We were more than ready to set out on our first two week adventure! We visited 9 new states, 7 new state capitals, and 7 national parks!
3 pictures from Hidden Lake Overlook Trail
Lake McDonald
Mama bear
American Flathead Reservation
Sol Duc Falls Trail
Swan House from Twilight- Can you see Edward and Jacob in the windows?
Part of Bumpass Hell Trail
Day 1
We decided to take the northern route to our first stop so that we could drive through some new states. Wisconsin and North Dakota were our new states for today. Madison, WI and St. Paul, MN were our new capitals. Most of the landscape through here was pretty similar to home until we got into North Dakota. We made it into Fargo, ND for the night.
Day 2
We started early, getting to witness the beautiful sunrise across the flat North Dakota skyline. We drove through the capital of Bismarck. We didn't realize we would be driving in between the two sections of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, so we ended up driving through one small section to catch some of the views. Although we didn't get to see any bison, we definitely saw plenty of what they left behind! I managed to catch a glimpse of a wild horse on the west side of the park. This park is definitely on our list to make a return visit since we stopped unexpectedly. We were really excited to drive past a sign for the town of Home on The Range. We made it into Shelby, Montana (another new state), staying at a Comfort Inn. This town is about an hour and a half from Glacier National Park, but it is still considered a gateway town. There are hotels closer to Glacier, but they are on the Reservation and didn't have good reviews (bad quality, money scams, etc.) We decided to play it safe and make the longer drive the next morning. We did actually make reservations for this stay as well since there were not many hotel options in the area. We had dinner at a bowling alley (weird for us, but they had good food!), Coyote Lanes and Road Runner Cafe. Evan had an elk burger, and I had a taco salad. Evan said the burger was surprisingly tender, a little beefy, and a little gamey.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park- striped hills, bison scat
Elk burger and taco salad
Day 3
Today is the day! Glacier National Park! Evan was most excited for this park, and we had some scares before we left (massive snow storm the week before we left for vacation and massive rain the week after we were at the park, both shutting down the main road), but the road was open and good to go! We got to the park early, trying to time our arrival with the sunrise. We knew the park fills up fast, but we wanted to be able to see the mountains as we entered the park. Our first stop along the infamous Going-to-the-Sun Road was to see Wild Goose Island. We decided to skip St Mary Falls trail, which had been recently affected by wildfires, to save time. We continued into the mountains, seeing some deer along the way along with Jackson Glacier. We made it to Logan Pass Visitor Center, although the parking lot was already filled at 7:30am, but we were able to find roadside parking down the hill. We gathered up our hiking gear and set out for the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail. This trail is 2.7 miles with over 300ft of elevation gain. Most of the trail is a boardwalk with pretty steep steps. We saw a bighorn sheep, mountain goat, ground squirrels, and a bald eagle. Despite the popularity of this trail, bears are frequently seen here, so take your bear spray! The views of this lake were absolutely stunning! We continued the Going-to-the-Sun road, seeing Oberlin Bend, Triple Arches, Weeping Wall, and Bird Woman Falls. We stopped at Lake McDonald, a beautiful glacial lake with water so clear you can see the bottom. We saw a mama bear with two cubs along the creek beside the road. We spent some time shopping in Apgar Village. Evan got a Huckleberry Chocolate bar. It was an interesting taste, but I don't really like berries. There was another hike we wanted to do at Trail of the Cedars, but the parking was full when we got there. We left the park to head towards our next stop. We drove through the beautiful Lolo National Forest. We went through the "panhandle" of northern Idaho (a new state) and into Washington (another new state). As we were driving through, we decided that eastern Washington reminded us of Rohan. As the sun was setting, we caught our first glimpse of the massive Mt. Rainier (still more than two hours away)! We stopped for the night at a Comfort Inn in Ellensburg, WA.
Wild Goose Island
Only parking available! I had to carefully get out of the car to make our way to the trail!
