Field itinerary · Compiled 29 July 2026
Eleven days on the wet side of the Cascades — three days on foot in Seattle, a counter-clockwise circuit of the peninsula by car, and two nights under the mountain at Ashford.
The whole loop. Filled markers are stops on the route; open markers are optional or nearby. Route lines are straight between stops, not driving directions — tap any marker for a Directions link that opens real turn-by-turn. Switch to Topographic for contours, or Satellite to see the terrain.
| What | Reference | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| United — outbound & return | ANTBE4 | Non-refundable. Premier Silver, two free checked bags each. eTickets 0162124542427 / …428. |
| Airbnb — Belltown | HMDXA445DC | 2014 4th Ave. Host Chris, +1 206-769-5903. 3 nights, paid. Max 2 guests. |
| Avis — SEA airport | 21715270US3 | Kia Niro or similar, unlimited miles. Prepaid in full. Desk +1 206-433-5231. |
| Airbnb — Port Angeles | HMXC2A3CAS | Part O' the Hills, 232 Lake Dawn Rd. Host Mary, +1 234-241-2349. 1 night, paid. |
| Airbnb — Forks | HMDWH955PW | A-Frame, 451 Woodpecker Ln. Host Kylee, +1 234-241-2065. 1 night, paid. |
| Shorebirds Villas — Ocean Shores | 6296444947 · PIN 0011 | 782 Ocean Court NW. Property ref B22112458. 2 nights, paid in full. Lockbox entry. |
| Rainier RV — Ashford | 5857095728 · PIN 3118 | 56415 Murray Road East, +1 320-466-3364. 2 nights, 4 adults. Non-refundable. $300 cash deposit on arrival. |
| SIFF Cinema Downtown | 1711077 · 5444556 | The Odyssey, 70mm, Tue 4 Aug 15:30. Row U 12–13, Row V 14–15. Paid. |
| Space Needle & Chihuly | booked | Chihuly from 09:30, Space Needle entry 11:15, Wed 5 Aug. |
A travel day and nothing else. Two segments, a tight-ish connection at Dulles, and a late landing.
UA1764 · BDL → IAD arr 16:35 · 15A/15B
Bags checked through. Boarding closes 15 minutes before departure.
UA326 · IAD → SEA arr 20:46 · 14E/14F
Eighty minutes on the ground at Dulles. Enough, but not enough to wander.
Airport to Belltown ~40 min
Link light rail runs to Westlake, six blocks from the flat. A car is quicker at that hour but not dramatically.
Check in — Belltown
2014 4th Ave, Seattle WA 98121 · Chris +1 206-769-5903Belltown has plenty of late kitchens if you want something before bed.
Downtown in the morning, the film at half three, then dinner with Mary and Craig. The 15:30 screening eats the afternoon, so this is a compact morning.
Seattle for the 4th and 5th — everything within a mile of the flat.
Pike Place Market 10 min walk
The difference between eight o'clock and eleven is the difference between a working market and a scrum. Fishmongers, Post Alley, the gum wall. Skip the original Starbucks queue.
Waterfront & the Overlook Walk
The seafront has been rebuilt since the viaduct came down — the Overlook Walk links the market straight down to the piers without the old stair climb. The Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion is the newest piece.
Pioneer Square — lunch
The oldest part of the city, and where the 1897 Klondike stampede was outfitted.
Klondike Gold Rush NHP shuts Mondays and Tuesdays. Move it to Wednesday morning or let it go — the Underground Tour covers similar ground and runs daily.
Back to Belltown
The cinema is two minutes from the front door. Time for a coffee first.
The Odyssey — SIFF Cinema Downtown 70mm
2100 4th Ave · Row U 12–13, Row V 14–15The old Seattle Cinerama: a 1963 landmark with a 97-foot curved screen, one of only two cinemas left able to run three-strip Cinerama. Not IMAX 70mm — no theatre in Washington can project that — but real film, and a better room than the digital alternative.
Dinner with Mary and Craig
Mary is choosing. If it falls through: Palace Kitchen on 5th until midnight, Tavolàta on 2nd until ten, The Pink Door in Post Alley until half eleven.
Pike Place is largely covered and the Aquarium entirely indoors, so the morning survives rain intact. Swap the Pioneer Square wander for the Seattle Art Museum, on the way back up from the waterfront.
Everything today sits within a few hundred metres of everything else, so the pace is yours. Walk up from Belltown, about a mile, or take the Monorail from Westlake for the novelty of it.
