Seattle & surrounding mountains
 

Good morning everyone! I am new to this site and could use some assistance in a trip my husband and I are planning. My husband would like to visit Mt Ranier and Mt Baker as well as some of the local areas of Seattle. We will travel on Amtrak on the way out but I will be flying home while my husband returns by train. We are interested in going to Mt. Rainer and Mt Baker. We had thought mid to late June, before the tourist season starts, but according to some other threads on here they may have snow cover, especially near Paradise lodge on Mt Ranier. Are we taking a chance by going at that time and if so, what month would you suggest? We thought to start in Seattle for a few days as the train arrives there. We will need a rental car for the mountains but can walk the city. I thought we could stay two days in Seattle and then get a rental car to drive to Mt Baker. We would spend a few nights in Bellingham as that is closest to Mt Baker. My husband likes to stroll & take pictures of nature but I enjoy a more brisk pace so a short hike for me would be ideal. After Mt Baker we would go to Mt Ranier and spend a night or two at Paradise Lodge but I havent planned beyond that. We are retired and have no time line and are open to suggestions. We have to consider where to get the rental car as the airport and the Amtrak station are miles apart. i will make an early morning flight and the train leaves mid to late morning so logistics may prove a challenge. I have seen some ideas of going into Portland and exploring there and we could probably take the train and plane from there. I apologize if this seems unorganized but I am just starting to plan and thought to pick your brains on ideas before I make a set plan. Thank you so much in advance for your input!

June is definitely too early for both Rainier and Baker as much will still be under snow. Especially since our mountains have been getting dumped on with snow this season. I would suggest early to mid July. There will still be snow, but you will be just a touch (barely) ahead of visitors. Locals will be out and about though. Otherwise if you waited till September when kids are back in school, that cuts down on how busy Rainier will get. Weekends are still very busy though. Baker never gets busy, so no worries on that.

If you are arriving into Seattle via Amtrak, that will take you to King Street Station in downtown. I would just go from there to whatever hotel you choose, and then wait to get a rental car until you are ready to head out to the mountains. There are rental car places in downtown.

Amtrak is a great way to go between Seattle and Portland.

Welcome to Fodor's, <b>catbee!</b>

Well, mid- to late June is already well into Seattle's tourist season, but you're right, <i>some</i> years Rainier can be snowy at altitude until well into July. Last year was an exception, but so far this winter seems to be back on track in terms of snowfall. Regardless, it's a bit early.

As for Mt. Baker, the <i>earliest</i> recorded opening date for the road to Artist Point is June 29; most years it doesn't open until mid- to late July, some years August.

In either of these places, if you want to hike around or see the (amazing) wildflowers that follow the snow melting, you need to wait another month or so. For Rainier late July to late August is prime time; usually a couple of weeks later for Mt. Baker.

We also say that summer usually begins around here on the fifth of July, and that's especially the case in the mountains, which can be socked in or rainy for days on end in June.

Let me throw out another couple of ideas for you to consider in case that timing doesn't work.

First, Olympic National Park. You can get to Olympic National Park's Hurricane Ridge fairly easily from Seattle via ferry and road - around 3 hours vs. 2 1/2 to Paradise on Mt. Rainier. Hurricane Ridge is lower than Paradise or Artist Point and usually is a month ahead of those places in terms of snow and wildflower conditions. Olympic NP also has the advantage of other fantastic attractions that the Cascades don't - the amazing rain forests in the Hoh and Quinault valleys on the Pacific side of the peninsula, and the spectacular ocean beaches along the national park's coastal strip. Between the mountains, forests and rocky coast, Olympic NP is a terrific "threefer" for visitors.

Second, Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. Here again, you have tremendous variety. In June you can visit Timberline Lodge on the side of Mt. Hood, where they'll be skiing until September (some years it's year-round) but in the Hood River Valley below the mountain the orchards and vineyards will be lush and green. The many waterfalls along the walls of the Gorge will be full of water from melting mountain snow; the windsurfers at Hood River will be flying along the Columbia. You can visit craft breweries in Hood River, visit the remarkable Maryhill Museum out where the green of the western Gorge turns to fantastic "old west" sagebrush scenery just an hour from the waterfalls... as I said, amazing variety in a very compact area.

