My husband and I have pretty much decided to take our family vacation by flying into Seattle and then driving down the coast into Oregon. We plan on taking at least 2 weeks, so I hope that will be sufficient time to do all that we want to do. We love national parks, so of course we want to go to Olympic and Mt. Ranier. I have been trying to find a good location for lodging in or close to Mt. Ranier. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also, would 2 nites be enough at Mt. Ranier for us to see the park? Thanks for your input.

Hi Kathy:
We spent the night at Rainier Lodge a few years ago, before going north to the San Juan Islands. The lodge is quaint, old-fashioned, but comfortable. Staying there was a big kick for us Oahu'ites. We arrived at SEA-TAC in typical cloudy weather, drove 1 1/2 hours to the lodge, had dinner (I remember venison and overcooked salmon), and fell asleep after enjoying their huge fireplace. We awoke to bright sun and Mt. Rainer in full view the next morning! Nothing like being right there...It was early June, and they were still digging themselves out of the record '96 April snow-storm. Loved Rainier, love Washington State!
Aloha,
k

There are two inns inside the national park: Paradise Inn is open from late May to early October because of the high elevation (5000'). The somewhat rustic rooms cost from $70 to $130, depending on size, furnishings and private/not private bath. Food is pretty good, and the large log-trimmed lobby with giant fireplace is very cozy. You need to make reservations early to get in. A fantastic location, right near the Paradise Visitor Center. The National Park Inn at Longmire is on the same road, but at a much lower elevation (2700'), so it is open year-round. Rates range the same as for Paradise Inn. Rooms are a bit bigger, and there is another big lounge with stone fireplace. Reservations are hard to get here too, because it is very small (25 rooms). Both are owned by Rainier Guest Services, P.O. Box 108, Ashford, WA, 98397; 360-569-2275).

Outside the west entrance to the park, there are a few inns and B&Bs. The only one I know about personally is Alexander's Country Inn (37515 State Road 706 East, Ashford 98304; 800-654-7615). They have about 15 smallish antique-style rooms, and a fantastic restaurant. Rates range about the same as for Paradise and Longmire.

It all depends on when you want to go, and how much time you have to make reservations. If you want to go in the late fall/winter/spring, you will need to stay at Longmire or outside the Park. in late spring/summer/early fall, I would definitely stay at Paradise, provided you were able to get a reservation.

You can see a lot of Rainier in two days. I would recommend circling the mountain, going in via Route 410 into the northeast entrance (near Crystal Mountain). From there, you can take the side road up to Sunrise (season permitting) for spectacular views of the mtn before continuing over Cayuse Pass to the Stevens Canyon entrance station. From there, take the Stevens Canyon Road up to Paradise. There's lots of stops along this road. I particularly like the short Box Canyon walk which takes you onto a bridge over a chasm hundreds of feet deep and tens of feet wide. At Paradise, there is a great Visitors Center, and tons of hiking trails of every distance. From there, you drop down the other side to Longmire. Again, there are all sorts of great stops along the way down, before exiting the Park at the southwest corner. If you drive westward on Route 706, you will eventually reach Interstate 5 in a good position to drive a bit further south to pick up Route 101 toward the Olympic Peninsula (assuming you haven't gone there yet!). Have fun!

I stand corrected. We must have stayed at Paradise Inn. It was at 5,000 ft elevation, and right next to the visitors' center. Booked through Rainier Guest Services, as mentioned above.

We also stayed at the Paradise Inn. Not quite like Old Faithful Inn, but still quaint and cozy. Request a room with a view - we were given one for the same price.

Also be sure you see Mt. St. Helens. It's a slow but easy drive between the two parks, and definitly worth seeing.

I hope Crater Lake National Park is also on your itinerary! It is truly stunning, and took our breath away when we first saw it. If possible, try to stay in their Inn near the Lake, (not the one a few miles in) as it is also exceptionally beautiful.

Have a great trip!!!

Many thanks to all of you who replied to my questions. I am going to attempt to get reservations at one of the inns inside the park. And, thank you, Alf, for the extra info that you gave. We will definitely take your advice. Crater is on our itinerary and I would like to know, Ellen, if you took a ferry in or drove?

Also, Kalena, did you enjoy the San Juan Islands and where did you go and how long did you stay there?

