We will be flying to Seattle from the east coast and want to see as much of the area in 8 days as possible. I have done a lot of research and find that in Washington and Oregon there are just too many places to go to!! Are Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens and Crater Lake worth driving to if we just plan on "seeing" them and not spending a lot of time at them? We don't mind driving, but already have a lot of stops planned. Thanks a lot.

For the BEST VIEW of MT.ST. HELEN's take interstate 5 to exit 68, the go east on hiway 12 to Randle GET GAS, FOOD, WATER, AND TAKE A CELL PHONE. Take RT131 to Mt St Helen's, this is NOT the park,but you get closer to the volcanic rim, spirit lake and are in the path of the lava flow. This area has not regrown much since the eruption 22 years ago, you can see the downed trees and the destruction. GO EARLY as the road is steep and winding, not somewhere you want to be in the dark. There is snow up there in patches until mid JUNE, and can change temps quickly. You will see MT. RAINER from here as well. It is really worth the trip. ENJOY YOUR TRIP.

Mt. Rainier in high summer is a long day trip from Seattle, and the visitor centers can be crowded, but worth it one time. Mt. St Helens is even longer. If it was me I'd probably go for Rainier, but that's just me.

I think Crater Lake is worth the drive only if you're planning to be in the immediate area for other reasons. Otherwise, save your time. Again, just one opinion.

I echo what John says. I'd choose Rainier first, St. Helens second, and Crater Lake third.

The grandeur of Mt. Rainier is awe-inspiring. You would need to spend at least a day there, going up to Paradise Lodge on the south side or Sunrise on the east side. (And you will hate leaving....you'll miss hiking and the Ranger walks. There is so much to see!)

Sunrise is usually clear, in the summer, and definitely worth the trip if you can't see the top of the mountain from Paradise. The views from both are breath-taking.

Another great place at Mt. Rainier Park is Ohanapakosh, with its huge, ancient trees and lush forest. It is between the two high points (Paradise and Sunrise) and low-lying.

Mt. St. Helen's is a spectacle, and fascinating. It is much smaller scale than Rainier, which is massive, and lacks Rainier's lush beauty.

If you have an interest in volcanos and geology, Mt. St. Helens is a living example. (While Mt. Rainier is a, thankfully, dormant one!)

We like the western entrance to Mt. St. H. off I-5 from Cougar, as we like the visitors centers that explain what happened there. Taking that route is a full day trip from Seattle or Portland.

The entrance Tara refers to is from the north side. I hear the views there are great, but it doesn't have the explanatory information available on the approach from the west. (which also has some great views)

The north entrance is closer to Mt. Rainier. The west is between Portland and Seattle. Perhaps one fits better into your schedule. Alas, the roads don't connect at the top, though the sites are not very far apart. The Nat. Pk. Service hopes to connect them by road one day. Currently, it is a long hike.

Like John said, Crater Lake is a long way away. Unless you're heading that way, it's too far for your eight day trip, I think.

It would seem that everyone else expects you to spend all your time in the Seattle area. Go south on I-5 all the way to Grant's Pass, over to Crater Lake and on to Highway 97 and back north. See it all!

Well, I would spend a couple of days seeing Rainier and St. Helens. I would enter Rainier at the NE entrance, and drive up to Sunrise for one of the best views of the mountain from an adjoining ridge. I would then drop down and continue to the Stevens Canyon entrance, then drive up that road to Paradise, on Rainier's south flank. I would then return back down the Stevens Canyon road, then head south toward St. Helens. There are various places where you could stay along the way, in towns like Packwood or Randle.

The next day, I would take the trip recommended by Tara, including the drive up to Windy Ridge where there are spectacular views and you will be among the blown down trees. From there, you can head due south past Mt. Adams to the Columbia River Gorge, or east towards Portland. If you do head east, the Ape Cave lava tube is an interesting side visit.

If you continue south on Rte 97, you will pass through Bend on the way to Crater Lake. There you could see all sorts of cool volcanic features, particularly up in Newberry Crater. The High Desert Museum in Bend is also worth a visit.

From Crater Lake, you can head back to Seattle via I-5, or if you have time, work your way up the coast, which is quite beautiful. If time allows, you could continue up the Washington coast to visit the rainforests and high ridges of Olympic National Park, before taking a ferry back to Seattle.

Thanks for all the suggestions. My map program has me going on different "Forest Roads" that are listed as closed in the winter. Are these roads easily drivable? My thought is to do Rainier, drive south over forest roads to Columbia Gorge and then back up from Portland to Mt. St. Helens so I can approach it from the west.

The "forest roads" are most likely logging roads or possibly US Forest Service roads. I would not recommend using them for any distance at all. Many are simply not appropriate for any but heavy or 4WD vehicles; they may have unprotected sheer drops, and no traffic to find you if something bad happens. Maps for these roads are also very unreliable; the road may have washed out and not been repaired, and you'd be stuck with no choice but to double back.

From Mt. Rainier your best bet is to follow US 12 (White Pass) east to US 97 at Yakima, then south to Goldendale and west along the Washington side of the Columbia back to I-5, then north to the Mt. St. Helens cutoff. US 97 is a lovely ride through Old West country (Yakima Indian reservation for the most part) and following the river in from Goldendale will show you the dramatic landscape changes as you traverse from the dry to wet zones.