How long for Mt. Ranier and Mr. St. Helens?
 

We're going to have 4 free days in Seattle. My traveling companion has his heart set on seeing Mt. St. Helens which I understand to be about 3.5 hours away. I was kind of leaning towards the Mt. Ranier area, but that's not a reqirement. Is it possible to do just an overnight trip to St. Helens AND Ranier or are we going to be pushing ourselves too hard? We would probably leave early the first morning, stay overnight somewhere, then return the following evening. We've only started researching the area so we're not too sure about routes or possible lodgings so any help would be appreciated.

Additionally, is there a "wine country" near Seattle? We loved our 1/2 day visit to Williamette Valley when we were in Portland and would like to try the same while in Seattle.

Yes, its very possible to do these two NP's in two days.

Coming from Crater Lake and a night in Salem, Oregon, we drove to Mt. St. Helens. Spent about two hours there, then drove to Mt. Rainier, hiked a little, had an incredible dinner at the Paradise Inn, where we also spent the night.

After another short hike the next morning, we drove to Seattle in the afternoon. All of the above NP's are beautiful and fairly easy to see.

With an overnight on the road someplace, it's easy to do both mountains in 2 days. Many people try to see both in one day, and while it's possible you finish feeling like you've been nuked.

However, if you don't mind spending a night on the road, and can handle a couple of medium-long driving days, you can cover all your aims in one trip, plus a great bonus - the Columbia Gorge. Here's how:

Travel from Seattle to Mt. Rainier via the Longmire entrance (SR7/708) then when you're finished visiting the mountain, continue east on US 12 over White Pass, one of the most beautiful routes through the Cascades.

You'll come presently to Yakima. Most of the good Washington vinyards are located in the Yakima valley. Look at http://www.winepressnw.com/wineries/yakima/ for listings. Many offer B&B, although there are also numerous motels, etc. in the area. However, if it was me, I'd continue south on US 97 through some wonderful "old west" empty country to Goldendale and/or The Dalles, Oregon, on the Columbia River (about 90 min. from Yakima.)

The next day, travel west along the Columbia Gorge (Washington side as far as Cascade Locks, then the "historic highway" on the Oregon side) as far as the junction with I-205 (near the Portland airport.) Travel north on I-205 (I-5) about an hour to the turnoff for Mt. St. Helens. When you're done with MSH, return to I-5 and continue on to Seattle, a couple of hours.

In addition to the two mountains, this will expose you to the variety of landscapes Washington offers, and the Columbia Gorge, if you haven't seen it, will be memorable and how.

I think it depends on where Mr. St. Helens lives. Do you have his address?

We were ambivalent about "wasting" time to see Mt. St. Helens 2 years ago. Asked on this board whether or not it was worth it. I recommend you go - it is still, after all these years, incredible evidence of nature. Good visitors' centers with non-touristy exhibits about how they are allowing the mountain to revitalize itself without interference of humans. Still looks like something you would imagine on the Moon.

As far as doing both and time frame, sorry - no direct info.

You won't get to see more than a portion of each, of course, but if that's all the time you have, GO! St. Helen's is really fascinating. Ranier is absolutely gorgeous. Go to Paradise and walk some of the trails. We saw lots of wildflowers and deer at the lower levels, and the glaciers at the upper levels were absolutely awesome - cool too. A tip: try to stay away from Ranier on the weekend if you have a choice. The crowds thin out a lot during the week and driving is much easier. If you need a place to stay on the Ashford side, try the mini-suites at Jasmer's. Nice, clean, has a hot tub and not too pricey.