and towns from the top of this mountain that this could be the only place you ever go in Washington and you’ll have seen everything.

I really want to go back to Olympic when we have more time to camp and really explore some of the lesser populated trails because I love off the beaten path stuff and being able to enjoy a view without 300 other people around me.

Mount Rainier National Park

Are you ready for BEAUTIFUL hikes that will kick your butt? Then head to Mount Rainier right now. It is hands down one of the most wonderful landscapes I have ever seen. There is greenery and snow at the exact same time. There are waterfalls and lava rocks and a cool little hobbit bathroom on the hiking trail!

There is also a one thousand percent chance your legs will be burning the next day! But it is so worth it! There are shorter hikes that won’t kill you but I highly recommend at least one of the longer hikes that give you the best view of Rainier.

There is actually a ton of free camping around Rainier too! I would highly recommend looking into the BLM lands and free camp spots along the road. Camping inside of Rainier was a little pricy but definitely worth it if you go during busy season so that you can quickly get to the parking lots!

North Cascades National Park

North Cascades was the perfect place to relax and also hike! We found some awesome trails during the day and saw beautiful lakes and then we laid by the river in our hammock and my soul healed.

Yes, my soul healed people! That is how serene and wonderful North Cascades was. We found the most amazing camp site right on the river and to be honest, I didn’t even want to leave during the day to hike! But the views were amazing and so I did go explore.

We mostly just drove through North Cascades because it is so huge and spread out. There are some trails but a lot of them are multi-day trails so plan accordingly for that! We did a few short trails by some lakes and things like that but mostly it was driving and stopping at view points for us.

Next we go back we will bring the right gear to do some of those multi day hikes but this just wasn’t the trip for us to do that on!

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Okay so this was a VERY quick run down of the National Parks in Washington but I hope it gives you a good starting place!

If you have any questions at all leave them in the comment section below or email us at fortheloveofblank@gmail.com! Would you guys like me to go more into detail about these parks and all the trails we did?! Let me know!