Need help with Olympic, Mt Rainier and Crater Lake NP's

How much time do you have? It's a long way from Victoria (or Port Angeles, the closest port on the US side) to Crater Lake. You have chosen the right time of year, but it is a time that a zillion other travelers will have the same idea, so expect crowding. Having said that, Crater Lake does not get more than one day and might be thrown overboard if time is short. I'm not a hiker (you will be hearing from them soon), but I would say not less than two days at either Mt. Rainier or Olympic National Park. As a side note, you are ignoring Mt. St. Helens, which is well worth visiting if the weather cooperates. It is also a one-day trip.

2 or 3 days at Mt. Rainier depending on what hiking you want to do. Paradise Inn for lodging. This place has different areas of the park, although they are similar.

3-4 days at Olympic.
I would stay at a different spot each night. This park has 3 distinct features. Mountain, Ocean/Coastline, Rain Forest.
Crescent Lake Lodge, Kalaloch Lodge, Sol Duc Lodge, Quinault Lodge.
Hall of Mosses trail, see Ruby Beach, Beach 4, Rialto Beach, and 2nd Beach. Go tide-pooling at 2nd beach at low tide(check tidetables for low tide). see La Push and and Forks for all things vampire.

Crater Lake-just 1 day if you just want to drive the rim road and look at it.
1.5 to 2 days if you want to hike down to the dock and take the boat out to Wizard Island. There is a short trail there that is a good wildflower trail. It can be done in an hour. The hike down to the boat is listed as strenuous. It is really not that bad and isn't that long. I would rate it easy/moderate. Take a picnic lunch to Wizard Island. I would also suggest taking a towel and jumping in the lake. If you do it, almost always several others will jump in too. Where else can you swim in the worlds purest cleanest water. You will never see water this blue. You will be shocked when you first see it. One of the prettiest places ever.

Get you lodging ASAP.
Buy a National Park Pass to save some $$$.

Here are more ideas in case you have more time. These are all amazing places too.
Mt Hood, Columbia River Gorge, Mt. St. Helens, Portland, The Fruit Loop, Oregon Coast, Oregon Dunes, Oregon Caves National Monument, North Cascades, Silver Falls State Park, San Juan Island-maybe whale watch there, International Test Rose Garden in Portland.

If you are adventurous check out------
http://www.cascade-canyoning.com
The single best tour I have ever done. Most of his pics on Cascade Creek are of myself and daughter. We have gone with them twice.

We also want to visit Olympic, Mt Rainier and Crater Lake NP?

Oregon has four major attractions: the coast, the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, and Crater Lake. The first three are easy to access, the fourth is not.

HTTY

If you can visit Olympic first - then you could head over to Mt.Ranier, and I would consider from there - stopping at lovely Timerline on Mt. Hood - and then on down to one of the 7 natural wonders of the world - beautiful Crater Lake from there - about 3 hours or so. How you divide your days is up to you - as I think they are all great.

see: http://www.timberlinelodge.com/ and http://www.google.com/search?q=crater+lake&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=odkhT5mTFsqgiAKY_MnVBw&sqi=2&ved=0CDsQsAQ&biw=1253&bih=658

BTW - Oregon has a lot more than the 4 major attractions Happyt notes. Around Bend alone are some great spots.

And after Mt. Ranier -you could either head south to Portland and along the Gorge/Columbia River on the way to Mt. Hood (seeing the highest waterfall in Oregon - Multnoma) - or head over by Mt. Adams and down.

Oops. It's more like 4 hours plus from Timberline/Mt. Hood to Crater Lake - and a bit longer if you do the lovely lake loop around Bend.

I've been to just about every natural wonder between Vancouver and Mount Laguna Rec Area (just outside San Diego, if you're wondering) -- which obviously includes the wonders between Mount Rainier and Crater Lake. The stuff between these two sights is far better than CL, which is, indeed, pretty impressive. Just don't miss the Oregon Coast or Columbia River Gorge in order to get to CL. Don't even CONSIDER it.

Hmm. I've seen everything in Oregon and I pretty much thought that HTTY hit nail on the head. MAJOR, but there are other great/good places too.

For Me, Crater Lake was a far bigger high point than the coast. We spend 3 days on the coast and 1 1/2 days with 2 nights at Crater Lake. However, the others were certainly not very far behind. They were all fantastic. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

Now, I have only been once. I am sure if you go more often, then sure you would like the coast more. Crater Lake is somewhat like the Grand Canyon. It has a really huge shock and awe factor, but after you've seen it there isn't a whole lot more to do. Doing the boat and wizzard island does add some to the experience, just like rafting the GC or hiking into it. While the coast, you could spend a lifetime there. There is a state park or some sort of place to stop every 1/2 mile it seems.

We spent 13 days in Oregon. This year we are going to Washington. Plan on doing Rainier, Olympic, North Cascades, San Juan Islands, and Seattle. We have 11 days planned. Just one of those will be in Seattle and we are just spending one day in the San Juan Islands.

