Adventurous Pacific Northwest Road Trip | Washington, Oregon, & Idaho

I’m guessing you’re here because you’re adventurous too. You probably don’t have much vacation time. And you likely are a fan of road trips.

Well, welcome. Me too. I work with the flights I can get, and I work with a PACKED schedule. But, if you’re here looking for ideas of things to do – don’t worry, it’ll all be listed for you too.

I’m working to visit all 50 states. Maybe not anytime soon, but it will happen eventually. I was looking at where to use my flight credit left over from well, the pandemic, and Seattle was my best bet. I’m not a big city gal. I can enjoy traveling the occasional city, but I much prefer to be able to get out into nature and small towns. That’s where the heart of the state lies.

OVERVIEW OF THE ITINERARY:

Day 1: Seattle —> Olympic National Park, Mt. Ellinor

Day 2: Olympic National Park: Rialto Beach & Mt. Storm King —> Portland

Day 3: Portland (and across all of Oregon) —> Boise, Idaho

Day 4: Idaho Hot Springs (3 of them!) & Boise, Idaho

Day 5: Leavenworth, Washington

Day 6: North Cascades National Park

Day 7: Kangaroo Farm & Snoqualmie —> Seattle

Naturally, Washington state is filled with national and state parks. It has nature and a massive city scene that lies in Seattle. But I was looking at the national parks. Well, I didn’t want to spend all my time in these parks. So, I thought, where else can I go? Obviously, the Oregon coast is incredible, but if I did the Oregon coast, I would want to go the Redwoods in Northern California.

I tried and tried to make it work, but I eventually thought – that’s for another trip. I knew I still wanted to see Oregon and it was only a couple of hours from Seattle. But, that would leave Idaho all alone for another trip, and I wasn’t quite sure if that was worth an entire trip. SPOILER ALERT: IT IS.

So, I embarked on creating an unforgettable road trip through Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Here’s how it went:

DAY 1: Seattle —> Olympic National Park: Mt. Ellinor

We arrived into Seattle in the morning and immediately went to get our rental car. This was at the other, smaller, airport. There is apparently a shortage of rental cars right now. Since I was nice on the phone with the company when they told me I might not get a car, they actually ended up bumping me up and the list and giving me a free upgrade!

So, we got our car and set straight for Olympic National Park. This is about a 2 hour drive to the East side of the park. Hotels were also all booked up so we just figured it would be easiest to stay in Olympia, where that wasn’t a problem. We drove around the little peninsula coming from Seattle and stopped at a Walmart.

PRO TIP FOR SAVING MONEY: Stop at a Walmart and get all the snacks and things you will need! This could include road trip snacks, on-the-go meals, hygiene products, or even clothes! We also decided to just eat from the hot bar there to save time and $$$.

We then headed to Olympic National Park. You DO NOT need a park pass for Olympic! The park is so huge that there is no formal entrance (at least on the main ring that circles it!). We drove down through Hoodsport, WA and around Lake Cushman. This leads to the Mt. Ellinor Trailhead.

Mt. Ellinor Trail

Mt. Ellinor is a long drive straight uphill, but wow, it’s so worth it. There were only 2 other cars when we pulled in, and we were essentially above the clouds! And yes, at the end of May, there was snow.

We hiked straight uphill through the classic tall, super green forest – and right into the snow. Thankfully, my travel friend brought contraptions for this! When I say snow, I mean, even the experienced hikers in front of us had to turn around.

Because the trail was straight uphill, it got snowier and snowier as you went. And then we were really in the clouds. There were FEET of snow, and as Tennessee gals, this was incredible to us. We hiked as far as we could, and then we frolicked in the snow – really taking it all in.

There was so much snow, we built a little snowman for the next hikers to see, and we headed back down. We went as far as we could go, but we realized it was way over our skill lever – so please know your strengths and weaknesses!! I will say, however, that the view is supposed to be incredible if you go in the summer.

Don’t sleep on this trail! It is not crowded, and it is everything that you think of when you think about Washington. It was a great first day in Olympic National Park, and it was time to head back down.

