How to Spend 10 Days in Washington State
How to Spend 10 Days in Washington State
A travel itinerary with Back to Our Roots-approved recommendations
Sebastian and I recently spent 10 days in Washington camping, hiking, relaxing, working, and eating. Here’s an itinerary of how we spent our days in case you’re interested in visiting the National Parks there like we did.
Portland, Oregon
After spending a few days in Skamania, Washington, Sebastian met me in Portland where we embarked on our Washington adventures. Our first stop? Mount Rainier National Park.
Before heading out, we stopped at Pasture PDX in Portland’s Alberta neighborhood. Leave it up to me to find the best local spots with the highest quality ingredients! We picked up The Grind and a Rueben to split for lunch and The Classic and a Tillamook to enjoy for dinner at our campsite.
And, if you appreciate a good cup of coffee, matcha, or hoijicha like I do, check out Electrica.
After filling our bellies with good food, we gathered some groceries for our camping at Natural Grocers. A few things that always hit the spot while camping:
eggs and bacon for breakfast
peanut butter and jellies for lunch
sourdough crackers and raw cheddar
s’mores with alter eco grass-fed milk chocolate and Pamela’s graham crackers (the first ingredient is butter- don’t skip on these)
coconut water for electrolytes
Stumptown cold brew and organic, grass-fed half-and-half
Mount Rainier National Park
We arrived at our campsite in Mount Rainier National Park after a 3ish hour drive from Portland. While it was already dark, we were able to setup our tent, eat our sandwiches, and fall asleep to the soothing sound of the raging river.
Campgrounds
The first and last night we stayed in Ohanapecosh, a campsite along the river, located in between the Paradise and Sunrise entrances of the park. The bathrooms were clean, the sites were well-maintained, and the other campers were respectful. Make sure you try to get a reservation ahead of time- the sites fill up fast!
We had reservations for Friday and Sunday, but not Saturday. Luckily, we were able to easily get one at Cougar Rock, another beautiful campground within the park. This one was easily accessible to Paradise and located in the forest.
Favorite hikes
Our first morning in the park was foggy and raining on and off. Because of this, Mount Rainier was out of sight. Instead of doing the “scenic” trails, we opted for one through the forest to one of the grand waterfalls- Narada Falls. This waterfall is accessible by drive, but that’s no fun. We wanted to experience the forest in all its glory and make our way to the falls on foot.
While hiking Reflection Lake to Narada Falls via Lower Lakes Trail, we found blueberry bushes, huckleberry bushes, and lots of fun mushrooms. Take the trail less traveled by if you want to see Narada Fall!
The next day, it was a bit clearer and glimpses of Mount Rainier came in and out of view. We were still hanging off on doing Paradise Trail, as we wanted to make sure we went when the sky was the clearest. The trail we did that morning was actually part of Paradise Trail, but branched off to the base of a glacier.
Hiking Paradise Glacier Trail ended up being one of our favorites because of all the wildlife we saw! Sebastian spotted a bear in a faraway meadow, marmots were popping up behind rocks, and we even found some mountain goats at the ridge of one of the mountains. Considering we had never seen mountain goats in the wild, and I had never seen a bear, this was a very exciting hike!
Not to mention, early in the morning, we were the first ones to hike the trail. It made for a peaceful experience in a part of the park that can sometimes feel crowded.
That afternoon, Mount Rainier came out from hiding, telling us it was time to hike Skyline Loop Trail. While this is the most popular hike in the area, it was no doubt beautiful. There was more of a crowd than the other hikes, especially in the first and last miles. Somehow, Sebastian still spotted another mountain goat amid a crowded trail!
The whole 6-mile trail feels magical with green meadows, little rocky streams, and colorful wildflowers. At the end is another beautiful waterfall and, if you are lucky like us, you may even catch some deer grazing.
Reminder: Do not try to approach wildlife. The park is their home, not yours. You don’t need to be 5 feet away from them to snap a picture. Sebastian had to yell at a tourist or two for getting way too close to the animals and stomping through grounds that were clearly off-limits due to revegetation (this is a topic for a whole other article).
On our last day in Mount Rainier National Park, we rose at 4 am to drive to the Sunrise entrance and hike up to Mount Fremont, a mountain known for its sunrise/sunset views. We started with our headlamps on and were immediately greeted by a pink glow over Mount Rainier. This was the first day we could fully bask in all of her glory, and it was a beautiful moment.
