My husband and I are going to Olympic National Park this weekend (4th of July). We are considering driving up to North Cascades for a couple of days if time allows. We have reservations in Port Angeles for the entire trip because we are not sure if we want to split our time between the two parks. This is our first time in ONP and we just don't know if we will like it so much that we decide to spend our entire time there.

If we decided to drive up to North Cascades, we will be looking for lodging in the North Cascades area on Monday night for two nights. We want to play it by hear in case we decide to stay in the ONP the whole time. What are the chances we could find lodging for $100 or less by calling in or walking in on the same day we decide to drive up there? We just need a clean and cheap place to sleep. With the holiday weekend we are guessing our chances are pretty slim but wanted to check anyway.

Thanks in advance.

Regalada,

There isn't really lodging "in" North Cascades N.P, other than the Ross Lake Resort and the Stehekin Lodge, both of which are accessed by boat. It would take a long time to get to either one. Most of the NCNP lodging is outside the park, mainly in Mazama or Winthrop, over the pass in eastern Washington. That would be a very long drive on a trafficy weekend. There is a place to stay on the west side, in the town of Marblemount, but it's cabins and camping:
http://www.northcascades.com/

I think you are better off staying put on the Olympic Peninsula. North Cascades N.P. is beautiful, but it is really a hiker's park. Most non-hikers drive through on Hwy. 20, stopping at an overlook or two, and that's it.

Olympic, on the other hand, offers both beaches and mountains. There are several high places where you can get out and wander if you like, without a strenuous hike---Deer Park and Hurrican Ridge. If you do want to hike, Mt. Twonsend on the eastern edge is a good one. And beach hikes---the Olympic beaches are wild; there is also Dungeness Spit, not in the park but a lovely place too.

The traffic all over western Washington is horrible on the weekend of the Fourth, and many of the roads you would be taking are 2-lanes, easily choked up with RV's. Plus part of the way you would mix it up with San Juan Island ferry traffic.

If you don't want a headache, book ahead.

Since the 4th isn't a 3 day weekend, I don't think traffic or lodging will be any worse than any other summer weekend. Which still means you should book ahead-you wouldn't want to drive all the way to Mazama/Winthrop and not find anything in your price range.

You can certainly find enough to do on the OP to occupy your whole trip. It's kind of a long drive from the OP to the North Cascades (or, more correctly, the northeastern Cascades and Methow Valley, since you won't find much in the way of lodging or scenery unless you drive all the way over the mountains to Winthrop/Mazama), though it's a gorgeous drive and the area is certainly worth visiting.

Thank you all for your replies.

We decided to book one night on Winthrop at the Mt Gardner Inn, they have a double for $69. We will spend 4 days at ONP and then drive up to North Cascades for our last two days.

We are big fans of national parks and ONP and NC are two high on our list of parks we want to visit. We live in Washington DC and have never been to Washington, so we want to make the most of this trip.

Again, thanks for your replies and happy 4th of July!

Regalada

Smart move.

If you like Asian food, check out Topo Cafe in Winthrop. They have a pleasant deck and reasonable prices.

Sounds like a great trip! I must have mis-read your first post-I didn't realize you had 6 days, and I'm glad to hear you decided to split it up.

A couple must-dos along the NC highway: The Cascadian Farm stand, near Rockport, for homemade berry ice cream and organic berries, and the Washington Pass scenic overlook/rest area for a great view.

Just wanted to say that we loved both Olympic and North Cascades. We were very glad we decided to go to NC, it is such an amazingly beautiful place.

We stopped at Cascadian and had the raspberry ice cream on the way in and a pint of blueberries on the way out of the park. Both were delicious, thanks for the tip!

Can you post more details on how you split up your time over the six days? Also where did you stay in ONP?

Thanks!

Hi Marlena:

We did four days in Olympic, took it very slow as you will see. Day 1 we did the Hurricane Ridge. Day 2 we did the Hoh Rain Forest and Rialto Beach. Day 3 we did the Marymere Falls, Lake Crescent and the Hot Springs, including the waterfall there. Day 4 we did Cape Flattery and Beaches 1, 2, 3. Early on Day 5 we took the ferry out of Port Townsend to drive up to North Cascades. We drove slowly, stopping along the way for photo ops and picnicking. We made it to Winthrop by 10 PM. The next morning we spent an hour or so in Winthrop and then started driving back through the park along Highway 20, then headed to the airport.