Chihuly Garden and Glass booked
305 Harrison StGo early while the light is still coming through the glasshouse. The Persian Ceiling room alone justifies the ticket, and it's about as good a subject for 360 capture as Seattle offers.
That gives about 90 minutes before the Needle — enough, but not lavish for a place people linger in. Chihuly is open until 21:30 on Wednesdays, so you can walk back over afterwards.
Space Needle booked
The Loupe revolving glass floor is the newer half of the visit.
There's no point paying to stand inside a cloud. Swap for MoPOP across the plaza — entirely indoors — and save the view for Kerry Park, which is free and can be tried any evening.
Open afternoon
With the film already behind you, this is genuinely free.
Bainbridge ferry from Colman Dock — 35 minutes each way as a walk-on, you only pay westbound, and it gives the best skyline view in the city with the Olympics ahead.
Discovery Park at Magnolia — 11 miles of trail, and the West Point Lighthouse loop is 2.8 miles with the Sound on three sides. The proper walk of the three.
Klondike Gold Rush NHP — open today, free, and small enough to fold into a Pioneer Square return.
Kerry Park, Queen Anne sunset ~20:45
Short steep walk up from Seattle Center. Needle, downtown, and Rainier floating behind if the air is clear — which is also a useful read on the smoke before you commit to Skyline next week.
Car day. The morning is tighter than it looks: checkout is 11:00 but the car is booked for 10:00 at the airport, which is 25 miles the wrong way.
Seattle to Port Angeles, then up to Hurricane Ridge. Switch to Topographic to see how far the Ridge road climbs.
Out of Belltown
Bags packed the night before. Don't use the full checkout window.
Collect the car — SEA res 21715270US3
3150 S 160th St, SeaTac · +1 206-433-5231Drive to Port Angeles 2½–3 hrs
Two routes, much the same door to door: south round the Tacoma Narrows and over the Hood Canal Bridge, or north to the Edmonds–Kingston ferry. The ferry is the nicer drive; book a sailing or accept a summer queue.
Hurricane Ridge 5,242 ft · 40 min up
Drive straight past the accommodation and up — it sits at the foot of the Ridge road. On a clear day you get Mount Olympus one way and Vancouver Island across the strait the other. No lodge since the 2023 fire, so carry food.
First gate of the trip: the pass covers you at Heart O' the Hills, but the holder needs to be present with photo ID.
Hurricane Hill — 3.4 miles return, ~700 ft, open ridge the whole way, marmots throughout.
Klahhane Ridge via the Switchback Trail — about 5 miles return and 1,700 ft. Steeper, quieter, better.
If Hurricane Hill Road is shut (2026 water-system work has caused Monday–Thursday closures) the Cirque Rim and High Ridge trails run from the main visitor centre car park instead — 1 to 1.2 miles, same views.
Check in — Part O' the Hills
232 Lake Dawn Rd, Port Angeles WA 98362 · Mary +1 234-241-2349No smoke alarm reported by the host. Two guests maximum, quiet hours from 22:00.
The biggest hiking day of the peninsula, and it needs an early start — check-in at Forks isn't until 16:00 but the driving stacks up behind you.
Lake Crescent and Sol Duc, west to Forks, then out to the coast for sunset.
Lake Crescent 20 min west
The Storm King and Marymere trailheads share a start.
Mount Storm King 4 mi · 2,000+ ft · 3–4 hrs
Relentlessly steep, and the final section is a rope-assisted scramble to a genuinely exposed summit. There's a communal pile of gloves at the bottom of the ropes — take a pair. Poles help enormously coming down. The view straight down the length of the lake is the best on the peninsula.
Marymere Falls from the same trailhead — 1.8 miles through old-growth to a 90 ft fall, mostly flat with steps at the end. Frees up the whole afternoon.
Spruce Railroad Trail on the north shore — flat, along the water, and the Devil's Punchbowl is worth the walk. Good in poor visibility, when Storm King's summit gives you nothing.
Sol Duc Falls 1.6 mi return
Forty minutes further west. A short walk in to a fall that drops in four separate channels into a narrow gorge. Rooty and rocky underfoot.
Storm King plus Sol Duc plus a coastal sunset makes a twelve-hour day. If the legs are gone after the scramble, drop Sol Duc and go straight to Forks — you'll have had waterfalls at Marymere and the beach is the better ending.
