kimp,

Have you looked at Kalaloch Lodge for cabins along the Olympic coast? And for the Ashford/Mt. Rainier area, I can recommend Stone Creek cabins---ask for one with a stovetop rather than just a microwave if you like.
http://www.stonecreeklodge.net/

Ah, good point about Sunrise closing in early Sept, christy.

The townhouse on Lake Sutherland sounds intriguing...you'll have to post a report if you do end up staying there. But you should at least see if any of the cabins at Lk Crescent are available (not likely but worth a shot!).

And if you want a kitchen at Lk Quinault, I believe at least some of the units at the Lk Quinault Resort (as opposed to the Lodge) have kitchens. But you should at least visit the Lodge for the atmosphere.

Fort Worden is cool, but IMO too far from the places you'll want to be hiking to be a good base for that.

Since you are coming late Sept., Ashford will be perfect, since the entire road to Sunrise will be closed and you won't have any reason to go to that eastern side of the park. Still consider the Mowich Lake area hikes, since you'll be closer to that.

For anyone who is interested I called Mt. Rainier main office today to check on road closures, etc. Sunrise visitors center will be closed but the road isn't closed until 10/10. Made reservations @ Jasmers in Ashford. Still up in the air @ ONP.

That's good news for you! Last time I looked at their website it said 9-9.

Kimp, I just posted my trip report under Washington State. I gave candid comments on where we stayed. We loved BJ's Garden B&B in Sequim. If you like B&B's, then you would love this place. It has a great view from the back of the house. It was my favorite place that we stayed at.

By the way--I had a hard time planning our trip as well. It was so hard to choose from all the wonderful sites. I felt like I didn't want to miss a thing. :)

We settled on 3 nights in Mt. Rainier, 2 nights Forks, WA, 4 nights in Elwha, WA. Seemed like the best way to spend a few days in each spot. Thanks for all your help. Will report back when we return. Pulled date of travel to 9/15. 1 week earlier, and added 2 extra days.

Great! I hope you have wonderful weather for hiking.