Heading there tomorrow to catch the balsamroot and lupines. First time on a weekend so I'm expecting to maybe not have parking and am looking for alternatives in the area with the same types of flower displays. Any recs?

Please let me know if this isn't the right place to post! I am a 23F and trying to get back into hiking but would like folks to go with--I have availability on Sunday mornings and some Thursdays. I'd love to connect with other women especially but am open to hiking with whomever! My comfort range is around 7 or 8 miles but could do more or less depending. I'd like to work up into the 10-15 mi range again for day hikes.

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I'm flying in to Seattle at the end of may and plan to hit the cascades, rainer, and Olympic during my stay. I'll be there 4 days. Day 2 I have a timed entry reservation at rainer. Day 1 I planned on spending in the cascades, suggestions on maximizing the park in a day? Rainer entry is at 1pm at stevens canyons entrance, how late can I stay in the park without needing a camping spot reservation?(which I read would be snow covered still) Day 3 I'd like to explore the Olympics rainforest, that one I was going to wing it but suggestions are ofc welcome. Day 4 I fly out late at night so I was going to explore Seattle if there's any suggestions on restaurants or museums or any general good attractions? I'm willing to skip one of the parks for an extra day in the cascades as well. Thank you! I really look forward to the trip.

We're visiting the area next week and based on previous posts in the past, people have said the more popular trails on Mount Rainier and the parking areas will still be under a lot of snow. How are the conditions currently?

We're down to do snow shoeing around are area / lower elevation trails. This'll be a first for us. Any recommendations on places to rent stuff?

I thought mailbox peak trail would be an easy intro hike to get back into hiking shape, but I just read somewhere it's an overrated meme trail that's overcrowded so I guess I'm canceling it. Also avoiding all the permit/lottery based ones.

I'm from Colorado where I preferred steep hikes where I encounter very few people. I have been going through WTA but I keep coming several hikes I thought we're good but later read on Reddit or elsewhere about overcrowdedness and such

I'm hoping to get out for a 3-4 day backpack over 4th of July weekend and trying to get a sense of what would be accessible early in the season.

Would Goat Rocks be a possibility, or still too snowy? I'd love other suggestions for 3-4 day trips, 10ish miles/day (give or take). I've backpacked plenty in the Sierra Nevadas and White Mountains just not familiar with snow patterns in this area yet. I know there's likely to be lots of people out over the holiday, but I've got the time off work and I'd rather spend it in nature if I can

Also- are there good sites/resources to check for trip planning and watching snow levels? So far I know about wta.org and the oregon hikers forums

Anybody know if I need the email to get on the shuttle for The Loop? Luckily I added the date and time to my calendar so I know when I need to be there. I just lost the email (probably deleted) and don't know if my name is enough to get on the shuttle or if I need some sort of confirmation number. All I know is my name, date, and time lol. Thanks!

I’m planning to hike the length of the coastal part of Olympic National Park in mid-May. In a day, I typically hike between 10 miles (bushwhacking in pathless terrain) and 30 miles (flat gravel roads). On forest tracks with modest elevation gain, I’d expect about 20–25 miles per day. Is this a reasonable pace for the coast path? Or is the coast route very rocky and sandy, making it slower than normal on-path hiking?

I’m planning to walk the coastal section of Olympic National Park. Tides can temporarily block sections of the park. I’ve bought the excellent digital topo map sheets from the Pacific Northwest Trail Association (PNWTA). They have markers at certain points which indicate the highest tide at which that point is passable. I’ve read the guidance on the PNWTA website (here) and the National Park Service website (here) but I’m still not sure about one thing: the Overland Trails. In the attached image, I understand example B. This is a point along the coast where you cannot pass if the tide is higher than 5.5' (or even less, if there is a strong swell). There is no alternative route. But I don’t know what the correct interpretation is for example A. Is this "you cannot pass this headland if the tide is higher than 5', but there is an overland alternative", OR "there is an overland path here, but it cannot be reached from the beach if the tide is higher than 5' " (in which case, examples A and B amount to the same thing—there is no way to progress past this point during high tides). Please could somebody say which it is?

https://preview.redd.it/wp1oum0whowc1.png?width=1998&format=png&auto=webp&s=6f451bc940fcccbf28ea23d58e0f6565fc671f26

My friends and I have been backpacking for several years but always end up at the the same spots: lower Lena; camp handy; Dewey lake.

Due to work schedules, we tend to go on shorter trips (2-3 nights) less than five miles one way. We set camp then go for a day hike or just hang out.

We'll be doing a longer enchanted valley trip later this year, but want to get one or two shorter trips in before that one.