We did Mt. St. Helens when we did Oregon.

Heres a link to our photos including, Portland, Columbia River Gorge, Fruit loop, Mt Hood, Mt St. Helens, Crater Lake, Coast, Oregon Caves, and Jet Boating in @ Grants Pass.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IatW7FqybsWQ8

Heres a link to canyoneering photos.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IatW7FqybsWQt

Thank you everyone...so many good suggestions and ideas. Somehow, I had forgotten about Mt St Helens, Mt Hood, and Columbia River Gorge.

We will need to consider all of those places, and maybe reconsider Crater Lake if time becomes a factor.

Spiro, your pictures are amazing. Some of the first 20-40 pictures are awesome waterfalls. Where were those taken?

Thanks again.

Check out www.visitrainier.com for help planning your trip to Mt. Rainier.

Site has lodging deals, interactive maps, webcams, hiking reviews, weather and road conciditions, local festivals and events, etc. Very user friendly!

Also, if you want to stay at the Paradise Inn in July, you need to book now. Wildflowers are out towards the end of July and some rooms are booked a year ahead of time.

I'm going to be at Mt Rainier on August 11, 12, and 13. I hope flowers hold off a couple of weeks this year. lol

We spent 13 days in Oregon...I've seen everything in Oregon..

LMAO!!!

Even I won't make the claim of seeing everything in Oregon.
I did visit and find a geocache in every one of the 36 counties in 2006. I still have to hike down into Hells Canyon.
I do remember wading across the Owyhee River in SE Oregon.
Less than half the people in Multnomah county know where Malheur county is.

I grew up in Oregon and have been to just about every part of the state - and there are many "undiscovered" jewels, such as the National Antelope reserve at Hart Mountain, http://www.fws.gov/sheldonhartmtn/Hart/index.html, the mountain of obsidian outside Bend by the Volcano lakes, the geological ridge in Eastern Oregon, the temperate rain forests on the West Cascades, the many great rivers such as the Columbia of course, the Umpqua, the Rogue, the Deschutes, 30 mile long Klamath Lake - one of the largest fresh water bodies in the West, the Three Sisters/Mountains by Bend, Mt. Jefferson - a perfect cinder cone type mountain, and the list goes on.............

And here are some images for Southeastern Oregon - where hardly anybody visits, and the xxxx Ridge- a geological wonder.

http://www.google.com/search?q=southeastern+oregon&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=OE8jT7bxCcOdiALP67TzBw&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQsAQ&biw=1253&bih=683

One place I haven't visited and always wanted to was Frenchglen - the northern entrance to the huge geological formation/ridge - called Steen's mountain. http://130.166.124.2/or_panorama_atlas/page6/files/page6-1028-full.html
and
http://130.166.124.2/or_panorama_atlas/page6/files/page6-1080-full.html

And the Blue Mountains - in Northeast Oregon - by La Grande are also beautiful.

http://www.google.com/search?q=blue+mountains+oregon&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=M1EjT5DpJaaOiAKzh5CnBw&sqi=2&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1253&bih=660

I tell two weeks is not nearly enough. All of these places sound awesome.

We were able to get reservations at Lake Crescent in Olympic NP and at Paradise Inn at Mt Rainier NP. Thanks to those who pointed out that I needed to do this ASAP.

Most likely, we are going to focus on Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Olympic & Mt Rainier NP, and the Columbia River Gorge area.

We will plan a trip to Oregon coast some other time. Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

That sounds like a great plan. The Olympic NP is beautiul. Also - if you check around in Victoria - you can find a British Pub which is just like traveling to the UK. Buchart Gardens - a half hour from downtown Victoria - is also very beautiful, and the Royal Museum in Victoria is not to be missed.

Depending on your time and ongoing yearn to see things, you could zip over to Victorian themed Albany from Portland in about two hours, and then down the Oregon Coast a bit - to say Cannon Beach - and back to Portlant if you still wanted a "preview" f the Oregon Coast. And if you can spend a night up at Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood - an hour or so beyond the drive along the Columbia Gorge area - that would be a big bonus.

From there - back to the Portland airport (if that's where you are flying back from) is also about an hour.

Oops - that's supposed to be Astoria - and it's more like an hour and a half or so from Portland. see: http://www.oregoncitylink.com/astoria/index.html

I nominate Rajneeshpuram as a "major attraction" in Oregon.


The Bhagwan put Oregon on the map for much of the world!


He was like an international version of David Koresh or a flamboyant version of Jim Jones.


If you've never been to Wasco County, you've surely not seen everything in Oregon.


(trails off... with laughter)

That guy was a kook - Ranj'n-Crazy - and he sure as heck did not "put Oregon on the map for much of the world".

How can you call yourself NorthwestMale. You sound like a transplant - or one with a special sense of humor.