Third, Vancouver and Whistler. You can explore wonderful Vancouver - markets, fabulous gardens, parks, terrific food - then drive up the "Sea to Sky" Highway, one of the most beautiful roads in North America, to Whistler. Or take the short ferry ride over to the idyllic "Sunshine Coast" which is under most Americans' radar. Again, huge variety in a very small area.

The train rides to Portland and/or Vancouver from Seattle are both inexpensive and quite scenic, by the way.

So those are some options to consider in addition, of course, to simply moving your timing for Baker/Rainier back a month or so.

Are you coming into Seattle on the Coast Starlight or the Empire Builder?
If it is the Empire Builder, consider taking it to Portland from the split in Spokane. You can get a rental car in Portland not too far from the PDX station.
The TriMet red line is great for getting to the PDX airport (end of the line).
If you go to Portland, you might want to substitute Mt. St. Helens for Mt. Baker.
There are a couple of places to stay in Packwood before you enter Mt. Rainier by the south entrance in the morning.
There are several Amtrak Cascades trains and buses per day between Portland and Seattle.

I only have a few small things I can add...

Portland is a great city if you decide to add that on. You can get there by plane, train, bus, or rental car from Seattle. Or you could skip it and just focus on Seattle and the surrounding area.

In Seattle, SeaTac airport and Amtrak train station are connected using the LightRail system. It's $3 and takes about 30-40 mins.

You've got some of our area's best experts already chimed in above! Listen to them :)

suze

What a wealth of information you all have given me! My husband and I visited family last July in British Columbia and they took us salmon fishing and to Whistler. We spent the night in Seattle before they took us to the airport & train station but we didnt have time to explore the city. We would like to have a short visit with them again and another fishing trip but I will have to see if we can still fish in late August.
We will be taking the Empire Builder into Seattle and Mt St Helens is a good suggestion but we visited that 23 yrs ago when we drove up the coast by car. We also stopped at Crater Lake and Mt Hood but the Hood River Valley sounds lovely and I would love to add that to our trip if possible.
My husband's bucket list is volcanoes on your coast. He loves geology, history and beauty of them so I would like to plan our trip around Mt Ranier & Mt Baker this trip for him. Late August, early September may be our new dates. A perfect time for the harvest of fruits and vegetables too......i love local cuisine of places we visit.
I wasnt aware of the LightRail Station so thank you Suze for telling me about that! That is one less worry in my planning once I decide where to get a rental car.
I cant thank you all enough for your input & advice! I am back to the drawing board and may be asking for more input as my itinerary evolves. Have a wonderful day!

What you want to know about Mt. Baker: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/baker/
We have a wealth of volcanoes here in Oregon.
Have you visited Mt. Hood?
Google TriMet Portland for information on the light rail, bus and trolley system. You can ride for $2.50 for one ride or all day for $5.

Well Gardyloo, you have me sold on the Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge. My husband liked the idea too so we are going to rethink the trip. I think we will take the train to Portland and get a rental car. My husband doesnt care if we cant get to Paradise on Mt Ranier but he thinks he can still get close enough to the mountain for some pictures if we go late June/early July....do you agree with that?
Tomfuller, thank you for the link to Mt Baker. We may skip that. What other suggestions would you recommend for Oregon?
Back to the drawing board and maps now that I have a different adventure to plan!
You guys are the best!

Of course you can get close enough for pictures; if you extend your trip to Rainier (note it's several hours from, say, Hood River) even if there's snow on the ground at Paradise, it's still very enjoyable IF the weather's clear.

An alternate location for great views of Rainier is the Crystal Mountain ski resort, located just outside the national park boundary. The resort's gondola - http://crystalmountainresort.com/sum...gondola-rides/ - takes you up to a cafe at the summit with amazing eye-level views of Mt. Rainier. One of the things about the big mountains is that they tend to be more photogenic from a distance; up close it's just a wall of rock and ice with nothing to help get a sense of scale. That's why sometimes the best views of Rainier are from Seattle, e.g. http://gardyloo.us/20130330_124a.JPG or Mt. Hood from Portland - http://gardyloo.us/20100510_21b.JPG

One other thing I'd mention is that as you drive toward Mt. Hood through the Hood River Valley, if you face the other way you often have great views of Mt. Adams, which is a spectacular but frequently under-appreciated stratovolcano similar to Hood, Rainier and Baker. If you cross the Columbia at Hood River and take WA 141 north to the little village of Trout Lake, there can be some superb views of Mt. Adams to be had.