I know I have lots of questions, but over the years we have all shared so much travel info together, and this board is invaluable. Thanks

A couple of things to add to the excellent advice you've already received:

If Paradise is full, try a place called Wellspring near Ashford. Alexander's is a nice B&B but I think you'll find the cabins at Wellspring might be a better bet for a family.

Alf's idea for a circumnavigation of Rainier is a good one. I would just add a strong vote for a stop at the Grove of the Patriarchs, on the SE side of the park. It's a short trail to some amazing old growth cedar trees.

Ferry to Crater Lake??? Are you confusing it with another place? There is a boat trip to the island in the middle of the lake, but no ferry...it's in the mountains on the mainland in Southern Oregon.

Hi Kathy!

We spent three nights at the Cascade Harbor Inn on Orcas Island. It was very nice. Beautiful view of Rosario at night, and our children enjoyed feeding the deer that came up to our balcony every morning.

We we were there the first year they switched management and got a really good shoulder season rate. It looks as if they have changed their rate schedule, but you may want to check it out anyway.

http://www.cascadeharborinn.com/

We hiked Mt. Constitution, went kayaking, drove ALL over the island, spotted many eagles, and had great sea food. The locally-grown strawberries were at their peak, and there beautiful wild roses growing everywhere! Orcas is a great get-away, and we remember it fondly.
Aloha,
k

Kathy asked "Crater is on our itinerary and I would like to know if you took a ferry in or drove?" which totally mystifies me. What do you mean?
A ferry over the mountain? I thought that was only in the film "Fitzcarraldo". It didn't work BTW.

Let me clarify me question about the ferry for Sheri and Sam: I was confusing Crater with Olympic, sorry.
I know you don't take a ferry over a mountain, Sam.

I looked at Crater after I read the posting and hope we can work that in, also. But I do want to try to go to Olympic. Any advice on that park, and does anyone have any suggestion for accomodations in downtown Seattle? Thanks so much.

If you are going to be in Oregon, you must visit Crater Lake Nat'l Park. You can see most of it in a day, be sure to take the drive around the rim. Also the walk down to the lake surface is worth the hour trek back up. I think it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
In planning our family's "Nat'l Parks of the Northwest" tour I found Fodor's book National Parks of the West to be invaluable. It is well worth the cost if you're going to multiple parks.

Mt. St. Helen's is also an awsome sight.
Enjoy!

I'd second baseballmom's suggestion to visit Mt. St. Helen's. We did about 7 years ago and it remains one of the most vivid sights that I have ever seen. More may have grown back by now, but the devastation was awe-inspiring. You can see beautiful mountains and coast lines in a number of places but there aren't too many places (that I know of at least) to see the results of a volcano eruption up close and personal.

Another vote for Alexander's Country Inn in Ashford. We stayed there in August. It is a very nice inn, conveniently located and the restaurant is very good.

Does Alexander's have a web site?
Thks.

.

With all of this great advice, can someone reccomend a hotel in Seatttle? Thanks

Kathy, what type of hotel are you looking for? Are you traveling with kids (if so, how many) and what's your price range?

Sheri: We would like something nice, in a convenient location to the downtown sites and I would love to go for $100 or less per day. We will be a party of 3, with our college age daughter. We have never visited Seattle before and are looking forward to the visit. Thanks for your help and inquiry.

Kathy, that's a really low budget for a nice place in downtown Seattle in the summertime, especially for three people in a room. The only downtown hotel that I would recommend that might approach that price range is the Pacific Plaza. My aunt just stayed there a couple weeks ago and it's definitely showing its age (and it's not air-conditioned, so a summer visit can be both hot and noisy, since you'd need to leave your windows open), but rooms were just under $100 with a AAA discount (although the rooms would be tight for 3 people). It's also in a great central downtown location.

As far as nicer hotels with amenities like air conditioning ;-), the Summerfield Suites has one bedroom suites which work great for families, but it's probably going to be upwards of $150/night unless you can get a discounted rate. The Paramount Hotel might also be in about the same price range, but it's a regular hotel room, not a suite. The Sixth Avenue Inn is a bit dowdy but might be closer to your price range.

Of course, you could always stay somewhere outside of downtown and commute in to save money on hotel costs. The Seattle Center/Queen Anne area would be closest to downtown and has a number of chains that might have rates in your price range. Or try the Inn at Queen Anne or the Marqueen in that area.