All along the way, the sunrise views were incredible. We didn’t make it to the top before the official sunrise, but the way the sky and mountains changed in color along the hike was quite a sight to see. Eventually, we made it to the fire tower at the top of the mountain, counting peaks on peaks on peaks in the distance. What a view to end our time in the park!
Leavenworth, Washington
Leavenworth feels like a quaint European town in the mountains of the Alps. The Bavarian style and culture, surrounded by the towering mountains and flowing river
It was the perfect town for us to spend a few days relaxing, working from home, and enjoying the area like locals.
Local eats
We were most excited about Yodelin, a restaurant serving up local fish broths and healthy food. Not only is the view from the patio stunning, but the food makes you feel good (especially after camping and eating mostly self-stable meals). We couldn’t get enough of the food, so we came back twice.
Each morning, we walked from our Airbnb into town to Argonaut, a local coffee shop serving coffee and homemade biscuit breakfast sandwiches. This became our little tradition and one of the rituals from our time there that I look back on most fondly. We’d sit outside, enjoying the crisp mountain air, sipping our lattes, and taking in the mountains.
I purposely saved the best for last- Whistlepunk Ice Cream. This was another place we came twice because it was just too good. In true Back to Our Roots fashion, this ice cream place uses locally sourced ingredients. I ordered the same thing each time- Bucky’s Lemon Bar with blackberry compote. I’m not being dramatic when I say this flavor combination goes down as an all-time favorite.
Olympic National Park
Friday after work, we made our way to Olympic National Park, driving through Tacoma and settling on the outskirts of Port Angeles for the night. This was one of the nights we didn’t have a campground booked, so we ended up at an overpriced lot by the water.
Despite the bright street lights and cars zooming by us in the middle of the night, waking up to the sun reflecting in the bay during the first hours of the day made it worth it. Even if I kept waking up every few hours convinced someone was outside of our tent. But, hey, that’s camping, right?
Campgrounds
After leaving that campground and venturing within the confines of Olympic National Park, we found a campground with open slots for the next two nights. The Heart O’ the Hills Campground, although full online, had a bunch of first-come-first-serve spots. Just get there around noon and be sure to drop your name and payment in the wooden drop boxes for the number of nights you plan on staying!
We had a family next to us who was out hiking all day only to come home to different campers in their spot. It turned out that they had forgotten to reserve their campground for another night, and someone else had claimed it as their own. Don’t make the same mistake!
Favorite hikes
Heart O’ the Hills has a beautiful forest trail leading from the campsite. We actually had come here to hike and then realized there were open spots in the campground. The hike was very ethereal with the sun peaking through the tops of the lumbering trees. The sound of the creek below soothed as we passed by overturned trees, banana slugs, and mushrooms.
On Saturday, we made the long drive out to the western coast of the park to hike Shi Shi Beach. This was a forest hike that opened down to a foggy beach with lots of driftwood, kelp, and rough waves. We enjoyed sitting in the sand, eating our lunch, napping, and reading.
On the drive home, we pulled over to find freshly smoked salmon for sale on the side of the road. This is a popular area for salmon fishing, so you can buy it very readily. It was some of the best salmon we’ve ever eaten!
Other cool spots
Close to Port Angeles is a lake called Lake Crescent that we stumbled upon hiking one day. We stayed for sunset and it was beautiful! It reminded me of Lake Tahoe with how clear the water was and how grand the scenery. Kids played in the water and parents enjoyed glasses of wine on the beach.
There is also a delicious burger place nearby called Granny’s Cafe, complete with chickens, emus, and goats to greet you when you’re done eating.
Seattle, Washington
I’m glad we only saved a single day for Seattle, because boy were we disappointed. When you experience a state as beautiful as Washington, returning to any big city is a culture shock. I definitely wouldn’t recommend tacking it on at the end of a nature-filled trip, but if you do, check out the Asian food scene.
CHICHA San Chen had some of the best bubble tea (and tea in general) that we’ve tried. Onibaba only furthered our recent obsession with Japanese food. The Onigiri’s have us wanting to make some at home!
Overall, we loved Washington and definitely plan on coming back. There are so many beautiful spots to explore and enjoy nature!
Where do you plan on traveling next?
Happy beginning of fall!
Maddie
Looks like an awesome trip! We need a Back to Our Roots car camping packing list!
Looks like an awesome trip! We need a Back to Your Roots car camping packing list!