7-day Washington State Itinerary

The best guide to visit the 3 national parks of Washington State in one week.

This blog will take you on an epic journey to Washington. This state offers you an incredible diversity of landscapes in just seven days, from the breathtaking Mount Rainier, to the beaches and forests of the Olympic to the incredible mountains of the North Cascades.

Find out how to plan your trip, what places to visit, what to pack and how to be flexible depending on the weather and driving distances.

When to visit Washington State?

You can visit Washington State at any time, but for this itinerary it is perfect for summer and early fall, as we will have snow-free mountains and longer days. But for me personally, September is the best month, the weather is cooler for hiking, the mosquitoes are gone, and there is less traffic in the national parks.

What to pack ?

Mount Rainier National Park

Where to Stay?

Day 1

Drive from Seattle to Ashford - 2 hours - 70 miles

The first day of our itinerary is arriving at the Seattle airport, I recommend arriving early so you can do some activities this day, after renting the car, we start driving to Mount Rainier, specifically Ashford where we will be staying. For this day I recommend you to hike the High Rock Lookout, it is not inside the park, but you will have some of the best views of Mount Rainier, it is an easy to moderate hike, 3 miles round trip and 1300 feet of elevation.

Day 2

Explore Mount Rainier National Park

I recommend you to start this day very early, to be in Paradise first thing in the morning and do the Skyline Loop Hike, it is a hike of almost 6 miles and 1700 feet. If you don't want to do the whole hike I recommend you to see Myrtle Falls and then go to Reflection Lake. In the afternoon we will drive to Sunrise to do the Mount Fremont Lookout hike, it is much easier than the previous hike, it is the same 6 miles but 1100 feet elevation.

Olympic National Park

Where to Stay?

Day 3

Drive from Ashford to Port Angeles - 3 hours - 155 miles

This day we will take it a little quieter, we will not do hiking as the previous day, but we will drive a lot, I recommend you to leave very early to Port Angeles for breakfast and then go up to Hurricane Ridge, here you will have the best views of the Olympic Mountains. Then in the afternoon go to Lake Crescent, where you can hike to Marymere Falls.

Day 4

Explore the different ecosystems of the Olympic

Diversity is the hallmark of Olympic National Park. The park protects 922,651 acres, encompassing three distinctly different ecosystems: rugged glacier-covered mountains, wild Pacific coastline, and magnificent temperate rainforest.

This day we will visit the famous Hoh Rainforest, making the famous Hall of Mosses hike, to get to the rainforest we will pass through the famous town of Forks, and to finish the day we will go to Rialto Beach, although you can also visit La Push.

Day 5

Two hikes with incredible views

For this day I recommend you to visit the Sol Duc Falls, this hike is easy, it is less than two miles and about 250 feet of elevation, but the hike through a forest that will surprise you, and then there is a more difficult hike, the Mount Storm King, it is short but high (4 miles round trip and 2100 feet of elevation) I only recommend you to do it if you are in good physical condition and you are not afraid of heights.

North Cascades National Park

Where to Stay?

Day 6

Drive from Port Angeles to North Cascades National Park - 4 hours - 185 miles

This day we will drive a lot, unfortunately this park is the farthest, and is where it will be more difficult to find a place to stay, so we will spend less time, but if you are a lover of hikes and mountains this park is the most impressive, for being a long day I recommend driving through the park and stop at the viewpoint of Diablo Lake and Washington Pass. And a short hike you can do is the Blue Lake hike of about 4.5 miles and 900 feet elevation.

Day 7

The most popular hike in the North Cascades and back to Seattle

Maple Pass is the most popular hike in the North Cascades, especially during the fall. It is a moderate hike of about 6.5 miles and 2100 feet, I recommend doing it counterclockwise. And after that we started our return to Seattle.