Mountains, Ocean and Rainforests, all in one Epic State!
During our visit to Washington, we explored the incredible Olympic National Park, crossed Puget Sound by ferry, and spent time at Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market. Olympic National Park was easily one of the highlights of the trip — the variety of landscapes packed into one park is hard to beat.
This trip took place in July 2023.
To see our whole adventure – check out our vlog:
Note – this picks up on Day 12 of our trip. To see the parts in California, click HERE … and in Oregon, click HERE.
- Day 12: Astoria to Lake Quinault
- Day 13: Lake Quinault to Hoh Rainforest to Kalaloch
- Day 14: Kalaloch to Sol Duc
- Day 15: Sol Duc to Lake Crescent
- Day 16: Lake Crescent to Seattle
Day 12 – Astoria to Lake Quinault
Today was our first day in Washington — our kids’ 40th state!
Before heading into Olympic National Park, we stocked up on groceries since food options inside the park are pretty limited. After one more quick basketball stop for the kids, we officially hit the road.
Our first stop was Cape Disappointment. The name dates back to the late 1700s, though there are conflicting stories about exactly why. One version says a British explorer was searching for a bay but instead found the mouth of the Columbia River and couldn’t enter it. Another says he couldn’t find the river at all. Either way, he was apparently very disappointed. We explored the bunkers, stopped by the visitor center, and checked out the lighthouse before driving over to the North Head Lighthouse.
The walk to the lighthouse was short, and even without climbing to the top, the coastal views were incredible. You could pay to go inside, but it required cash and closed-toe shoes — which two of us did not have.
From there, we continued toward Lake Quinault, stopping in South Bend for lunch. I had bookmarked Betzy’s Mexican Restaurant ahead of time in case the timing worked out, and I’m so glad it did. It was a tiny hole-in-the-wall spot with amazing, inexpensive food. We grabbed a picnic table overlooking the bay and had one of those unexpectedly perfect travel lunches. There was also a great coffee shop in the same parking lot — plus the “World’s Largest Oyster.”
By late afternoon we arrived at Rain Forest Resort Village, our home for the night. It definitely wasn’t modern, but it had two bedrooms, chairs overlooking the lake, and a peaceful setting right in the middle of the rainforest. After nearly two weeks together nonstop, the extra space was appreciated by everyone.
Even though the hotel was a little run down, it ended up being one of my favorite stays of the trip. Sitting by the lake surrounded by enormous trees and complete quiet made for such a relaxing evening.
Originally, we planned to drive the full loop around Lake Quinault, but by this point we were tired of being in the car and decided to stick to a few waterfalls closer to the hotel. It ended up being the right call.
Our first stop was Merriman Falls, which was beautiful and easy to access right from the road.
Next was Bunch Falls, another waterfall where you could climb around on the rocks nearby. These were honestly some of the best waterfalls we saw on the trip. There’s no cell service in this area, so I’d recommend writing down directions or mileage ahead of time — we were convinced we had missed Bunch Falls at one point.
Before dinner, we stopped by Lake Quinault Lodge, which was absolutely stunning. If you get the chance to stay there, it looks incredible. We wandered around the property, played some lawn games, and tried not to get too jealous before heading back to our hotel — which, to be fair, had a very similar view for a fraction of the price.
For dinner, we grabbed takeout from Salmon House Restaurant right next to our hotel. One thing we quickly learned inside Olympic National Park: many places don’t have microwaves or fridges. We had packed microwave meals assuming we’d be able to heat them up somewhere… not the case. Thankfully we at least had a cooler and access to ice.
After dinner, we took a walk along the lake and saw some enormous trees before calling it a night.
Day 13 – Lake Quinault to Hoh Rainforest to Kalaloch
We got up early and headed to the Hoh Rainforest, about a 1.5-hour drive from Lake Quinault. At this point — day 13 of the trip — another long drive wasn’t exactly exciting, but if Olympic National Park is your main destination, it really isn’t bad at all.
Getting there early turned out to be a great decision because by later in the day, the line to enter the park was incredibly long.
