173: Olympic National Park and Mt. Rainier

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This week on the podcast, Kim fills us in on her summer family vacation to Olympic National Park and Mt. Rainier National Park in her home state of Washington.

ON THE PODCAST

00:30 – Talking with Kim about her recent vacation

02:50 – Olympic National Park

08:08 – Waterfall Hikes

10:45 – Where to stay

23:20 – Mount Rainier

29:38 – How long to spend

34:15 – National park pass

35:44 – Final tips

TIPS FOR VISITING OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK & MT. RAINIER

• The main visitors’ center for Olympic National Park is on the northern end of the park by Port Angeles. Since all of the visitor centers are closed due to the pandemic things are a bit different than they normally would be. They do however have park rangers there that have trail maps and Junior Ranger booklets, who are willing to answer any questions that you may have. Other National Parks may have different offerings so you may want to look that up before heading out.
• If you make this a longer trip you can even take a ferry into Victoria, Canada from Port Angeles. Unfortunately right now due to Covid they have canceled all sailings until November 30, 2020. If you are planning a trip after that, check out the website for Black Ball Ferry Line for updates on their status.
• If you like hikes and wild flowers you should definitely check out the Hurricane Ridge hike in Olympic National Park. When you get to the summit you can see great views of the mountains and you can actually see into Canada.
• Marymere Falls is another great waterfall hike and you can take a swim in Lake Crescent while you are there. Or if the water is too cold you can enjoy a nice lunch by the lake.
• The Woodland Inns is a great little place to stay while visiting the park. They also have a great contactless system setup for checking in/out. Since they are individual cabins they will give you a code to a key box and they will text you the code and make sure that you have everything you need before you get there.
• Visiting Mount Rainier has some great hikes but depending on the weather you might not see much of the mountain.
• The parking lots in Mount Rainier fill up really fast so if you plan on visiting you may want to get an early start.
• You should also keep in mind that there is not much in the way of food when you go to Mount Rainier so bring a lunch and snacks.
• Also make sure that you go in with a full tank of gas.
• Keep in mind that when you are planning a trip anywhere right now, you should think about also planning on food options and do some research on what places offer or if they are even open. This is one thing that you never really had to worry about before Covid but now it can cause you and your family some unnecessary stress.

MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST

Hoh Rain Forest Walk

Woodland Inns

Tree of Life

Lake Quinault

Mount Rainier National Park

Epic Olympic National Park Itinerary – Stuffed Suitcase

How to get a National Park Pass – Stuffed Suitcase

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