Beautiful sunset over the water (pullout along the interstate)
Mount Rainier
Day 4
We continued for the remaining two hours into Seattle. We drove through the Wenatchee National Forest. The huge pine trees peaking out over the top of the fog was mesmerizing! Our first stop was the Space Needle. We took the tour up to the viewing deck to see the city sprawled out beneath us. We even got to see Bill Gates' yacht out in the harbor. We went to the Museum of Pop Culture (right next to the Space Needle). We got to see Darth Vader's suit, Luke Skywalker's chopped off hand prop, many singers' guitars (Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, etc), Batman's suit (George Clooney), props from Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, and so much more! There was also a horror section, but it was closed and under construction. We walked through the gardens around the museum and Space Needle. Since it wasn't the summer season, there wasn't much going on. Our next stop was a small drive to the Fremont Troll Under the Bridge. This was such a unique art design with such a great purpose! This was an art contest to prevent homeless from squatting in the area. This neighborhood has become artsy and so cute. We drove down to Pike's Place Market. Be prepared, the cost of parking in this area is crazy high! We loved walking through the market to see the different types of fish and seafood for sale. We even got to see them throwing fish being purchased. We stopped at the Gum Wall (Evan was disgusted) in Post Alley. Be careful, this is still an active road and cars will drive through these tight spaces! We walked along the piers, getting to enjoy the beautiful blue skies and waters. We ate at The Crab Pot at Miners Landing. We also saw Wings Over Washington, a flight simulator showcasing the beautiful state of Washington. When we were done in Seattle, we made our way to Sequim, WA (pronounce Squim) and stayed at the Ocean Star Inn.
Space Needle and Puget Sound
Props at the Museum of Pop Culture
Fremont Troll
Gum Wall in Post Alley
Pike's Place Market
Day 5
We drove about an hour to the start of Olympic National Park. We were going to drive out to Ediz Hook to see a good panoramic view of the mountains, but it was too cloudy. Olympic National Park is very unique to drive through, so if planning to travel here, prepare for the distance in between each of the areas. I could best describe it as the roads being like a wagon wheel with the mountain in the middle. You take one spoke down to do something, have to turn around to go back to the outer circle, drive to the next spoke, and go down to the next area. For example, from High Ridge to Sol Duc alone is an hour and a half drive. Despite this, Olympic quickly became my favorite National Park! It has it all- mountains, beaches, and rainforests! Our first leg of the park was to Hurricane Ridge. This is a 17 mile windy drive from Olympic National Park Visitor Center to Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. The mountains were covered in fog and clouds, so much that it looked like snowy lakes that we were seeing. We hiked part of the Hurricane Hill. We loved the mountains and pine trees through this area! There are lots of wildflowers in this area during the summer months. We saw chipmunks, deer, and ravens. Our next stop was Lake Crescent. The lake was so eerie with the fog along the tree line. The lodge here was so quaint. We hiked to Marymere Falls. This trail had more stairs than I expected, but the forest was so green and beautiful! We drove over to hike to Sol Duc Falls. This was absolutely breathtaking! I was worried that my bad foot wouldn't be able to keep up with the hike, but it was so worth it! The forest was so green, the falls were beautiful, and there were so many neat mushrooms along the hike. After this, we drove into Forks, WA and got to see the Swan house from Twilight (don't judge me! Haha!) We got Subway sandwiches and drove to La Push. We stopped at 1st Beach to eat and watch the birds in the ocean. We walked down onto the sand and sat for a while. Of course I had to walk into the ocean for a minute, even if it was freezing! We didn't realize we were in the area during the Twilight Festival, so we got one of the last rooms available in the town at the Forks Motel. I highly recommend getting reservations in this area if possible, because there are such a limited number of rooms (or rooms at an outrageous price). We got lucky! We did some shopping at some of the gift shops and got to see some of the props from the movies.