Check in — Forks A-Frame
451 Woodpecker Ln, Forks WA 98331 · Kylee +1 234-241-2065Check-in from 16:00. No smoke or CO alarm reported. Quiet hours from 23:00.
Second Beach, La Push 0.8 mi in · sunset 20:44
Through forest, then steps down to sea stacks and driftwood the size of telegraph poles.
Tides are against the pools tonight. High water is 19:44 at 8.2 ft — near the day's peak and right through your visit, so the beach will be at its narrowest and the pools under water. Go for the stacks and the sunset. Stay well clear of the log pile; a big high tide and loose beach logs are the genuine hazard on this coast.
The Mora road is shut beyond the campground from 8 July to 15 October 2026 for repairs, so Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall are out. Second Beach is the substitute and is arguably the better walk. First Beach at La Push and the Kalaloch beaches are the other options.
Set an alarm. The Hoh gets metered in summer — a ranger checkpoint several miles below the visitor centre goes one-in-one-out once the car park fills, and two-hour waits are normal by mid-afternoon. Through by nine and it's a non-issue.
Early at the Hoh, then south down US-101 with the ocean on your right.
Leave Forks
Car packed the night before. Checkout is 10:00 but you want to be gone well before it.
Hoh Rain Forest 45 min from Forks
Hall of Mosses (0.8 mile loop) and Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles) together take about 90 minutes and give you the whole rainforest in miniature.
Hoh River Trail out to Five Mile Island — 10.6 miles return and nearly flat. Superb, but it's the entire day and you still have to reach Ocean Shores.
If the queue has already built, don't sit in it. Turn round, go south on 101 early, and give the extra time to Ruby Beach and Quinault instead.
Ruby Beach deliberately after lunch
Sea stacks and enormous driftwood piles. Small car park. There's a creek to cross, so waterproof feet help.
Timed for the tide. High water is 10:10 and it falls to a low at 14:37, so early afternoon puts you on the best water of the day — late morning would have caught it near the top. Ocean Shores is a lockbox with no arrival deadline, so there's no reason to hurry. Times are La Push predictions; Ruby runs a few minutes behind.
Kalaloch, Big Cedar, Lake Quinault
Pick off what appeals on the way south. If you're saving Quinault for tomorrow, just do Kalaloch and press on.
Check in — Shorebirds Villas
782 Ocean Court NW, Ocean Shores WA 98569 · lockbox entrySelf check-in, so no arrival deadline. Already paid in full.
The one day with no driving obligation. Ocean Shores itself is thin for hiking, so the question is whether you go back up to the rainforest or take the day off.
Ocean Shores, with the Quinault rainforest an hour up the road.
Drive to Lake Quinault ~1 hr
Quinault rainforest loops ~4 mi
The trail system links rainforest, cedar bog and Cascade Falls, and you can string together about four miles taking in the lodge and the lakeshore. Quieter than the Hoh and, by several accounts, just as good.
Graves Creek, up the South Shore road, is the trailhead for the Enchanted Valley route — walk in as far as the legs allow and turn round. Serious forest, almost nobody there.
Take the day off. The beach at Ocean Shores runs for miles and faces due west for the sunset. Note that Damon Point, the old local walk, has been badly eroded by storms and is reported closed — don't plan around it.
Back to Ocean Shores
Last night before the mountain. Worth an early one.
A relaxed transfer — check-in isn't until 16:00. Mary and Craig join here for the last two nights.
Across to Ashford, then up to Paradise for the evening.
Drive to Ashford ~3 hrs
South through Aberdeen, past Olympia, then east on 706 through Elbe.
Fuel and food — Eatonville or Ashford
There is no petrol inside the park and cell service is limited to non-existent. Fill up and download maps before you go in.
Check in — Rainier RV
56415 Murray Road East, Ashford WA 98304 · +1 320-466-3364$300 cash deposit on arrival, refunded in cash on checkout after inspection. Someone will meet you. Photo ID and a credit card required. Check-in window closes 23:30.
Paradise, in the evening ~1 hr up · sunset ~20:30
The trick with Paradise is to go up when everyone else is coming down. After five the car park frees up and the light gets good. Nisqually Vista is a 1.2 mile loop to a glacier overlook; Myrtle Falls is shorter and gives the classic framing with the mountain behind. Low effort, and it scouts tomorrow's ground.
Longmire is 25 minutes rather than an hour, and the Trail of the Shadows is a flat 0.7 mile loop through meadow and old cabins. Same park, quarter of the effort.
