My trip to Washington State - Twice
My goal in life is to try and visit all 50 states. Washington is so good I made a visit twice! Once in 2016 with my husband during the summer and then a few years ago, my mother and I did a Mother/Daughter trip in the Fall of 2021!
Washington is one of those states that has a little bit of everything. A beach on the coast, a National Park with Mt. Rainier, and the famous Pikes Place Seattle Market! There is the famous first Starbucks where you can wait in a line that wraps around the building. I have not been on either trip and just snapped a quick photo. Washington is also where I learned of the concept of mountain time. 10 miles in Houston, is indeed not 10 miles in the mountains. Before I left for my first trip to Washington, my parents suggested I take an atlas. This felt very pioneer of them to ask of me since we definitely had Google Maps to rely on, but they said “you never know.”
Lemme tell ya, that atlas saved our lives navigating our way out of the mountains. Little to no cell service, and we found ourselves digging that map out very quickly. Aside from the numerous ways you can get lost in and around Washington, I’ll provide you highlights on pieces from my itinerary from both trips and what I think is worth seeing from activities, food, and even where to lodge!
Activities
Mt. Rainier
Hands down you have to make your way to Mt. Ranier. I have hiked in Colorado, visited Shenandoah Park in Virginia, hiked North Carolina, and visited Lake Tahoe. Yet, none of these compared to the beauty and love I have for Mt. Rainier. On my first trip, Ben and I hiked to the base of Mt. Rainier on the Glacier Basin Trail. This hike was just enough for me. About seven miles total, great scenery along the way, wildlife, and when we got to the base in the middle of summer there was snow.
You do not have to be an avid hiker to get close though. You can check out the famous park known as Paradise. It is full of beautiful wildflower meadows. On my second trip this was the route my mom and I took. We did a walk around the lodge area, and even on a drizzly day we still got to explore and see chipmunks, waterfalls, and an array of flowers.
A Tour of Olympic National Park at Hoh Rain Forest & Rialto Beach
We booked this tour with the Olympic Hiking Co.. I actually booked it the day before we went. When I planned this, we were staying at Ocean Shores and while I was exploring things to do, I see this tour of Olympic National Park. Now I take a quick glance at the map, and from Ocean Shores to a part of Olympic National Park I see its only about an hour. Okay cool, tour is at 7:00am. We can do that.
Then I purchase our tickets and I see the meeting spot for this tour is Port Angeles! Okay, so for those not familiar with Washington, Port Angeles from Ocean Shores is a 3.5-hour drive. Oh, and when I discovered this, it’s probably 8pm at night. Insert panic mode. Do we wake up at 4am and drive to Port Angeles? No. What we settled on was driving to Forks, WA, where we found a camper rental for the night at Three Rivers Resort, get there at midnight, and drive an hour and a half the rest of the way at like 5:30am the next day.
My mother was a trooper for her daughter’s lack of planning. But despite the snafu, this was a very pleasant excursion we took where we met great people and got to explore a moderate nature adventure with an awesome tour guide, ironically named Tracy, which is my mother’s name, only spelled differently. The following pictures don’t even begin to capture the essence of the forest and the beach was cool too!
Hoh National Forest
Grays Harbor Lighthouse
Grays Harbor Lighthouse was another surprise on our trip. Venturing out one day for lunch, we ate across the street from this lighthouse and then learned you could tour the lighthouse. The lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in the whole state of Washington and is the pride of Westport. To get to the top you must be willing to climb 135 spiral stairs, which didn’t seem too bad, but we were definitely huffing once we got to the top. You can read more on the website in my link, but the view from the top was worth the stop and climb!
Food
Before I dive into my food favorites, I would like to mention that a food tour is a great way to discover Seattle. My mother and I did this on our visit in 2021 and it was an excursion I wish Ben and I had done. This is the company we booked through that I recommend.
