Rebecca1212

Which park is best to visit Olympic National Park or Mt. Rainer? We plan on staying 4 days, 3 nights in mid June. What's the best area to stay and what sties shouldn't be missed?

suze

Your question is HUGE as are the two parks Do you have a guidebook yet? Mt Rainier is probably easier to navigate since it covers less area. But you could easily spend all your time at either one and see only a small part.

Will you be flying into Seattle? Or Portland? Will you get a rental car? Or you are coming by car?

What kind of places do you want to stay? And assume you mean June 2024? Have you made any reservations yet? That might be the biggest challenge and even shape where you go, as many lodges/cabins/hotels fill up far in advance during the popular summer season.

Welcome! suze, in seattle

PrairieHikerI

I would go to Olympic National Park. Hurricane Ridge has fantastic views and many popular hiking trails. Hoh Rain Forest is a lush, green wonderland to explore, relax at Kolalach and Ruby Beach, and enjoy Sol Du Valley with its waterfall.

Gardyloo

The snow depth at Paradise on Mount Rainier is presently a little over 11 feet. It's typical for there to be 6 feet or more of snow on the ground (not the parking areas or roads) on the first of July. In addition, June can still be in the cloudy/rainy season in the Cascades, and low clouds tend to mask the view.

I'd go with Olympic NP without a moment's hesitation, but if you want to go in mid-June you need to make lodging reservations yesterday. And if you don't already know what the highlights are, you need to do some research asap.

Basically there are two "zones" with tourist interest. First, the northern part of the park, featuring Hurricane Ridge (mountain scenery) accessed from Port Angeles, and the Lake Crescent area, just to the west of Port Angeles, offer mountain and water recreation. Second, the "coastal strip" area of the national park, roughly from La Push south to Ruby Beach, features stunning coastal scenery. Just inland from the coast are the two famous rainforest valleys, along the Hoh and Quinault rivers. These are quite incredible environments, but they also happen to be extremely popular, to the point that access to the Hoh visitor center can be metered at peak times.

Accommodation along the coastal area is quite scarce, centered mainly on the small community of Forks. There's a pleasant coastal lodge at Kalaloch, near beautiful Ruby Beach, and an old-fashioned national park lodge at Lake Quinault, as well as a scattering of smaller lodgings and vacation rentals in the La Push/Quileute area.

Most people take at least 3 days to explore Olympic NP, because the visitor highlights are very spread out around the park periphery and can be hours apart. US 101, which loops the peninsula, is not especially scenic.

Do your homework, consult a map, and get a move on. Map - https://maps.app.goo.gl/z6Jm7NKfCKCm6dfG8

Rebecca1212

Thanks so much Suz! We plan on flying into Seattle. No reservations booked yet, we have been looking at the Port Angeles and Forks area since its seem like Olympic Park is the place to visit. We do worry that it's too large and we'll be stuck in one area. We thought, given the short time we have, Mount Rainier might be better? Still torn.

Rebecca1212

Thank you! This is very helpful. Prices are pretty high right now! I think we might go with Olympic Park!

Michael

Cape Flattery is worth a visit

The trail starts near Neah Bay which has an interesting Native-American museum

Rebecca1212

This is a great suggestion, Michael! Thank you!

Gardyloo

With no lodging reservations in hand (and are plane tickets already bought?) I thought I'd throw out a completely different alternative, one that would give you a much better chance of finding affordable accommodation while still providing you with terrific scenery, lots to see and do, and MUCH less driving through uninspiring surroundings, which is the case with US 101 around the Olympic peninsula.

Fly into Portland and spend your time in the Columbia River Gorge/Mount Hood area instead. Here's why:

- In mid-June the waterfalls along the Oregon side of the Gorge will still have plenty of water flowing as the mountain snows melt.

- Hood River and the Hood River Valley will be warm but not yet hot; the valley's many orchards and vineyards will be in spring bloom and flower.

- They'll still be skiing at upper elevations on Mount Hood, but you can visit iconic Timberline Lodge and hike on many trails on the mountain and in the lush Mount Hood National Forest that surrounds the big volcano.

- You can spend a couple of hours visiting the eclectic and marvelous Maryhill Museum of Art, situated on the clifftops overlooking the great river. The nearby weird replica of Stonehenge is also interesting.

- There are wineries, craft breweries, "farm to table" restaurants and numerous places to stay, from the funky to the luxurious, from the Portland airport area to Troutdale, Cascade Locks, Hood River, and all the way out to The Dalles, on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia.

Here's a map showing some of these places. Google away. https://maps.app.goo.gl/mjrfPsA6TcwHRrF67

The area is quite compact, allowing for a base from which day trips can easily be made to all the places shown on the map. Even staying at the airport, you're only a half hour from the beginning of the "waterfall zone," and an hour from Hood River.