Clouds/fog along the drive up the mountain
Beautiful views along Hurricane Ridge
Lake Crescent
Hike to Marymere Falls
La Push- 1st Beach
Day 6
We started the day at Hoh Rainforest. We wanted to make sure this was the start of our day since this area can get crazy busy. There is only one way in and out, so sometimes you have to wait in line for two hours just to get in. We were able to park in the regular parking lot to make our way to the Hall of Mosses Trail. The early morning fog and drizzling rain made this seem like another world- towering trees, giant ferns, and moss along the tree trunks. We heard elk can be in this area, but we didn't see any. Our next stop was a four hour drive away. We loved catching glimpses of the ocean along the drive, but we didn't brave any of the steep trails. We finally made it to Staircase Rapids Loop. I think this was one of our favorite hikes. We walked through towering 200-300 year old trees along the North Fork of the Skokomish River. We got to stand next to a fallen 14' wide cedar tree. We walked across the suspension bridge to finish the trail on the other side. This hike made me feel like we were in a fairytale. I was ready to build a cabin and call it home! We drove past Lake Cushman and into our next new capital, Olympia, WA. We stayed at a nearby Holiday Inn for the night.
4 pictures from the Hoh Rainforest
Kalaloch Beach
Staircase Rapid Loop Trail
14' wide Cedar tree
Lake Cushman
Day 7
We drove to the Nisqually Entrance (wooden arch entrance) into Mount Rainier National Park. We drove across Tahoma Creek (the water was very low at this time). We stopped at Rickseker Point for beautiful views of the mountain. We hiked Narada Falls. This is a short but steep trail. We were going to hike Myrtle Falls Trail, but the visitor center parking lot was overflowing, and we weren't able to stop. We continued on to Reflection Lake. It was so peaceful in this area with gorgeous views! We kept going to the other side of the mountain to exit, going through some intense fog as we left. We stopped at Cliff Droppers in Packwood and had some amazing burgers and fries. We continued on to Mount St. Helen's. It was unfortunately too cloudy for us to see the top, but we were able to see some massive craters from the 1980 explosion. We stopped at the Forest Learning Center, Elk Rock Viewpoint, and Castle Lake Viewpoint. There is usually more things to do along this road, but the last few miles were closed due to a mudslide. We drove into our next new state, Oregon! We saw Mount Hood towering over Portland. We stopped at Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in Oregon. We hiked to the viewing area, even braving the hike up to the upper falls deck (our legs are tired by this point). We stayed at Hampton Inn Portland East for the night.
Nisqually Entrance
Narada Falls
Reflection Lake
Mount St. Helen's crater
North Falls (left), South Falls (right)- Can you see people on the trail behind South Falls?
Spirit Lake
Mount Hood
Multnomah Falls
Day 8
We drove out to Jonsrud Viewpoint to see Mount Hood. There are hikes and trails closer to the mountain, but most of them were more difficult trails, and we didn't want to push our luck so far with my bad foot. We drove south to Silver Falls State Park. This park has 10 waterfalls to view. Since we were only able to do easier trails, we only did two hikes in this park. We did the North Rim Trail to the North Falls and back. The next hike was to South Falls. This area was very populated, but there is a restaurant, gift shop, restrooms, and picnic area here. Past the viewing area, we continued down the hill along the trail to walk behind the 177 foot waterfall. This was such a unique experience! We continued the circle to stand on a walking bridge across from the falls, then continued back up the hill exit the park. We drove through another state capital, Salem, OR. We drove back northwest to Cannon Beach. This was a mistake on my part. There are different Haystack Rock options on Google Maps; make sure you choose the correct one! Cannon Beach is such a cute little town! There are many restaurants, gift shops, hotels, etc. We had to park pretty far away because of the crowds, but we walked down the hill toward beach access to walk out to Haystack Rock. It was raining on us (the only time we saw rain while in the northwest!!) Thankfully we had bought rain jackets for the trip expecting more rain than we saw. We got lucky and happened to get to the beach at low tide. We were able to see the tide pools, crabs, jellyfish, and sea anemones. This was such a cool experience! Make sure to research low tide times before you go, because this was the best part of the beach! We walked back to the car and went to eat at Mo's Seafood. We drove south on Highway 101 to stay at a Comfort Inn in Newport, OR. The sunset views along the rocky beaches on this road were spectacular! We parked the car and ran to the beach to get some good pictures as the sun went down.
Mount Hood in the distance
North Rim Trail
Haystack Rock
Can you spot the jellyfish?