Lake Cushman/Hoodsport, WA

As you head back down the mountain, you drive along Lake Cushman, and it’s honestly gorgeous. It looks like a beautiful summer getaway destination where people put their vacation homes. Not too far after you pass Lake Cushman, you’ll enter into Hoodsport (you also get a view of this on your way in to get ideas of what you want to do after!).

Hoodsport is honestly a very cute town, and it sits alongside the Hood Canal. It’s incredibly beautiful. We stopped there to get some souvenirs since we didn’t know where we would have time to stop. They had a cute strip on the main road that had a bright yellow souvenir-type shop, as well as a gift and liquor store. If we weren’t so tired and had more time…they even had a distillery and winery on the same little strip!

Also, now that I’m thinking about it, they also had a little place to eat on the corner where the sign reads: “Burgers Teriyaki Ice Cream.” Interesting combo, but the place is called Burger Stand if you want to tell me how it is.

We headed straight to Olympia after. We didn’t even really realize that Olympia is the capital, so upon driving in, we actually drove past so many beautiful buildings and even the state capitol building. Our hotel was even on the water. We were so exhausted after traveling all day and hiking that we literally got Wendy’s for dinner and went straight to sleep. But, please note that there are lots of cute places to eat and drink on the downtown strip!

DAY 2: Olympic National Park: Rialto Beach & Mt. Storm King —> Portland

The next day, we woke up super not bright but super early to head all the way to the west coast. We drove to Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park at the crack of dawn to finally touch our toes in the Pacific Ocean.

The fastest route was on the south side of the park, all around the loop. We only made one stop and that was at “Big Cedar Tree.” I would try to explain where that is, but apparently there are a lot of “Big Cedar Tree”’s.

That’s when we made it to our first stop: Forks. Yes, the location of Twilight. It was honestly hilarious the way they really leaned into the theme that they know people come there for. The Visitor Center of Forks had pictures of Edward, Bella, and Jacob in the window.

When you get towards the side of town that leads to La Push, there is a “Treaty Line” that says no vampires allowed. There is a sign that shows the vampire threat level of the day. It’s really quite fun to see.

Rialto Beach

We then headed towards La Push/Rialto Beach. The drive there is pretty, but the rocky west coast is beautiful. There is a short hike alongside the coast on Rialto Beach that leads to the “Hole-in-the-Wall.” It is a massive rock with a hole in it that you can walk through.

The whole hike there is on the beach. Wear the right shoes! We wore Chacos, but even that was hard at times. The sand is quite rocky and very uneven. But, we still did it! We wanted to walk partly in the water, so those were the ideal shoes for us. But, it was quite the workout.

We took pictures on the rocky shore, hiked along the beach, and my friend even got in the Pacific Ocean. This hike was crowded for sure. This is definitely one of the more popular areas to go, but if you get there early, it’s better! The parking is crowded, but again, if you get there early you can find a spot. And they have a bathroom there!

Mt. Storm King

After we were done with that hike, we drove to Mt. Storm King. The trailhead was a little confusing, but after driving around for a bit, we found it. It drops you off in a large parking lot/campground-looking area. We thought the trailhead was by the ranger station, but we drove off to the left instead and parked near a little trail to Lake Crescent (named something like “Moments in Time” on Google Maps).

It was way less crowded and a short walk to the trailhead. If you see the little cabins, the exact opposite direction is where you will find the trailhead. There are no distinct Mt. Storm King signs, but if you start at the Marymere Falls trailhead, you will eventually (one way leads under a bridge!) come to the fork where you start hiking straight up the Mt. Storm King trail.

When I say straight up, I mean STRAIGHT UP. I was not prepared. The entire hike is uphill, and the end of the hike requires that you climb up the side of a mountain entirely covered in dirt. This part utilizes a rope and this rope is used for people to climb up AND down. The same rope.

I opted out of this part. Hey, maybe that makes me a bad travel blogger, but I just couldn’t trust the rope. Groups had to shout up and down to each other so that the people coming up didn’t run into the people coming down and vice versa. It was quite entertaining to watch – my friend did the rope part and got an incredible view out of it, and I got to sit, get some sun, and people watch while hoping no one fell.

