Visiting Olympic, Mt Rainier and North Cascade NPs

[diversey]

I have planned to visit Olympic, Mt Rainier and North Cascade NPs first time soon. Could you please share your visiting experience in those 3 NPs? I plan to bring my 4x5 Ebony SW or Tachihara camera with me, maybe also Rolleiflex. Thanks!

[nolindan]

Bring rain gear. Lots of rain gear. Bring towels to dry the gear off after a shoot. I've visited the area a half dozen times. They claim there are mountains on the Olympic peninsula - I've never seen them. Ditto the Cascades - wait, the rain did stop for one morning and I did see some mountains, but then the clouds rolled in again. I once saw Mt. Rainier from Seattle on a business trip, but never up close - only an up close view of rain interrupted by periods of drizzle (they don't call it Rain-ier for nothing).

The Hoh valley rain forest on the Olympic peninsula is worth visiting - what the heck, may as well revel in all that rain.

After all that advice, you will probably be blessed with sun, cobalt blue sky and puffy clouds.

[Drew Wiley]

Hard to say about weather. Everything is all screwed up these days. There's been record high temps this past week even in the Northwest. But yes, always have a raincoat in your daypack, along with a dry sweater. Also a waterproof darkcloth or umbrella, plus extra plastic bags for both your camera gear as well as any garments in your daypack. Footwear and pants can also get very wet very fast.

Many places outside the NP's per se require a Northwest Pass for parking or camping. You can either acquire this in advance online or pick one up at a local Forest Service station during normal business hours. All these areas are close to Seattle, so you might want to avoid weekend traffic coming from that direction. Snowstorms can arrive by the end of Sept or even sooner; so plan for that too when driving high, or especially if out on a hike in the mountains. Never second guess the weather. And it's easy to get lost in the fog up on the ridges if you don't have a map and remember trail intersections. Weather can change rapidly. But all three areas, and quite a bit in between, can be magical photographically. Don't forget the beaches in Olympic NP.

[earlnash]

Olympics - Lake Quinault has a nice lodge and campgrounds, right on the edge of the rain forest. Drive the coast, from Klaloch to Forks.
Mt. Rainier - anywhere will get you great views. The campgrounds are moving to first-come, first-serve, and will be closing mid-October, depending on the weather and altitude.
N. Cascades - drive the mountain highway SR 2, from west to east. There are accommodations and campgrounds along the way.

Some of the clearest views of the mountains (at least from Seattle) are in the winter, late Dec to Feb.

Have fun !

[Leszek Vogt]

Just drove over Cascades (Rte 20) and really liked the turquoise water of Diablo Lake. No rain to be seen, but after mid Sept that may change....and it's relevant to all 3 places. Mt Rainy can be great from several places....some are wonderful to hike in. Olympic NP requires lots of time to explore and if you picked the rainy season....well, that might be what you
get....it's something I'd do in Aug to early Sept.

Couple of recent examples....the second one is from Olympic (near Queets camground). Mt Rainy (from Tipsoo Lake) was taken in mid July. Yes, it had 6-12" of snow....but not after all the heat waves.
230763
230764

Being NP's, they are all different and special.

[Robert Opheim]

Right now its not a good time. There is a lot of smoke in the air. By Monday it should be better. Like everywhere else photography is a day to day image finding occurrence - lighting changes etc. I have taken photographs in the Olympic Peninsula and Rain-forest - and Cascades highway 2, highway 90, North Cascade highway 20 and Mount Baker highway. All are wonderful. You just need to find the image. Happy hunting! It does rain - more often overcast, but not so often this time of year.

[diversey]

Thank everyone for your information and suggestions! Any suggestions for moderate hiking trails?

[domaz]

Check the various National Park webcams before you go to plan your trip accounting for current conditions. I.e. here is the Mount Rainier webcam (https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/view.htm?id=81B46307-1DD8-B71B-0B72918A4B2EB790). Foggy as of this moment but it may clear out later in the day. For Hikes this is what I would recommend- noting that "Moderate" hiking in Washington might be considered "Difficult" back East.

1. Mt Rainier- If the forecast is calling for clear skies head up to Paradise and to Panorama Point, classic hike in this park. If you have the energy do the Skyline loop trail. If it's not clear head up to Comet Falls if you like waterfall shots- get to the trailhead early though! It's very hard to get a spot there, but well worth it if you do. From Comet Falls you can continue up to Van Trump Park which is a great destination as well. Another favorite of mine for photography is the Tatoosh Ridge trail accessible from Reflection Lakes, and the Snow Lake trail. All amazing pristine destinations.