Anyone have recommendations for a spot that would be good in May for a few nights within ~three hours of Tacoma or Seattle? We're PNW raised and did a lot of camping in the scouts, so not afraid of some rain.

E: thanks for the recommendations. We're fine camping on snow, and decided to do a trip a bit earlier than usual due to the more mild weather (although I'd prefer the snow pack for water reserves) and no forest fires.

I was not able to book anything at Mt Rainier this morning for the north loop so I'm trying to figure out an alternate route. Doing the north loop without a spot at Mystic Lake is tricky, but I think it's doable.

Can anyone tell me what forest road 73 is like? It's a dirt road that leads to the Lake Eleanor campsite in Mt Rainier National Park. It's considered the "back door" of MRNP.

I'm a little worried about taking my Ford Focus up there, however. I have some rust damage on the bottom of my car so if the road is in particularly bad shape I could potentially regret the attempt.

I've done the road to mowich a few times, and that went okay (except for idiots in giant trucks going 50 and flinging rocks everywhere) so if it's similar it should be fine.

Can anyone comment on forest road 73? Can a front wheel drive sedan make it to the trailhead and back?

Hey all, if you want to backpack in Mt Rainier National Park this summer, unclaimed lottery permits are released tomorrow, April 25, at 7 AM PT. You can book here: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4675317

This follows the early access lottery held from February 12 to March 4 during which 2/3 of permits were released. 1/3 of permits will available in person the day before your desired start date.

Planning resources:

• map
• Wonderland trail planner

My husband and I are avid hikers but have decided we want to starting backpacking. We decided to go for our first trip over Memorial Day weekend. We were wondering what are some recommend trails? There are so many options from what I’ve seen. We live in Eugene so would like to keep it within 3 hours ideally.

I’m going to be visiting the PNW in September for 10 days - we will be flying in to Seattle from Toronto and leaving from Seattle in one big loop. This loop will take us along from Olympic National Forest to Redwood National Forest along the costal highway, then back up to Seattle with stops in Mount Rainer (2 days but flexible if there’s some good hikes!) and Mount Hood (2 days but flexible)

I was looking for recommendations for hikes mostly along the Costal Highway, within Olympic, Mount Rainer and Mount Hood. Other recommendations such as hotels, restaurants, sight seeing or activities are also welcome. We are experienced hikers we are mostly looking for in-outs/loops that are sub <8 hours.

Thanks in advance and happy hiking!

Hi all,

Me and my brother in law are planning to head to the Mill Creek Wilderness this week to do some hiking. Does anyone know what current conditions are like in the area?

Does anyone know has trail been broken over Cutthroat Pass this season? Coming up ftom Cutthroat Lake, heading down Porcupine Creek.

Going on a road trip to the North Cascades mid May. How hike-able is the park at that time of the year? Was eyeing some trails like cascade pass, vesper peak, mailbox peak.

Hello, we are planning to travel to PNW on 25th May, Saturday. We will be arriving at PDX around 9 AM and plan to drive to Mt Rainier from there. Here is the itinerary we are planning to follow -

Day 1 - PDX to Mt Rainier

Day 2 - Mt Rainier to Olympic National Park, head to lake crescent, stay are Port Angeles

Day 3 - head to hurricane ridge early morning, sol duc falls, Hoh Rainforest and ending the day with sunset in rialto Beach, stay at Forks

Day 4 - Forks to Cannon Beach

Day 5 - Cannon Beach to Newport

Day 6 - Newport to Crescent City

Day 7 - Redwood National Park

Day 8 - RNP to Crater Lake National Park

Day 9 - CLNP to Portland, visit Multnomah falls

Day 10 - Fly back from PDX

We were thinking if we should remove Mt Rainier and head directly to Olympic. Any other suggestions on how we can improve this based on weather and traffic conditions around Memorial Day weekend.

My friends and I fly into PDX on Thursday, May 23rd. We mistakenly booked permits for Mt. St Helens on Saturday, rather than Friday the 24th, and aern't able to change them. We're planning to head north to Olympic NP after climbing St. Helens, but need an outdoor activity to add the Friday that's close by (other than the coast which I've already explored). What are your favorite hikes in the South Cascades? We're also open to kayaking, mtn biking, or other adventures.

Unfortunately I didn’t score a permit this year, but given the low snow I’m wondering if the hike would be doable without too much trouble in early May before they start requiring permits? I don’t mind bringing microspikes, but I’d like to avoid conditions requiring an ice axe and crampons.

Never done the hike before so I don’t have any context for what gear might be necessary in the early season.

Thank you!

What Mount Rainier (or surrounding) trails are accessible that you have completed recently? I have a few days this week to hit the trail and I’m wondering what I can get into. I’m bringing spikes and poles.

Thanks in advance!