The Drive to Portland

After the hike, it was time to get on the road. We had a super long drive to Portland and we had been up since before the sun. The hike down the mountain was obviously much quicker. We finally realized why we were seeing so many people running down the trail – gravity forces you to move much quicker sometimes than you might want.

After making it back to the car, I wondered down a short, grassy trail that led right to the shore of Lake Crescent. Lake Crescent is pretty famous (for both beauty and scary reasons), but nonetheless it has the clearest blue-green water.

The mountains surrounding the lake were like nature’s skyscrapers that I had just climbed and seen the water from a distance. If you don’t have time to hike, definitely still stop at Lake Crescent.

After a brief lost phone mishap, we were making our way towards Portland – but not without a pit stop at McDonald’s in Port Angeles for a quality meal after hiking for hours that day. The drive to Portland was about 4 and a half hours from Mt. Storm King. We stayed in a not-so-nice hotel right at the state line, but hey it was a bed to sleep in. We arrived late that night, got our stuff in the hotel, and crashed before hitting the road early as usual.

DAY 3: Portland (and across all of Oregon) —> Boise, Idaho

The next day, we started our morning with the sweetest breakfast at Voodoo Doughnuts. We hit the one that was in a downtown area since it was on our way to our next destination. Ever since seeing pictures of both the donuts and the locations, I’ve wanted to try these and they did not disappoint.

With almost too many options to choose from, I finally decided on the Old Dirty Bastard (yes, their names are exceptionally creative). I could eat sweets at any time of day so it was perfect for me, but if you want a more tame donut, they have those too!

Multnomah Falls

After some fun morning fuel, we drove on over to Multnomah Falls. Let me warn you: this attraction is CROWDED. The parking is extremely limited, so I would recommend getting there early. Even 9am was super packed. Now, we were only seeing the main falls, where there are literally workers directing traffic and managing the small parking area.

There is a gift shop, restroom, and accessible paths at the falls; however, everything is completely free if you don’t buy anything. Simply walk up and enjoy the picturesque bridge in front of the towering waterfall – and if you have time, hike up and walk across the bridge! If you get to Multnomah Falls at the perfect time, you will easily be able to get a spot in the parking lot, quickly see the attraction, and be on your way.

The flow of the parking lot is good for this, because most people aren’t staying here for hours. It might take a couple tries of passing the parking lot, but if you make friends with the parking lot attendant, they might get you right on in!

Lavender Valley Farms

After our brief visit to the falls, we drove around 50 minutes to Lavender Valley Farms. This was one of the stops we were most looking forward to before our visit. Now, we went to the farms in late May, but the lavender doesn’t really start blooming that bright purple color until mid-June. We just barely missed it in peak bloom, but we still loved it anyway.

Lavender Valley Farms is famous for their beautiful lavender fields with a stunning backdrop of the snowy mountaintop of Mt. Hood. While we loved our view of Mt. Hood even without the purple flowers, just look up pictures of this place and you will be sold, especially if you make your trip during summer. Even before bloom, the symmetrical rows of flowers with the faintest hint that they will become lavender is still so inviting.

When you go, don’t skip out on stopping into the bright purple trailer that holds their shop. The workers were SO nice and friendly to every person that walked in, and they let us taste their many flavors of jam and test out the different products with the lavender scent. Make sure you buy a couple products and support this small business that has created an amazing avenue for enjoying the beauty of nature.

Mt. Hood

After seeing Mt. Hood from a distance the entire drive to the Lavender Valley Farms, we wanted to get closer. It seemed as if we had been inching towards it the whole time, and it looked like a too-perfect, green-screen backdrop of our pictures. We started driving south towards the mountain, but it felt like we couldn’t quite get to it. We couldn’t find that close-up view of it. It turns out that the mountain is really big for skiing! Most of the trails going up are for ski areas or for longer hikes that take you up the mountain.

