Olympic National Park and Mount Saint Helens Road Trip

Road Trip: This route starts and ends in Seattle, Washington and takes you through Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park and Mount St Helens.

Mileage: Approximately 662 miles.

Main Points of Interest: Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier, Mount St Helens National Volcanic.

Suggested Start and End for this Road Trip: Seattle, Washington

What to Expect Along this Road Trip

Seattle, Washington
We start our journey in the wonderful city of Seattle, Washington. Seattle is home to the twin brothers Jim and Lou Whittaker, famous American mountain climbers of the 20th century. They stroll up and down Mount Rainier on a regular basis. Seattle"s recreation is at your front door from scenic golf, kayaking and canoeing to fishing, clamming and hiking.

Olympic National Park
The first park on our journey is Olympic National Park. Olympic offers glacier capped mountains, wild Pacific coast and magnificent stands of old-growth forests, including temperate rain forests. About 95% of the park is designated wilderness, which further protects these diverse and spectacular ecosystems. Olympic is also known for its biological diversity. Isolated for eons by glacial ice, and later the waters of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Peninsula has developed its own distinct array of plants and animals. Eight kinds of plants and 15 kinds of animals are found on the peninsula but no where else on Earth. Port Angeles is one of the best places to stay near Olympic National Park. See Port Angeles Lodging. For more lodging, see our lodging page.

Scenic Drive South
After your visit in Olympic National Park, we head south taking a scenic drive that roams inland and along the coastline.  You might want to take a break and stop in either Quinalt Lodging (southern section of Olympic) Aberdeen Lodging, or Ocean Shores Lodging.

Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument
We continue our road trip on to Mount St Helens Monument. On May 18, 1980, at 8:32 Sunday morning, Mount Saint Helens erupted. Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of the mountain collapsed in an astounding rock debris avalanche. Almost 230 square miles of forest was blown down or buried beneath volcanic deposits almost instantly. A mushroom shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet in the air and drifted downwind, turning day into night over eastern Washington and beyond. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments. Mount St Helens is a sight to see with its" awe inspiring beauty. Places to consider to stay would be Kelso Lodging, Chehalis Lodging or Centralia Lodging.

Mount Rainier National Park
Out last park along this road trip is Mount Rainier National Park. The park was established in 1899. The 235,625 acres includes Mount Rainier at 14,410". This is an active volcano encasing over 35 square miles of snow and ice. The park contains outstanding examples of old growth forests and sub alpine meadows. You might want to consider staying in the same towns as mentioned in the Mount St Helens portion of this road trip.  For more options staying around Mount Rainier, see our lodging page.

End of the Olympic and Mount St Helens Road Trip
We have come to the end of our Olympic National Park and Mount St Helens Road Trip.

What Should I bring on my Trip?

Depending on what time of year you are planning on taking this route, you might want to consider some of these items:

Summer Travel:

Shorts
Shirts :: Performance Short Sleeve
Hats
Shoes: Hiking Footwear
Pants: Trek Travel Pants :: Soft Shell Pants
Soft Shell Jackets

Winter Travel:

Gloves and Mittens
Shirts: Fleece :: Performance Long Sleeve
Shoes: Hiking Footwear
Pants: Fleece Pants :: Insulated Pants :: Rain Pants
Jackets: Fleece :: Insulated Jackets :: Down Jackets

Spring and Fall will also vary in temperatures so using any combo with the summer and winter ideas would be suitable.  Plan for layers to keep up with the temperature changes in the course of a day.

Road Trip Details