We got parked quickly and headed out on the Hoh River Trail. Our original plan was to hike as far as we felt like and stop for lunch along the way, but after seeing all the signs about keeping food in bear-proof containers, we decided not to bring our lunch on the trail. It probably would have been fine, but we didn’t want to risk it.
Instead, we hiked about 5 miles out and back in total, which ended up being perfect. The full trail stretches nearly 18 miles into the park and is popular for backpacking, so you can really make it whatever length you want.
This ended up being one of our favorite hikes in Olympic National Park. The rainforest feels almost unreal — everything is covered in moss, the trees are enormous, and every shade of green imaginable surrounds you. The river was unbelievably clear, and the entire trail felt quiet and peaceful compared to some of the more crowded areas of the park.
On the way back, we finally got some rain, which honestly just added to the experience. If you’re hiking in a rainforest, getting rained on feels appropriate.
After finishing the hike, we ate lunch at the picnic area and then decided to do the Hall of Mosses trail as well. It’s short, crowded, and very popular — but absolutely worth it. We spotted banana slugs, wandered through massive moss-covered trees, and completely understood why it’s one of the park’s most famous trails.
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That evening we headed to Kalaloch Lodge, where we stayed in one of the cabins overlooking the beach. The setting was incredible. We spent the evening playing on the beach, building a driftwood dam, and watching the waves.
For dinner, we bought hot dogs, buns, and s’mores supplies from the small lodge store. Everything was overpriced, but with no fridge or microwave again, we didn’t have many options. There was a shared firepit overlooking the ocean, and honestly, it could not have been more perfect. We roasted hot dogs and s’mores while watching the sunset over the beach.
The lodge also had boogie boards available to borrow, so my husband and older son spent some time in the water while the rest of us stayed warm near the fire.
It ended up being one of those simple travel evenings that you remember forever.
Day 14 – Kalaloch to Sol Duc
Before leaving Kalaloch in the morning, we stopped at the Tree of Life, which is just a short walk from the nearby campground parking area. It’s a quick stop, but definitely worth seeing.
From there, we drove to Forks and made a few stops around town. Forks is best known as the setting for Twilight, which none of us are particularly invested in, but it was still funny seeing all the themed signs and displays around town.
One of our favorite stops of the day was John’s Beachcombing Museum. The museum is filled with items John has collected from local beaches over the past 40 years. What started as a childhood hobby slowly turned into an impressive collection — and maybe, according to John himself, “a little bit of an obsession.”
The museum was packed with everything imaginable: glass floats, bottles, toys, tsunami debris, handwritten notes found in bottles, and countless random objects washed ashore over the years. More than anything, we enjoyed talking with John and hearing the stories behind some of the items.
Afterward, we grabbed lunch in Forks. We had tacos from FYABES Mexican, which were excellent, while the kids got burgers from Sully’s Drive-In, a classic little diner nearby. Before leaving town, we made one more grocery stop to restock hot dogs and s’mores supplies since the previous night had been such a success.
On the drive to Sol Duc, we made a quick stop at Salmon Cascades. There weren’t any salmon there during our visit, but even seeing the narrow rapids they swim through was impressive.
That afternoon we checked into Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Our room was simple but cozy, with a small cabin feel and a little bench outside.
One of the perks of staying there is free access to the hot springs, so after checking in, we changed into swimsuits and ran through the rain to the pools. There’s also a large swimming pool, but even in early July the water was freezing.
The hot springs themselves were really relaxing, especially after so much hiking and driving over the previous two weeks. It was nice to have an afternoon where we didn’t feel rushed to fit in one more stop or one more trail.
That evening, in between absolute downpours of rain, my husband somehow managed to get a fire going at the shared firepit so we could make dinner. We mostly stood around eating hot dogs in the rain, laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation looked in photos. At that point in the trip, we were still carrying around microwave meals we couldn’t actually heat up anywhere, so we were committed to making the campfire dinners work.
Looking back, it’s one of the funniest memories from the trip.