It is good to know this, because if you don’t plan to spend a long amount of time here, the most you can do is drive around the mountain and see its grandness from afar. Still recommend doing that though! This mountain is incredibly tall, and it stays snowy for a long time. If you can’t tell by now, snowcapped mountains are one of my favorite things to witness (especially as a Tennessean!).

Road Trip through Oregon

Next, I had big plans for us to make multiple stops on our drive across the state of Oregon. I wanted to take U.S. Highway 26 across the state then south to Boise to see what looked like very unique sights. It turns out that would have added just a few too many extra hours to our drive that we just didn’t have after seeing a lot that morning. So, for now, I’ll list them here so you can go explore them!

If you have time, go to: Smith Rock State Park, the Painted Hills, the town of Mitchell, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and the town of Dayville. This land looks completely different than the eastern side of Oregon – it looks like a desert, and a partly colorful desert, mixed with old western towns. Definitely a must-see and something different than what people portray Oregon as.

Don’t get me wrong, I am dying to see more of Oregon, especially the Oregon coast. But I would need more time than what we had, so that is just a different story altogether. If you are road tripping to Boise, however, you should make time to explore that different side of Oregon, the deserted side.

Central Oregon Highway

While we didn’t get to do the original plan, we still drove probably around 7 hours getting to Boise, making minimal stops along the way. We drove along the Central Oregon Highway. When we finally did make our first proper stop, we stopped in a town called Burns and asked for a dinner recommendation from a local.

He suggested going to a place called Central Pastime, and it was your classic dive bar/saloon. It looked completely western, and it was both restaurant/bar. We sat at the bar, got us a beer, and ordered some delicious grub. I got the “broasted” wings, and yes, I also had to ask what they were.

They are a mid-western classic, where the wings are both broiled and roasted. They were amazing, and you can’t forget getting the fries with the famous fry sauce. After this, we were back on the road for a few more hours as we entered into Boise at sunset. The remainder of the drive getting into Idaho only got prettier as the mountains started showing back up, and we saw streams of water and vast canyons and valleys.

Knowing we only had limited time in Boise, I took a short drive around the city to just get a feel for it and see what was going on. It wasn’t a crazy or loud city, but it still looked vibrant and awake at night. For some reason, I had just gotten there and I already loved it.

DAY 4: Idaho Hot Springs (3 of them!) & Boise, Idaho

The next day, you already know it, we were up bright and early. We had to make the most of our one day in Idaho!! Now, I had messed up again and over-anticipated what we could in that one day. That’s something I am usually so good about researching beforehand. But, after staying up way too late trying to pivot the plan and come up with something that would work better, we finally settled on choosing our top three hot springs in feasible distance.

Originally, I had planned quite a few more hot springs, some that I even tried so hard to still make possible, but that just means I have to go back, right? Our original plan was to take the day road tripping up north through Idaho, stopping at as many attractions as possible along the way.

Well, I didn’t realize just how far that would be and how much we would have to miss just trying to simultaneously make stops and get to our final destination of Coeur d’Alene. So, we adjusted and still had a seriously amazing day.

After waking up in the morning, we set out from Boise towards the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Route. As you get farther along this road, be prepared to not have service for a significant portion of the drive! Also, since hot springs are wildly popular in this area of Idaho, I’m really happy we started at our farther point.

Boat Box Hot Springs

All 3 hot springs were on the same highway. We started out at the furthest one so we could slowly make our way back to Boise throughout the day. Boat Box Hot Springs is nearly a 3-hour drive from Boise, but like the road is named, it is definitely the scenic route.

Idaho will surprise you in the best way as you drive the curvy mountain roads. The drive isn’t long in miles, but the winding roads make it difficult to drive fast (and not get sick!).

The town right before getting to Boat Box is Stanley, Idaho. When you feel like you’ve hit the middle of nowhere, you drive right up to a clearing with a massive snowcapped mountain range and almost a tourist town with rustic cabins and cute shops and cafes. We were able to stop and get our souvenirs there! We definitely talked about wanting to rent a cabin there someday and be so close to the incredible mountain views and hot springs.

