10 months after our last national park trip (September 2024), we were ready for our next adventure: Washington State. Our furthest trip west, and Greg’s first time on the Pacific coast. We sketched out an ambitious trip that would allow us to visit 4 national parks, including an overnight train ride to Glacier National Park in Montana (more on that in a subsequent post).
Planning a national park trip often feels like a lesson in history and geography. I had no idea Olympic encompassed so much of northwestern Washington until we started looking closely at the park map and planning what areas we would visit. It’s a huge park, filled with mountains, the famous Hoh Rainforest, and a big stretch of the coastline.
A note on packing: we’ve done several family flights now, and learned a few things about flying with a big family. Last year, we had the fun idea that every kid would bring a carry-on size suitcase, which they would be in charge of (learning responsibility) and which would be free (every ticketed passenger is entitled to a carry-on, at least on reputable airlines). In retrospect, big mistake. Those 7 suitcases took up a TON of space in our vehicle. This time we got it right. 2 large suitcases, neatly filled with a packing cube for each family member, plus 2 large duffel bags, filled with everything else, stacked on top. Literally perfect. We also opted not to bring Claire’s travel crib (because every place we were staying advertised a pack & play) or our oversized cooler. In other words, we really traveled light!
We flew to Seattle on July 1, excited to get started. I had brainstormed the best way to fly with my very active 20-month-old and came up with a creative idea to use her car seat on the plane. Claire does pretty well in the car when she knows she can’t get away. The problem: we didn’t have a seat for her, since she flies for free. My solution, which I can’t legally recommend, was to buckle the car seat in for “Rachel” and switch her out once we were in the air. Claire was living her best life with a mini bag of Boulder chips, baby headphones playing her favorite Kristyn Getty lullaby album, and a snug window seat. Apparently passengers do need to stay in their actual seats, for the record. Thankfully we aren’t flying again until Claire is over 2 years old, so she’ll have a seat next time.
We arrived, got a gorgeous 2025 Sienna, picked up our groceries, and had an early dinner at Olive Garden. Our waitress could hardly count all the kids we have. “Do you drive one of those giant school buses around?” she asked. “No, we’re not THAT weird!” I said defensively. “I can’t even imagine,” she informed us.
We had a beautiful drive out to Pacific Beach. Claire was fast asleep when we arrived. There was a mad scramble when we couldn’t find the pack & play our rental house advertised, had to text the owner in desperation, had an elderly neighbor come over to unlock the mildewy storage cabinet and hand us a high chair for Claire to sleep in, and long story short we did end up with a travel crib wedged in the bathroom and about 5 hours of sleep!
We headed into Olympic EARLY (still on east coast time) the next morning with a quick stop on the beach. The Pacific beach accesses out here are roads – you drive right out on to the sand! We have finally been “coast to coast!” We drove up Hwy 101 into Olympic National Park, past Lake Quinault, through Forks, all the way up to the Sol Duc valley. Most of the time we were the only ones on the road. We hiked out to Sol Duc Falls for a beautiful view of the waterfall.
We explored the grounds of Lake Crescent Lodge, a historic area with charming cottages and oversized Adirondack chairs on the shore. The lake was too choppy for canoeing, so we splashed around and built rock towers. Greg went for a swim after our picnic lunch.
The morning was so peaceful, winding our way around quiet roads, hiking through the hushed forest and enjoying the serenity of Lake Crescent, that we were shocked to find ourselves stopped in traffic at the Hoh Rainforest entrance next to a sign that said “from this point you can expect a 1 hour wait.” Sure enough, about an hour later we entered the gate and parked at the visitor center, where I stood in line for a while to get a passport stamp. A few miles into the Hoh Rainforest is supposedly one of the quietest places in the world, which is ironic considering the crowd there. Even with other people around, we were amazed by the tranquility and grandeur at the Hall of Mosses. That was one of my favorite hikes! The trees are really magnificent. And the ferns! There are so many ferns. The rainforest is a masterpiece in shades of green.
We finished up the day at Ruby Beach. It’s a fascinating place! A steep trail descends from the parking lot to the sand, where you can see the ocean but can’t access it without going across a minefield of boulders and logs. The shoreline is stunning, dotted with Washington’s ubiquitous sea stacks. As a parent it was the usual tug between letting the children roam freely or trying to keep them safe! I hardly had a chance to soak in the beauty of Ruby Beach because Claire is absolutely fearless around rocks and water – she will dive headfirst off a cliff or into a river if we don’t stop her. I wish we had thought to put her in the carrier because it would have been a lot more relaxing!
Our visit to Olympic National Park ended with sunset over the Pacific Ocean and fireworks on the beach. Living on the east coast, we have never seen the sun set over the ocean. It was truly memorable.
Olympic is a must-see for anyone visiting Washington State! I wish we had made it out to Hurricane Ridge, but I feel like we saw some of the best areas of this massive park. Before we left the coast, we had one more morning at the beach where the berries put their toes in the icy Pacific and hunted for starfish.
=)
