3-Day National Park Tour: Olympic Park, Renier Volcano, Snoqualmie Falls Tour from Seattle

Day 1: Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park is a famous national park located in the state of Washington! The park has four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. The Olympic Peninsula has 73 miles of beautiful and breathtaking coastline views! Make sure to take a look at the rainforest in the west and the magnificent Olympic Mountains in the central! Due to Olympic National Park being isolated from the mainland, many of its vegetation and animals can only be found here. Explore with us today one of the most highly visited National Parks along the west coast!

04/01-10/31 Itinerary:

Seattle → Olympic National Park → Hurricane Ridge (75 mins) → Temperate rain forest + Lake Crescent (45 mins) → Seattle

11/01-03/31 Itinerary:

Seattle → Olympic National Park → Temperate rain forest + Lake Crescent (45 mins) → Poulsbo (60 mins) → Seattle

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the state of Washington, of the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt originally created Mount Olympus National Monument. The Olympic Peninsula has 73 miles of coastline, keeps the original view since ice age. With a low land of rainforest in its west, a magnificent Olympic Mountains in central, and few locations here can be visited by automobile makes it the paradise for hiking. Isolated from the mainland, many of its vegetation and animals can only be found here. The Olympic National Park locates in Olympic Peninsula is one of the most highly visited National Parks along the west coast.

Hurricane Ridge

Located within Washington's Olympic National Park, this mountainous region is a popular destination for hiking, skiing and snowboarding. In the summer, several picnic areas open up, making this a great spot for a day-trip from nearby Seattle.

Poulsbo

Poulsbo is located in the Liberty Bay of Kitapp County, more than 100 kilometers north of Seattle. It is said that many residents of this town are Norwegian, so people call this town Washington's Little Norway. The whole town is characterized by Scandinavian style. This place has a history of more than 100 years, and you can see various stores with historical traces: gift shop, gallery, handicraft shop, antique shop, jewelry shop, etc. The most famous ones here are handmade European chocolate, bread, coffee, etc.

Lake Crescent

This deep lake in the heart of Olympic National Park holds water that is a brilliant hue of bright blue. It was formed during the last Ice Age by thousands of years of glacial activity.

Temperate rain forest

Because of development, very few temperate rainforests outside of Olympic National Park exist along this stretch today. In Olympic, temperatures rarely drop below freezing or go above 80F, enabling an incredibly unique ecosystem to grow. Mosses, ferns, Douglas fir, red alders, Western hemlocks and Sitka spruce thrive in temperate rainforests, as do epiphytes, which are plants growing on other plants. Cat-tail moss and licorice ferns are two types of epiphytes you will find in Olympic.

• Garner Hotel Auburn - Seattle / Comfort Inn Auburn Seattle or similar
• Things to Know
  • Olympic National Park is mountainous tourist attractions. In order to ensure the proper time to visit each scenic location, we highly recommend guests to prepare lunch foods in advance.
  • In case of closure of Hurricane Ridge or other irresistible factors (such as heavy rain, mudslides and other extreme weather), the itinerary will be changed to Ediz Hook (30 mins) → East Beach (30 mins).

Day 2: Snoqualmie Falls → Leavenworth German Town

Snoqualmie Falls

Leavenworth

Passing by the Snoqualmie Falls, one of Washington State's most popular scenic attractions visited by 1.5 million visitors every year, before heading to the German Village.

Itinerary:

Snoqualmie Falls (45 mins) → Leavenworth the German Village (180 mins)

Snoqualmie Falls

This waterfall is located in Washington, in the greater Seattle area, along the river of the same name. The falls and the town gained international recognition when they were used as filming locations for the hit show "Twin Peaks."

German Town

Explore the German village 2.5 hours northwest from Seattle, the most popular town in this area where people celebrates all the time. You can see nice maple leaves here in falls. Leavenworth, the townsite was across the Wenatchee River from Icicle and was named Leavenworth the same year the rail construction began. Captain Charles Leavenworth, president of the Okanogan Investment Company, purchased the land in the present-day downtown and laid the streets parallel to the new railroad tracks. The railroad construction was completed during the winter of 1893. Lafayette Lamb and his brother, Chancery Lamb arrived in 1903 from Iowa to build the second largest sawmill in Washington state in winter the town is covered by white snow and holiday decorations. Lovely atmosphere can be found here all year round. Enjoy shopping for delicate European souvenirs and the famous German food and beer, or try on traditional German clothes.

Day 3: Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. Mount Rainier, also known as Tacoma, is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, and the highest mountain in the state of Washington. Mount Rainier is an active volcano and has the most glaciated peak in the United States. It spawns five major rivers, and the top of the mountain is covered with snow all year round. When snow melts, water flows down in a large volume, and gives Rainier National Park the best waterfalls, vast lakes, and lush green forests.

**Summer (May to November) itinerary:

Seattle → Mt. Rainier National Park → Longmire Museum (20 mins) → Christine Falls (10 mins) → Narada Falls (40 mins) → Paradise Visitor Center (120 mins) → Reflection Lake (10 mins) → Seattle

**Winter (December to April) itinerary:

Seattle → Mt. Rainier National Park → Longmire Museum (60 mins) → Wonderland Trail (60 mins) → Seattle

Special Notes：

1. Along the way of Wonderland Trail, we will arrange parking for 1-2 attractions according to the actual situation: Narada Falls, Paradise Visitor Center.

2. In the case of heavy snowfall during the winter season, the schedule of going uphill at Mount Rainier National Park may be halted. We will instead enjoy the breathtaking views at the foot of the mountain instead.

Mt. Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier is circled by the Wonderland Trail and is covered by several glaciers and snowfields totaling some 35 square miles. Carbon Glacier is the largest glacier by volume in the contiguous United States, while Emmons Glacier is the largest glacier in the area. About 1.8 million people visit Mount Rainier National Park each year. In addition, Mount Rainier is a popular peak for mountaineering with some 10,000 attempts per year with approximately 50% making it to the summit. Also, Mt. Rainier in WA is the tallest volcano of Mainland America, the 5th tallest mountain in the entire US territory. The mountain top is covered by snow all year round. When the snow melts, water flows down in large volume, creating beautiful waterfalls and vast lakes while also irrigating the forest land.

Longmire Museum

Located on the south side of Mount Rainier at 2,700 feet above sea level, Longmire Museum makes up part of the historic Longmire district. Once a ranger office, the building now houses historic exhibits about the park's natural and geological history, and animals. This small museum offers a good historical overview of the park, the Longmire family, and the Native Americans who once traveled through this area. You'll also find old photographs and displays of local plants and animals. It's worth a quick stop.

Narada Falls

At only 150 feet from the road to Paradise, Narada Falls is the largest waterfall accessible by car in the park, and one of the most impressive. Here the Paradise River plunges over the edge of a relatively recent flow of hard andesite lava that abuts much older rock.

Paradise Visitor Center

Paradise is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. When James Longmire's daughter-in-law, Martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, "Oh, what a paradise!" The park's main visitor center, the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center, is located in the upper parking area. Paradise is also the primary winter season area in the park, receiving on average 643 inches (53.6 feet/16.3 meters) of snow a year.

or

Wonderland Trail

The Wonderland Trail is a 93-mile hiking trail that encircles Washington's most famous volcano. Each year, hikers vie for permits to embark on a backpacking trip on it, with only a handful scoring the permits to undertake this strenuous hike.