Take a left at the intersection, drive a little ways, and you will see a small pull off where there will likely already be cars. You’ve made it! Once you are there, you can walk in the little man-made pools next to it, or you can climb into the boat box.

If you want the iconic picture, you have to get in – it’s worth it. The water is piping hot, but on a cold day, or even a warm day, it is relaxing and you might even meet some fun new friends who are also enjoying a not-so-common destination.

Sacajawea Hot Springs

Next, drive an hour back from where you came and stop at Sacajawea Hot Springs. This is much more off the beaten path. Really, it is at least a 15-minute drive from the main scenic route on very bumpy, gravel roads – be prepared with your car! Now, while Boat Box feels more touristy, Sacajawea Hot Springs felt more like locals and local campers coming to enjoy the warm water with their families close to their cabins or campsites.

Pulling up, you will need to park on the side of the road, making the dirt road a one way. This is normal, but be mindful of how much space you leave people! Then, you will hike down a somewhat steep incline down to the multiple pools of hot springs that are again, essentially man made.

The boiling, hot water streams out from the mountain and from the earth. People have just created little pools using rocks to keep the warm water in – a stark contrast from the absolutely freezing water in the river.

Please, please be careful when walking around the water that is literally just coming from the earth. It is boiling hot, and it will burn you. Make sure you wear some type of shoes in the water (Chaco’s for me) to protect your feet just in case. But, find a spot that your body can tolerate and get to soaking. Oh, and make sure to enjoy those views of the river running through the mountains right from the hot spring pools.

Bonneville Hot Springs

We had a couple more options of where to go for our final hot spring, and we were pretty set on going to Kirkham Hot Springs. But, like I said, just getting to talk to people who are more local to the area, they convinced us to go to Bonneville Hot Springs.

They were so right, and I’m so glad we didn’t miss this one. It is located in what I think was a state park or campground of some sort. This being said, make sure you have money to park your car there! I think it was only $5 or donation based to help keep the grounds maintained.

Once you pull all the way to the back of the campground, you will see signs for the hot springs. It is a short hike through some wooded forests, but then it opens up to a clearing where you will see the hot springs down below. They successively get farther from the source of the boiling water, and they are in perfect circles along the side of the river.

There was only one couple there when we arrived, so we got to take plenty of pictures and just fully submerge in the warm water. That is the one hot spring I could have stayed in the entire day and been so content.

Once you are getting ready to leave, check out the little wooden shed at the top of the hill. Inside, there is a bathtub full of water that drains out the pools you are sitting in. Unless you are totally immune to the heat, do not get in!! It WILL burn you if you are in there for too long.

Other Hot Springs – On My Bucket List for Next Time

Do you remember when I said I had way too many plans for our time in Idaho? Well, I had a very long list, and you can check these out more on other blogs or websites. My very top must-do next time I go there is Goldbug Hot Springs. This is one you have to hike to – but it sits at the top of a mountain with incredible views!! This is quite a far drive from Boise (again, in time not miles), but if you have time please go and send me pictures!

Other hot springs along the route back to or from Boise would Kirkham Hot Springs, Pine Flat Hot Springs, or Rocky Canyon Hot Springs. So many options to choose from!

Boise

We made our way back to Boise in the afternoon after changing in some of those classic, hole-in-the-ground toilet, campground bathrooms. Did you know that Idaho has a wine valley? I sure didn’t. And it is massive. I want to say there are over 50 wineries just in and around Boise alone. Well, we knew we couldn’t leave Boise without going to a winery.

Ideally, we could have made an entire day out of it, traveling to all the wine regions and visiting the beautiful wineries. But, with limited vacation time, we took what we could get and stopped at a winery right along the river in downtown Boise. It is called Telaya Wine Co., and it was 10/10 on vibe, friendliness, and aesthetic – oh, and wine. All we wanted to do was try some wines, so of course we got a flight.

This winery has a walking trail along the river right outside the backyard patio – which is quite large. The patio has bar top tables and in the grass, there are chairs with umbrellas on a sunny day. If you want, you can go inside too. After this, we were heading to stay in a hotel about 4 hours and 15 minutes away, in Washington.

