We spent a week exploring Washington State’s national parks, and it turned out to be one of our favorite trips ever. From misty coastlines and tide pools to glacier-covered peaks, we saw a little bit of everything. If you’re planning a Washington State itinerary or a Pacific Northwest road trip, here’s our full day-by-day breakdown, complete with our favorite hikes and stops along the way.
Throughout this post, you’ll also see watercolor paintings inspired by the places we visited. Each one started as one of my travel photographs that I transformed into watercolor artwork. If you’d like to bring a little piece of the PNW into your home, you can shop the prints on my Etsy shop, Callaghan Collective.
Day 1: Fly into Seattle and Drive to Port Angeles
We flew from Syracuse into Seattle and could see smoke from wildfires rising into the air as we descended. The mountains were covered in a soft haze, which actually made them quite beautiful. You could see the queen herself, Mount Rainier, towering in the distance. Once we landed, we picked up our rental car and started the drive to Port Angeles.
Traffic was backed up for almost an hour for a construction sign that literally said “curing concrete,” with a bunch of workers standing around it. We finally made it to our hotel, the Red Lion Hotel, which had nice accommodations and was close to downtown. We called it a night so we’d be ready for an early start.
Day 2: Cape Flattery, Marymere Falls, and Hurricane Ridge
We woke up at 5 a.m. and headed out to Cape Flattery, the westernmost point of the lower 48 states. The second we got out of the car, we heard seals barking and got so excited. You could hear them the whole half-mile walk to the overlook, but when we got there, we realized they were on an island about half a mile offshore. Still, the views were incredible—towering cliffs, crashing waves, and forest all around.
Afterward, we stopped at Marymere Falls and Lake Crescent before grabbing lunch at Granny’s Café, which had delicious food and random emus out back. From there, we drove up Hurricane Hill (which really should be called Hurricane Mountain, that’s a long drive) for incredible panoramic views. We did a short hike at the top to Hurricane Point and Hurricane Ridge.
That evening, we explored downtown Port Angeles, had dinner at the Nextdoor Gastropub (highly recommend), walked through the shops, and got ready for another early morning. Stayed at Red Lion Hotel again.
Day 3: Rialto Beach, Hoh Rainforest, Ruby Beach, and the Tree of Life
Another early morning, and this time we drove to Rialto Beach for low tide, which is key if you want to explore. We hiked along the rocky shoreline until we came to a fast-moving river flowing into the ocean. It was deep and tricky to cross, but we found a large piece of driftwood and used it as a bridge to get across.
We kept going until we reached the Hole in the Wall rock formation. During low tide, you can walk through the arch to the other side, where the tide pools are filled with sea life. We spotted starfish and anemones everywhere, and one bright orange starfish posed perfectly in front of the arch for a photo. This beach was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
After that, we visited the Hoh Rainforest. It was crowded but beautiful, full of moss-covered trees and ferns. From there, we drove to Ruby Beach and then stopped at the Tree of Life—a massive tree that’s somehow still standing even though its roots are completely exposed.
That night we started the long five-hour drive to Mount Rainier, complete with detours for construction and wildfire closures. We made it to Ashford late and went straight to bed. We stayed at Nisqually Lodge.
Day 4: Mount Rainier – Skyline Loop Trail
Driving into Mount Rainier National Park the next morning, I already knew I was going to love it. You can see the mountain for miles before you even reach the park entrance.
We hiked the Skyline Loop Trail at sunrise, and it might be one of my favorite hikes ever. It’s about six miles round trip, the perfect length, and the uphill didn’t even feel that bad because the views were nonstop. We started counterclockwise to catch Myrtle Falls in the morning light and avoid the crowds. The trail winds up toward Mount Rainier with open views in every direction. We had clear skies, which was such a relief after worrying all week about the smoke.
After finishing the hike, we stopped at Reflection Lake and Narada Falls before driving the long way around (thanks to construction) to reach the Sunrise side of the park for the next morning’s hike.
(See the Mount Rainier Skyline Trail Watercolor Painting that came from this view—it captures that morning light perfectly.)
Day 5: Fremont Lookout Tower and the Drive North
We were up again at 5 a.m. and drove to Sunrise Point, the highest point in Mount Rainier National Park. From there, we hiked to Fremont Lookout Tower, which had glowing views of Mount Rainier the entire way up. The tower is still stocked with gear and a sleeping bag—rarely used these days, but ready if needed. Another beautiful hike, but Skyline still holds the best hike title.
Afterward, we started the drive north toward North Cascades. The wildfire smoke got thicker and soon smelled like a giant campfire. Some roads were closed because of fires, which added another two hours to the drive.
(View the Mount Rainier Morning Light Watercolor Painting I’m obsessed with Mount Rainier)
We stopped in Leavenworth, the cutest German-inspired mountain town, for lunch at Rhein Haus, and it was one of the best meals of the trip. After that, we drove on to Winthrop, another small mountain town that looked straight out of the old west, and stayed there overnight. We stayed at Sun Mountain Lodge which was a beautiful historic lodge that we unfortunately never got to see in the daylight.
Day 6: Maple Pass Loop and Diablo Lake
We (briefly lol) debated sleeping in but decided to stick with the plan and hike the Maple Pass Loop outside North Cascades National Park. It was so worth it. The trail winds up past a small lake and opens into sweeping views of mountain ridges that were just starting to show early fall colors.
After the hike, we drove through North Cascades National Park and stopped at Diablo Lake. The color of the water was unreal—bright turquoise and surrounded by pine-covered peaks. It’s a man-made lake with power lines running through it that help power Seattle, but it was still one of the prettiest spots we saw.
That night we stayed at an Airbnb in Glacier to be close to our final stop.
Day 7: Artist Point and Seattle
We woke up early again to head to Artist Point for sunrise, but it was completely fogged in. The sun peeked through a few times, but most of the mountains stayed hidden. Even though we didn’t get the view we hoped for, we couldn’t complain after such perfect weather all week (I mean, I did complain a little, but eventually got over it).
From there, we drove back to Seattle and spent the afternoon exploring Pike Place Market, got grossed out by the gum wall, and walked up to Kerry Hill Park for a view of the city—which might have been harder than some of our actual hikes. We ended the trip with dinner at The Pink Door. It’s a restaurant with no sign, just a pink door, and it ended up being one of our favorites.
Day 8: Travel Home
The next morning we had an early flight home with a quick layover in Chicago, then back to Syracuse.
Final Thoughts
I think I went into this trip with low expectations, maybe because I was worried about smoke or the long drives, but Washington completely surprised me. Every park felt different, the scenery was incredible, and Mount Rainier honestly stole the show. A lot of driving, yes, but it was worth it (I also didn’t do the driving). I can’t wait to get back and explore more of the PNW.
If you’re planning a similar trip, I have a detailed Washington National Park itinerary I can share—just send me a message on Instagram @callaghancollective.
And if you want to bring a little piece of this adventure (or any of your other adventures!) home, check out the watercolor paintings from this trip in my Etsy shop. Each one captures a spot we visited, from Rialto Beach to Mount Rainier to Diablo Lake. I have tons of National Park prints from Yellowstone, to Yosemite, Grand Tetons, over to Zion, check out my National Park prints on Etsy!
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