Day 15 – Sol Duc to Lake Crescent
We started the morning with the hike to Sol Duc Falls, which ended up being one of our favorites of the entire trip. The trail is only about 1.6 miles round trip and relatively easy, but the scenery the entire way is beautiful.
The waterfall itself is incredible, with water rushing through narrow rock openings surrounded by lush forest. It’s one of those places that somehow looks even better in person.
Originally, we had planned a much busier day, including driving to Hurricane Ridge and hiking Hurricane Hill. But by this point in the trip, we were exhausted and honestly just didn’t want to spend more time driving.
We debated it for a while before deciding to slow down and skip a few things. While we’re still a little disappointed we missed Hurricane Ridge, I think choosing a quieter day was absolutely the right call. If you’re visiting Olympic National Park on its own and not as part of a two-week road trip, fitting everything in would be much easier.
Instead, we headed to Lake Crescent and gave ourselves permission to relax a little. We considered hiking to Marymere Falls and doing the Spruce Railroad Trail, but ultimately skipped both and rented kayaks instead.
It ended up being one of the best decisions of the trip.
The kayak rental was surprisingly affordable, and we spent a few hours taking turns paddling around the lake. The water was unbelievably blue and incredibly clear. Afterward, my husband and older son jumped into the lake while my younger son splashed around near the shore.
Lake Crescent is honestly one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been.
Our hotel was simple but really comfortable, with a small balcony and partial lake views. Since we could easily walk down to the water, we didn’t feel like we were missing out by staying somewhere less expensive.
Dinner once again became an adventure in “how do we eat without a microwave or fridge?” We made the kids sandwiches using leftovers and then got takeout from Granny’s Cafe nearby, which was delicious.
That evening, we ended the day roasting s’mores by the lake.
Day 16 – Lake Crescent to Seattle
We got up early and started the drive to Seattle. Our goal was to catch the first ferry across Puget Sound, but since we weren’t sure what the lines would look like, we gave ourselves extra time. We arrived about 30–60 minutes before boarding and made it onto the first ferry without any problems.
The ferry ride itself ended up being one of the highlights of the drive into Seattle.
Once we arrived in the city, we headed straight to Pike Place Market and spent the next few hours wandering around and eating far too much food.
Some of our favorites were Beecher’s mac and cheese, Piroshky Piroshky, Daily Dozen Doughnuts, and Rachel’s Ginger Beer. We also picked up some fresh fruit and somehow still managed to leave room for snacks later. I even found a pair of earrings I loved from one of the market vendors.
After Pike Place, we spent the afternoon driving around Seattle and stopping at a few places around the city. We visited Kerry Park for the skyline view, stopped to see the Fremont Troll, and spent a while at Gas Works Park watching planes land on the water and enjoying the views across the city.
We had a few additional stops planned, including the Amazon Go store and the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, but by that point we were getting tired. We briefly walked into Starbucks Reserve before quickly deciding expensive coffee and overstimulated kids were not a great combination.
We also made a quick stop at the REI flagship store before calling it a day.
Originally, we had planned to grab tacos for dinner, but we were still completely full from Pike Place Market, so instead we headed to the airport for our red-eye flight home — officially ending day 16 and rolling straight into day 17.
Washington Road Trip Wrap Up
Trip Wrap-Up
This trip through California, Oregon, and Washington ended up being one of our favorite adventures we’ve done as a family. From the coastline and redwoods to rainforests, mountains, waterfalls, and cities, it felt like every few days we were in a completely different landscape.
Olympic National Park was one of the biggest surprises of the trip. We loved how varied it was — beaches, rainforest, alpine scenery, lakes, and waterfalls all packed into one park. Lake Crescent, the Hoh Rainforest, and our evening at Kalaloch were some of our favorite memories from the entire trip.
By the end, we were definitely tired from all the driving and moving around, but looking back, we’re so glad we did it this way. It gave us the chance to experience so many places we had never seen before.
If you’re planning a similar trip, I’d highly recommend slowing down where you can and building in some downtime. Some of our favorite moments ended up being the unplanned ones — sitting by the lake, roasting hot dogs in the rain, or watching the sunset on the beach.
You can also read more from the other parts of this trip here:
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