We needed some food after all the wine, so we stopped at an Irish restaurant a little outside of Boise. It wasn’t our favorite, so I won’t say the name, but find any good restaurant and make sure to eat a potato!!

Next, we hit the road for the 4 hour drive to Kennewick, Washington. We honestly just chose a random city that would make our drive to Leavenworth easier in the morning. The drive through Oregon was beautiful as usual, and we crashed again that night.

DAY 5: Leavenworth, Washington

The next day we woke up in Kennewick, Washington. We needed more road trip snacks, and Kennewick is a larger city, so you will have more options of where to stop. We just hit up the local Walmart and got some more clothes and snacks for the last couple of days. Because it was a closer drive in the morning, we weren’t in any rush. We drove up to Leavenworth, Washington and arrived around noon. It was a truly beautiful drive through the mountains.

If you don’t know, Leavenworth is a completely Bavarian-themed town. I dream of seeing it in the winter or at Christmas! All the building and the whole town looks like you stepped into a German fairytale town. It is also a big outdoor activities hotspot.

Icicle Ridge Trail

This is why our first stop was a hike – Icicle Ridge Trail. This is maybe 5 minutes outside of the town, and like our other hike, it wasn’t super long, but it has a big elevation gain. When we went, Leavenworth was under a heat advisory. If you go when it is over 90 degrees, make sure you pack plenty of water!! The elevation gain plus the heat will absolutely drain you.

Walking up the trail, it is majority switchbacks. Up and up you go, and as you go, you can see more and more of the town below. It gives you a great view of the town below you as you ascend up that side of the mountain. Finally reaching the top, you go along the ridge of the mountain (hence, the name), all the way to the end. It ends up on an open area giving you a 360-degree view of the town, the other mountains around you, and the river below.

Soak it in, take your pictures, and enjoy a snack. This took a little bit longer for me, because I was not handling the heat well. But it took probably around 3-4 hours total, depending on how long you stay up there.

Icicle Village Resort

Leavenworth was where we decided to splurge on our hotel for the night. While all of the hotels are more pricey due to the nature of the town being a big tourist location, we wanted to make sure we got a good place. We stayed at the Icicle Village Resort which is also on the edge of the town. It really is like a little village. It’s got a restaurant, decent-sized rooms (some with balconies), activities, a pool, and yes, free breakfast!

This was a fun place to come back to after our big hike. We checked in, got showers, and headed out for the town.

Downtown Leavenworth

We freshened up and headed out to see the shops and get some food from the cute little downtown area. In Leavenworth, go to Front Street. Front Street is where they have blocked off the road, so it is only a pedestrian area. You can walk around and stop in all the little tourist shops, walk through the little park, and stop for food or a solid German beer.

This is where you will find the Nutcracker Museum, Christmas shops that are open in any season, and a couple wineries and breweries. They have German restaurants and also ice cream shops. At night, the town lights up. Be warned: the town closes early every night because they do not want it to become a bachelorette or party town. Also, apparently drunk people will go around and break things at night.

This being said, if you’re trying to go here for a wild time – it might not be the best destination. But, there are plenty of wineries there and of course, being Bavarian-themed, there is a lot of good beer. Just make sure you start your day early!

Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery

Please keep reading! I know this sounds different, but it was actually really fun. We were attempting to go to the Icicle River Trail at sunset which is a leisurely trail along the river. I had to go back early because the sun, or the altitude, or the traveling made me feel kind of sick. After that, we wanted to keep exploring, so we headed in the direction of the Icicle River Trail.

Well, we got a little confused on how to get there, and we ended up at the Fish Hatchery. It was closed for the night, but a local happened to be walking through to the trail, and she told us all about it. I don’t remember the exact details, but she kind of walked us around and told us about how important this location was back in the day. I recommend an actual tour! The rushing water was mesmerizing.

