Two years ago, Mrs. Duckster and I spent Fourth of July week on the Olympic Pennisula staying at Forks, WA. It had been many years since I was there, and the first time for her. One major highlight was a day trip to Cape Flattery, the most northwesterly point in the continental US. Yeah you travel to Neah Bay, and then follow the road west out of town (it goes gravel) until you come to the parking lot. From there it’s a nice and relatively easy hike to Cape Flattery through a beautiful forest. Not quite a rainforest but if you go on a damp day, who cares. The trails is easy and they have new boardwalks in some areas. Just watch out for the eight-inch long banana slugs on the trail.
Cape Flattery is wonderful. Great views from the new deck.
We left there late in the day and drove to Port Angeles for dinner. We got back to Forks before sundown. Lots of different views that day and well worth the day trip. Highly recommended.
As for Mount St. Helens, come back and see it close up then. Until then, check out the brand new High Definition VolcanoCam. The old camera is still there to compare images. Of course, the weather of late has been unusually cool, and damp so the views have been only of gray clouds with both cameras. If the weather clears the high def view is almost as good as being there.
Have you considered North Cascades NP? I found it really beautiful and impressive. I visited Olympic NP (Hoh rain forest et al.) afterward and was disappointed.
Actually, North Cascades NP may be an option, awldune. I’m taking the fam up to Sauk Mt, where we may do the hike up to the top (and that’s the only hiking I want to do, with my toddler strapped to my chest). It may be worth doing that instead of the Rainforest. Thanks for the idea!
Ok, despite the I-5 and weather warnings, I’m leaning heavily toward getting to Mt St Helen’s. I will do Hurricane Ridge/PA/PT, but I think that anything more will be too much. Maybe Lake Crescent if we’re doing well with time that day. Cape Flattery and Neah Bay sound great (thanks for the pic, AuntiePam!), but they’re just too far west. I’ll keep the Olympic suggestions in mind as a backup plan if the weather turns bad.
So, I think I’m willing to risk the weather at St Helen’s if people can tell me how bad it would be to drive down east of I-5, say, along North Bend, Maple Valley, down to Enumclaw and 410 south to Randle. It looks like it’d take a few hours, but maybe the views would be worth it?
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and links. It really helps a lot.
Mount Rainer had a bit of weather last year which resulted in some major flooding. (The “Images” link is worth checking out.) Therefore, there’s a big chunk of road closed along the route you wish to take.
Unless you want to take the extra-long scenic route across Chinook Pass to Naches then back along White Pass (which would be a pretty trip-and-back across the Cascades but a completely wacky thing that only someone like me would do) I’d say to avoid 410.
I’m not trying to talk you out of it, just testing your determination.
As far as visitor’s centre on the eastern side of Mount St Helens, I don’t recall much there. There were some large outdoor displays and a great view of Spirit Lake. We were the only people there and it was a haunting experience. (Saw lots of elk too.)
Wow, I gotta get my sheltered self out West sometime. What exactly is/are the Olympics? Also, someone implied Mt. Rainier is near Mt. St. Helens. I thought the two mountains were in opposite directions. Last, what is “PA” several posts mention? Obviously, it is not Pennsylvania!
Are there really rainforests in the contiguous US?
Thanks,
Jinx
P.S. Didn’t mean to hijack the thread, but I had to ask!
Look where Seattle is on a map. The Cascades are the mountain range to the east; the Olympics are the mountain on the ginormous peninsula to the west.
It just depends on where you’re standing…Mt Rainier is a little over an hour southeast of Seattle (depending on traffic, of course). Mt. St. Helens is about three hours south of Seattle.
Port Angeles. It’s a town on the north of the Olympic Peninsula, about halfway between Seattle and Here There Be Dragons territory.
Yep. They’re “temperate rainforests”, and there’s moss on the trees like you wouldn’t believe.