Sea anemone
Gorgeous sunset along Hwy 101
Day 9
We continued south on the 101 into California (a new state for Evan)! Thankfully we got gas in Oregon, because we saw prices here at $5.79 a gallon. Oregon has somewhat recently changed the law so gas pumps can now be self serve, although some places still offered service. We pulled up and the lady asked if we needed help. Evan was so confused by her question until she saw our license plate and said "oh you're not from here. You know what you're doing then." We drove to Redwood National Park (a free National Park!). We drove along Howland Hill Road to get to our trails. This road is currently a two-way road, but it is very narrow. There are pullouts for when there is oncoming traffic (videos on Youtube are available to prepare). There is talk about making this a one-way road, but it hasn't been made official yet. Our first hike was along the Simpson-Reed Trail. There is a small parking area here. This is a simple and flat trail, and a good first hike into the forest to see these impressive trees. There is nothing like it. Pictures cannot do it justice. I kept taking photos with my husband in them for a reference point. The trees are just so enormous! Somehow we also had phone signal in this area too, so I was able to make some video calls with family. Our next hike was the Stout Grove Trail. This hike had a steep descent from the parking lot, but after that, this trail is flat. This area is described as having the "most beautiful redwoods". It definitely did not disappoint! We then started to hike the Grove of Titans Trail. This trail had many stairs and steep grades, so we decided not to finish the trail. If we ever visit again on a less busy trip, we may give it another try. Many animals can be seen around here, including mountain lions, so it's always better to be prepared. Our next hike was at Enderts Beach. This trail definitely had some steep grades, and the end had rocks to climb down. However, this trail was definitely worth it! The hike was along the cliffs above the beach, through the overhanging trees and tall grasses, and down the hillside to the rocky beach below. During the right times of the year, elk and whales can be seen here, but we didn't see either. We were there at low tide, so we were able to see more crabs and sea anemone. We hiked back up the hill to find a hotel at the Oceanview Inn in Crescent City. This hotel seemed to be for a more 'retired' crowd, but the room was huge and the price was decent compared to others in the area. We did some shopping at the nearby gift shops, and we had beautiful views of the sunset from our hotel room.
Enderts Beach Trail
The rocks we had to climb down to get to the beach
Sea anemone
Bridges between the platforms in the trees
Views of the trails from the platforms
View from our hotel room
Day 10
For anyone who follows our travels, you know how much I love tacky stops! The Trees of Mystery was that stop on this trip, although it was really neat too. This area does cost money, although the rest of the park does not. The parking lot has a giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. There are also carvings of Big Foot and a bear. We got to see the Elephant Tree, Upside Down Tree, Nature's Underpass, Octopus Tree, Lightning Tree, Brotherhood Tree, and many others. We got to climb up to the elevated platforms and rope bridges among the trees. It was so cool to see the trees from this vantage point, but I was a little nervous being so high! This part is one way, so once you're up, you have to continue going! We walked the Trail of Tall Tales, wood carvings telling the story of Paul Bunyan. We also took a gondola ride up into the trees. You have the option to hike back down or take the gondola again. After the Trees of Mystery, we drove to Fern Canyon. This area was used in filming Jurassic Park 2. Be prepared for no signal in this area, so I suggest printing driving and hiking directions before you go. This area also requires reservations from mid-May through mid-September. This area also has an entrance fee, or you can use the America the Beautiful National Park Pass. There is heavy creek overflow in this area, so the roads are washed out or have giant potholes. After seeing the first pothole, we decided to park at Gold Bluffs Beach and walk an additional 1.3 miles to the trail. This road was flat and easy, and because of the open walk, we were finally able to see the famous banana slugs! The trail starts by following the beach. We heard an elk bugle, which stopped me in my tracks (this was during rut season after all). We proceeded slowly until we saw people pointing through the trees to the beach. There was a massive bull elk laying in the grasses beside the sand. Because of how the vegetation was, the people on the beach couldn't see him even though he was so close. We continued down the trail until we came to a female elk in the path. We stayed back and patiently waited for her to move, but we guessed at what was coming. The bull elk came 'crashing' through the trees and growth until he reached her on the trail. We backed up even more, but we were able to see and hear his mighty bugle. This was the most amazing sound to hear in person! The elk finally moved down the trail to a clearing, and we were able to continue with caution. We got to the fern covered canyon, walking through the creek bed on boards, climbing over fallen trees and slippery rocks. The water was running down the canyon walls through the ferns. The sunlight was pouring through the trees above the trail. This was such a magical spot. We both agree this was our favorite hike. When we came back off the trail, the elk were all resting in the sand on the beach. After this hike, we drove to Red Bluff, CA and stayed at a Hampton Inn for the night.