The trail started out behind the Fish Hatchery, and we were able to get some pictures in the fields and around the area. Again, this is definitely a mountain town, and it did not disappoint. The sun dipping behind the large mountains is breathtaking no matter where you are. But, being in the quaint town that looked nothing like America and watching the sun set over the mountains made it a great evening.

We chased the sun the rest of the night, and again, the town closed early, so it was a good time to catch up on more rest. But, I actually snuck out after dark and drove through the town just to see the lights.

DAY 6: North Cascades National Park

We had incredible weather during our time in the Pacific Northwest. You always hear about or see it being rainy, rainy, and more rainy. We actually had NO rain our entire time there. We did, however, have snow. Again, being from Tennessee, this was actually extremely exciting. And we, of course, overestimated our abilities in it.

We drove to North Cascades National Park from Leavenworth. This was about a 2 hour and 45 minute drive to our destination in the park. We had been looking up recent pictures of the hike that we wanted to do on Instagram. If you go when the seasons are changing, make sure you do your research!

The temperature was well into the high 70s and low 80s, but the mountains were still covered in snow. I even wore shorts for the hike and wasn’t cold at all despite hiking through feet of snow. Anyway, the plan was to hike the 12-mile Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm Trail. Well, reading recent reviews let us know that was definitely not an option.

Blue Lake Trail

So, instead we opted for a shorter trail that didn’t have bad reviews and thought we would try it – Blue Lake Trail. We learned our lesson on that one! Driving through the park, the roads were clear and the views were stunning. We could see that the mountains were still heavily covered in snow, but we were only in the park for a day so we thought we would try.

We started out on the trail not even knowing where the actual beginning was. There was no clear path where you could see footprints in the snow. We tried anyway. We started hiking up the mountain in the general direction of the Blue Lake using Google Maps. Almost immediately, I step forward and my leg goes straight down into the ice and snow. I still have a scar to this day.

We hiked and hiked until we made it to a big clearing in the snow. It was gorgeous. There were a couple other hikers, but after they left, we basked in the still quiet of the snowy mountaintop. We knew we couldn’t keep going or it would get more dangerous.

So, we headed back down the snowy mountain. We fell a few times, got lost, but eventually made it back to the car with one heck of a good story.

North Cascades Highway

After meeting our match on the Blue Lake Trail, we weren’t too hopeful we should try another trail. But, we had the whole day ahead of us still. In North Cascades National Park, there is a main road going through the length of the park.

It is North Cascades Highway, and you can do this either from east to west (like us) or vice versa. Essentially all major hikes and sights are along this road which makes it super visitor-friendly.

Again, we started at Blue Lake Trail and headed west. We made lots of stops along the way. This included East Creek Trailhead. Now, because this trail was at a lower elevation, we were able to do it! It wasn’t long by any means, but it puts out right along the river with some pretty forest views.

The next bigger stop was at Diablo Lake Vista Point. This is a large viewpoint area that has futuristic-looking bathrooms and a vast view of the blue lake. We stopped at other points, but honestly the drive is beautiful if you’re unable to hike. But, this is definitely a hiking park!! I would highly recommend going in the summer if you want to make the most of the park.

Baker Hot Springs

Eventually, we hit the west park entrance. We tried to get a souvenir but it was closed! So we kept driving and had one more stop we wanted to make – Baker Hot Springs. Can you tell we like hot springs? This was definitely a lesser-known hot spring, and it is definitely more local. Be respectful of the area if you go!!

There wasn’t a ton of information about this on the internet, and it was quite a drive from the main highway. This is mostly because the road leading to it is called the road of 10,000 potholes. They aren’t exaggerating. If you go here, make sure you and your car are prepared!

These potholes completely cover the road and they aren’t shallow. This made the drive up much longer than it could have been – and hey, it keeps a lot of the tourists out I’m sure.

Once you arrive at the little parking lot at the top, you’ll do a short hike through the forest and arrive at the most secluded hot spring. When we got there, there were two other local couples – and be warned, this place is clothing optional!! One of the couples even had a makeshift charcuterie board on a piece of floating driftwood. The water is so warm, and the locals were so nice. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this little hidden gem.