Pike Place Market Food and Culture Tour
Mt. Rainier Cherries
Mt. Rainier Cherries are…well, Mt. Rainier Cherries. They are sweeter than most cherries and you can find them in season from June-July. You can get them at pretty much any grocery store near you during season at a premium price. My only comment here is to find them if you’re in Washington from a street vendor or local. They are delicious. I want some right now.
Mt. Rainier Railroad Dining
As Ben and I were coming along the mountain we saw this cute train that I wanted to take pictures of. Turns out, it is a restaurant! It was called Mt. Rainier Railroad Dining. The most memorable thing here was the berry cobbler that was served with vanilla ice cream. This dessert was so good that thankfully I snapped a pic and you can see below! Aside from the amazing dessert, the ambiance feels like early pioneer America, and you have a great view out the window. HIGHLY recommend visiting.
Pikes Place Clam Chowder
In college, my roommate Rachel and I would have clam chowder on Fridays where we would celebrate our tough college lives. Since she introduced me to how amazing this clam chowder was it was hard for anything else to live up to my expectations. That was until I traveled the states up north and beyond to the famous Seattle Pikes Place Market and tried the “Worlds Best Clam Chowder.” I was going to type up a short review of my food tour, but the truth is, this would’ve taken the cake. No this isn’t like Elf where he thought this was the world’s best cup of coffee. This chowder has won awards so many times, in fact, that they were asked to bypass a year to give other’s a fair chance. The name of this great place is Pike Place Chowder and I even had it delivered for Mother’s Day shortly after our trip for good memories sake.
Bonus –The Summit House Restaurant
Where I wish I ate….The Summit House Restaurant This beautiful restaurant is only open JUNE 22-SEPTEMBER 16. In 2016, Ben and I made reservations, but this was coming off our hike to the base of Mt. Rainier and even though we thought five miles wouldn’t be longer than a 15-minute drive, this is the exact moment we learned what mountain time is. So, if you travel to Washington and you make this wonderful spot, please reach out to me and let me know how it is!
Lodging
To be honest, I’m an Airbnb gal. I remember telling my parents the concept of Airbnb.
Me: “yeah, we’re staying at these people’s house in a room”
Parents: “Will they be home?”
Me: “yeah, here and there”
Parents: “I don’t know if that’s safe”
Occasionally though we mix in a nice stay and if you’re gonna lodge outside of Airbnb here’s my take on a few places we have stayed.
LOGE - Alta Crystal Resort – Beautiful Resort nestled in the large forest trees. The night we stayed the staff hosted a smore campfire party and invited all of the hotel guests to come out and mingle. This was probably my favorite part of the stay. Campy smore vibes in a beautiful resort, getting to meet other people from all over the U.S.
Paradise Inn– I have personally never stayed here, but I have visited the lodge and would love to stay at Paradise Inn. If you book your trip in advance, this would be my ideal to place to stay at Mt. Rainier.
Three Rivers Resort
Forks, WA – Three Rivers Resort – This is in the famous Forks, WA. If you’re a Twilight fan you probably will venture here. It’s not shabby. This is where my mother and I ended up staying on our crazy drive from Ocean Shores to Port Angeles. The staff is super nice, too. This is a cozy stay, and we rented a camper for a night on a last-minute request.
National Inn – My mom and I stayed here in 2021. Unfortunately for the price I would not recommend this lodging. My biggest dig is that the lodging does not have elevators and it’s not accommodating to elderly.
Summary
I had so much fun writing this and reminiscing on my prior trips to Washington. I could have kept writing but wanted to keep it valuable. I hope if you have read this you consider visiting Washington State to visit all the beauty it has to offer. It won’t take much convincing to get me back up there! If I had to plan a short trip for someone it would include Mt. Rainier, a stay at Paradise Inn, a visit to the Summit Restaurant, and Mt. Rainier Cherries if you’re there in the summer. Till my next venture...heres other photos from my trips for fun!
Adri
