The crown jewel of the Cascades. Mount Rainier towers over the surrounding mountains and stands tall even from hundreds of miles away. Just a couple hours from Seattle, Rainier (along with the Olympics) is usually on the bucket list of Washington visitors. Rainier is my most visited place in Washington – I’ve been to Rainier…
Many people flock to the national parks during the summer months. Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park are so popular in the summer months that hundreds of shuttles run daily to ferry people around the main areas of the parks. However, the perfect time to visit Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park is during the…
Easy Pass is an “off the highway, up the pass” sort of hike on the east side of North Cascades National Park. The trail really shouldn’t be named “Easy” Pass as steep graded incline awaits you for most of the trail. This was an overnight trip for me and since it was short at just…
Summer is always a great time for exploration and adventure. Unfortunately, many people have the same idea and that leads to crowded destinations. I’ve been spending a lot of time near Mount Ranier but usually the least crowded places are the ones furthest away, so I decided to look further. For this, I decided to…
Nature is always full of surprises. The day started with heavy overcast skies and the forecast didn’t look great either. The previous day was totally rained out so we didn’t have high hopes for the second day. We got up early and planned to do a morning hike at Obstruction Point before wrapping up the…
This year marks the 38th anniversary of the last major eruption of Mount St. Helens. 38 years since the northern face of Mount St. Helens was blown apart, much of the surrounding valley is still recovering as nature slowly reclaims the scorched earth created by the eruption. Last week I made a short one night…
The curiously-named Lake Twentytwo is the center of an oasis of alpine wetland nestled on the northern shoulder of Mount Pilchuck. The hike to the lake combines the best of mountain rainforests, old-growth, wetlands, and mountain views, yet it is readily accessible. In winter the route lends itself to snowshoeing. –WTA.org As Spring ushers in…
Artist Point is an interesting location, it’s only open a few months of the year when it’s not buried in tens of feet of snow. I’ve been meaning to head back up to the North Cascades but it’s always been a decision between a < 2 hour drive to Mt. Ranier versus 3+ hours to…
Glacier Basin and Emmons Moraine are both easy/moderate trails that start near the White River Campground at Mount Ranier National Park. The trail begins at the far end of the White River Campground. Limited parking is available in the ‘climber / picnic’ parking lot as well as along the side of the road. The two…
Mount Washington is a moderate trail a short distance from Seattle just past North Bend. I made a day trip early Saturday morning to check it out. The trail was easy to find, take exit 38 off I90 and make the first right. You’ll quickly see a sign for Ollalie State Park, the John Wayne…