Mt. Vernon

There aren’t many places to stay outside of North Cascades. We booked our hotel pretty last minute, so our options were even more limited. We ended up staying in Mt. Vernon, Washington. It was an interesting town, but it got us closer to our final destination of Seattle.

We ate on the patio of a restaurant that was recommended to us by our friends at the hot spring. It was Gentlemen Gene’s Pub, and the food was so good after a long day of hiking and driving. We shared the chicken strips as an appetizer and then I had fish and chips for my entree. We had the patio to ourselves and it was such a nice day outside still.

When I say this town is interesting, I mean I literally went to the gas station by myself to pick up some things and apparently there had just been an armed robbery. I literally walked in right after it and the cashier was talking to the police recounting the story. Needless to say, that was a little unexpected, but hey, we were safe and it was a place to stay for the night.

DAY 7: Kangaroo Farm & Snoqualmie —> Seattle

Sadly, our final day in Washington was here. Our main goal was to get to Seattle in time to drop off our rental car and make it to our flight. It was a late afternoon flight, so we were able to leisurely make our way back to the city and make a few stops that were low priority but ended up being really fun.

The drive from Mt. Vernon is only about an hour, so again, it left plenty of time to make our way there. Well, we couldn’t leave Washington without going to a tiny roadside coffee. We actually ended up at one where the girls wear bikinis, and we thought that was funny because it was just the first one we saw. It was called Foxy Lady Latte, and they were super nice even when we couldn’t understand how it worked.

The Outback Kangaroo Farm

After that, we went to the Outback…literally. We went to The Outback Kangaroo Farm, and it was amazing. It was just a random activity we did on our last half day, and we absolutely loved it. We arrived a little late, but they still let us join the tour group. I want to say it was about $20 to do the tour. But this included petting and feeding all the different animals. And it was SO WORTH IT.

The rest of the tour group was literally a bunch of kids and their daycare/parents. But us, adults, had just as good of a time. We got to pet so many different animals and just be kids again. Of course the most exciting part was the kangaroos, because we hadn’t experienced that before. We got to see them hop around, have their kids in their pouches, and pet them. It was the cutest experience.

After that, we got to peacocks just wandering around the property, pet donkeys, feed the mean llamas, see a Lil’ Sebastian (IYKYK), and hang out with all the animals. It was such a different activity than the rest of our trip, but it was in no way less exciting. We got some amazing pictures with the animals, and we got to learn so much about all of them.

Snoqualmie

Once it was over, it still wasn’t time for our flight. So we headed to the area of Snoqualmie. It is only about 30 minutes outside of the city of Seattle, but give yourself an hour for traffic and for getting to the airport.

This has the famous Snoqualmie Falls. Boy, this was a tourist attraction. It has designate parking, a restaurant, and plenty of paved sidewalks to see the massive falls.

It was seriously huge falls, and we didn’t spend much time there because we wanted to get a good meal before heading back to Seattle. We ended up driving into the Snoqualmie Ridge area and drove around until we saw something good to eat. This ended up being Infusion Bar and Grill.

It was pretty delicious! I got the fish and chips (yes, again), and we shared the onion rings for an appetizer, and it was WAY too big! We were getting on a plane or we definitely would have gotten a to-go box. It was definitely your typical bar and grill, but it was so good nonetheless.

Seattle Airport

Unfortunately, it was time to head back to Seattle to drop off our trusty rental car and say goodbye to Washington. We had such an amazing time there and did SO much. But actually, we didn’t see Seattle at all! The only part of Seattle we got to see was the Space Needle from a distance as we drove to the airport. But hey, that is my sign I have to go back.

This trip was truly incredible and I feel so happy to have gotten to finally experience the Pacific Northwest. It was jam-packed with so many sights and nature and activity, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks for sticking around this far if you made it – I can’t wait to write more in detail about each city/area that we visited!

More TRAVEL GUIDES:

For more inspiration for a Pacific Northwest Road Trip, go to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons | 5 Day Road Trip

For another road trip idea out west, go to Out West, USA: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas in 3 Days