The one uninterrupted day at Rainier, and it's worth an early alarm. There's no timed-entry system this year, which means nothing is spreading arrivals out — the Paradise car parks fill on their own from mid-morning.
The southwest corner — the only part of the park fully open in 2026. Topographic view shows the climb from Longmire to Paradise clearly.
Leave Ashford
Your America the Beautiful pass covers entry at Nisqually. Have it and the holder's photo ID ready at the booth — the pass is issued to one person, who has to be in the car.
Skyline Trail loop 5.5 mi · 1,700 ft · 4–5 hrs
The best day hike in the park. Up past Myrtle Falls, through the meadows to Panorama Point at 6,800 ft, looking straight across at the Nisqually Glacier with Adams, St Helens and Hood on the southern horizon. Marmots throughout, mountain goats if you're lucky.
You've timed the wildflowers almost exactly right — the Paradise meadows peak from late July into early August.
Ask at the visitor centre about lingering snow on the upper section; some years the Golden Gate cutoff is the better line.
Comet Falls and Van Trump Park — 5.6 miles and 2,200 ft from the trailhead below Christine Falls. Steeper, rockier, a fraction of the crowds, and the meadows at the top are superb. But Skyline is the one you do if you only do one.
Exertion multiplies how much you inhale, so a 1,700 ft climb is the worst possible choice on a bad-air day. Drop to the forest: Longmire, the Trail of the Shadows, and the roadside falls. Above roughly AQI 150, treat hard hiking as off the table.
Lunch — Paradise Inn
Open through 30 September. Or carry it and eat in the meadows.
Afternoon — depending on legs
Pinnacle Peak Saddle from Reflection Lakes — 2.6 miles, 1,100 ft, steep, and it gives you the head-on view of the mountain you can't get from Paradise itself.
Reflection Lakes for the mirror shot, then Bench and Snow Lakes (2.5 miles, easy), and the roadside falls — Narada and Christine — on the way back down.
Nothing at all. Skyline is a full day's work and there's a redeye tomorrow night.
Resist temptation today. There's an 11pm departure, a 05:06 arrival at O'Hare and a connection after it — you'll be awake a very long time.
Check out — collect the cash deposit
Pack the night before. Checkout deadline is 10:00.
Longmire 25 min
Trail of the Shadows is a 0.7 mile loop through meadow and old homestead cabins. There's a small museum, and the National Park Inn does a proper lunch. Low elevation, low effort, and the right call if the air is hazy.
Comet Falls to the falls only — 3.8 miles return, 1,200 ft. On the trail by 09:45, done by 14:00, SEA by about 17:00. Entirely doable, but it makes a nineteen-hour day before you're even on the plane.
Drive to SEA ~2¼ hrs
Return the car
Booked for 21:00, but bring it back early. Two hours before a redeye with bags is snug once the rental shuttle is in the mix, and there's no penalty for being early.
Dinner at the airport
Eat properly before boarding. Nothing useful will be open at O'Hare at five in the morning.
UA747 · SEA → ORD arr 05:06 · 24A/24B
Land at O'Hare
Two hours on the ground. Enough to find coffee, not enough to relax.
UA1935 · ORD → BDL arr 10:33 · 12D/12E
As of late July the significant fires — Lyons Ferry, Royal Lake, Kaiser Canyon, Railroad — are all east of the Cascade crest, with red flag warnings and air quality alerts across thirteen eastern counties. Western Washington air has been good, and summer flow is typically onshore, pushing eastern smoke further east. Your entire route sits on the right side of the mountains. Rainier, being nearest the crest, is the most exposed leg.
Adapt rather than cancel — most bookings are past their refund windows and Ashford is explicitly non-refundable.
The coast is the refuge. Onshore marine flow usually keeps Ocean Shores, Kalaloch and Forks cleanest when the interior is smoked in.
Valleys beat ridges. The Hoh and Quinault sit deep and damp; Hurricane Ridge and Panorama Point are up in whatever the air is doing.
Drop the altitude, not the day. Check forecasts the morning of — anything beyond 48 hours isn't worth much.
Burn bans are near-certain statewide in August, so don't plan on a fire at Ashford.
Several stops have addresses that won't help you in the field — Second Beach Trailhead has no street number and Reflection Lakes has no address at all. Coordinates always work: your phone's GPS needs no network, so these can be typed into any mapping app and will give a bearing with everything else dead.