2. Olympics- Like the North Cascades this is a huge park, and kind of hard to recommend without knowing where your accommodations are. But the Hurricane Hill trail accessible from Hurricane Ridge cannot be missed IMO. Or if you don't mind up a drive up an alpine gravel road then Grand Ridge accessible from Deer Park. If you have time for backpacking, a trip to Home Lake (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/home-lake) is well worth it.If you go to the beaches (a substantial drive, even from Port Angeles) Rialto Beach is the most accessible and quite nice, but Shi Shi Beach is probably the best, but an even longer drive on a different highway.

3. For the North Cascades the most accessible prettiest trail I've found is the Heather - Maple Pass Loop (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/maple-pass) just off Highway 20. Quite amazing. Cascade Pass (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/sahale-arm) in fall is probably the cream of the crop though, but it requires dedication to get too (long gravel road).

[diversey]

Thanks for your information! Very helpful!


Check the various National Park webcams before you go to plan your trip accounting for current conditions. I.e. here is the Mount Rainier webcam (https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/view.htm?id=81B46307-1DD8-B71B-0B72918A4B2EB790). Foggy as of this moment but it may clear out later in the day. For Hikes this is what I would recommend- noting that "Moderate" hiking in Washington might be considered "Difficult" back East.

1. Mt Rainier- If the forecast is calling for clear skies head up to Paradise and to Panorama Point, classic hike in this park. If you have the energy do the Skyline loop trail. If it's not clear head up to Comet Falls if you like waterfall shots- get to the trailhead early though! It's very hard to get a spot there, but well worth it if you do. From Comet Falls you can continue up to Van Trump Park which is a great destination as well. Another favorite of mine for photography is the Tatoosh Ridge trail accessible from Reflection Lakes, and the Snow Lake trail. All amazing pristine destinations.

2. Olympics- Like the North Cascades this is a huge park, and kind of hard to recommend without knowing where your accommodations are. But the Hurricane Hill trail accessible from Hurricane Ridge cannot be missed IMO. Or if you don't mind up a drive up an alpine gravel road then Grand Ridge accessible from Deer Park. If you have time for backpacking, a trip to Home Lake (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/home-lake) is well worth it.If you go to the beaches (a substantial drive, even from Port Angeles) Rialto Beach is the most accessible and quite nice, but Shi Shi Beach is probably the best, but an even longer drive on a different highway.

3. For the North Cascades the most accessible prettiest trail I've found is the Heather - Maple Pass Loop (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/maple-pass) just off Highway 20. Quite amazing. Cascade Pass (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/sahale-arm) in fall is probably the cream of the crop though, but it requires dedication to get too (long gravel road).

[Vaughn]

And if you happen to passing through eastern Washington and the coulee country, the drive from Coulee Dam south to Dry Falls is great.

And Dry Falls probably will not be 105F like it was the last time I was there! But if you get tired of greenery, the coulee country is a semi-strange place to wander around. I came across acres of tin cans once.

Branches, Dry Falls, Washington
4x10 Carbon Print

Umatilla Rock, Dry Falls, WA
8x10 Pt/pd Print

[Peter De Smidt]

I enjoyed some short walks around the Hurricane Ridge area.

[diversey]

Thanks Vaughn and Peter for your suggestions!

[DavidFisk]

The good thing about rainy, foggy, overcast, etc is, if shooting color, that there are no really harsh shadows. However, it also means that you just gotta have a warming filter, 81B or C. Otherwise, your image will come out annoyingly blue that your eyes won't see through the gg.
Wish I could join you there.

[diversey]

Thanks for your tips. I shot several outdated Portra 160 4x5 films and haven’t developed them. During our visit last week, weather was very nice.


The good thing about rainy, foggy, overcast, etc is, if shooting color, that there are no really harsh shadows. However, it also means that you just gotta have a warming filter, 81B or C. Otherwise, your image will come out annoyingly blue that your eyes won't see through the gg.
Wish I could join you there.

[diversey]

Visited Olympic, North Cascades and Mt. Rainier National Parks in the early October 2022. Storm King Mount trail is the hardest hiking trail I have ever done, 2 miles straight incline and 2 miles straight decline. North Cascades is beautiful, but forest fires and smoke would not allow us to do anything in Diablo lake area. Stayed in National Park Inn in Mt Rainier National Park. Mt Rainier looks so pretty from hotel window and porch during sunrise and sunset.
Below is a short video I made on my iPhone iMove. Thank you all for your tips and suggestions again!
https://youtu.be/BDqCcFaEs3M

[Peter De Smidt]

Great video!

[diversey]

Thanks, Peter! When we were visiting Olympic NP, Hurricane Ridge was temporarily closed for road repair. Missed it.


Great video!