Paul Bunyan and Babe
Banana slugs and elk
Elk bugle!
Fern Canyon
Elk relaxing on the beach
Day 11
We drove about an hour from Red Bluff to Lassen Volcanic National Park. It was so foggy here that we almost missed the sign to the park. Our first stop was the Sulphur Works mudpot. The smell was almost unbearable, but this was such a cool thing to see! We hiked the Bumpass Hell Trail. This trail has some ups and downs through the mountainside until you reach the boardwalks to see the thermal features. Evan started getting shin splints, so we only hiked part of the trail (we later realized his hiking boots were causing more damage than good). Luckily the sun came out and some of the fog cleared up while we were on this trail. We saw Lake Helen, 8200 ft above sea level. This lake usually stays frozen, so I was surprised to see it thawed in September. The east side of the park was hit by the Dixie fire in 2021, and the damage is still there. We hiked the Paradise Meadows Trailhead through the forest. We stopped to see Hat Creek. We walked an interpretive trail in the Devastated Area, showing the boulders distance of travel from the 1915 eruption. This was such an important part of the park, because it put everything into perspective. We stopped at the gift shop and walked partly around Manzanita Lake. We got there right as a giant group of tour buses did, so we didn't stay long. We drove back north, passing Mount Shasta, on our way to Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake was formed in the top of the volcano after an eruption. This makes the lake the deepest lake in the US. None of the water comes from an outside source other than rain and snow. In the summer, you can actually swim in the volcano. The natives of the area have stories of their ancestors witnessing the eruption. There is a newly formed cinder coane in the middle of the lake called Wizard Island. The island is a surprising 316 acres. Part of the Rim Drive was closed while we were there, so we only did part of the drive and some of the pullouts. Normally the drive is 33 miles around the crater. We hiked Castle Crest Wildflower Trail, a short beautiful walk through the meadows. This area is popular for bears, so take your bear spray! When we finished this hike and drove east, stopping at a Best Western in Lakeview, OR. We drove through a windy canyon road to get here, so I was very grateful for a place to stay for the night. My nerves were shot, and I really didn't want to continue in the dark.
Sulfur Works Mudpot- it was boiling!
Lake Helen- 8200 ft above sea level
Hat Creek (left), Lassen Volcano (right)
Crater Lake with Wizard Island in the middle
Castle Crest Wildflower Trail
Day 12
We continued on entering into another new state, Nevada. We drove through the Sheldon National Antelope Refuge. We were driving up a cliffside when we spotted an escaped cow walking up the road! She looked just as shocked to see us as we did to see her! We drove to the Bonneville Salt Flats. We drove out onto the flats, but we didn't go very far for fear of getting stuck in any unexpected mud. We passed by the Tree of Utah, and drove through another new capital, Salt Lake City, UT. We made it to Rock Springs, WY and stayed at a Spark by Hilton.
Bonneville Salt Flats
Bonneville Salt Flats
Tree of Utah
Wyoming
Day 13This day was fairly uneventful except for driving through another new state and capital, Lincoln, Nebraska. We stopped for the night at a Fairfield by Marriott in St. Joseph, MO.
Day 14
We only had about a half a day drive to make it home. Our boys (the cats) were glad to see us after such a long trip! We were glad to have a couple spare days to unpack and do laundry before having to go back to work. We even made it back in time for our town's yearly festival! This was such an amazing trip, and has definitely become one of our favorites so far!
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