Costs:

Food $680
Lodging $2860 (8 nights)
Airfare $ 443 (+ $272 travel credit)
Rental Car $ 570 + Gas $107
Transit $24
Sightseeing / tours $ 480

Total costs: $5164 (not including other discretionary spending)

This is definitely more expensive than other equivalent trips we have taken in recent years, mostly due to the lodging costs (high season + late-booking) plus the 2 tours we took at Lake Quinault. Having said that, between my initial hotel and rental car bookings in May and early July, I kept rechecking rates and rebooked ourselves at a few places and saved $500. Dining out was expensive too. We paid for hotel breakfasts half the trip and the other half was microwave oatmeal. All lunches were grab-n-go sandwiches.

Thanks again for writing this trip report with all the great information and beautiful pictures. I agree with Suze that I need to get out of town more often! You have given me some great ideas for a couple of short trips and even some day trips, starting with the boat ride at Quinault Lake.

thankyou thankyou thankyou. Knowing the costs are super helpful for others. And certainly nothing I'd be able to say as a long-time though not true born-in-Seattle resident.

I love love LOVE what you said about your bit of Seattle. Sure the weather was great but it often is (it's one of the local jokes about keeping it a secret). If you choose to return for more city time, and I hope you will, I can help. I moved here on a whim in the 80's to try it out for a year, then never left. I am only a fascinated observer about the national parks but I do know a bit about all manner of interesting things both downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. It's a pretty great city.

Crazy about the photos. Thanks again for that. and WELCOME to PNW

kalo & suze Thanks again for your kind words. What a beautiful part of the country you live in.

I almost forgot to link the hotel reviews here. A quick recap: we stayed anywhere from fancy hotel (Port Angeles) to standard Hilton (SeaTac) to roadside motels (Packwood & Forks). As well as two Park Lodges: one quite fancy (Lake Quinault) and one with a shared bath (Paradise Inn). Room rates range from $220/n to $580/n (ouch). As posted earlier, our total lodging costs was $2855 for 8 nights

Seattle SeaTac Hilton (2 nights)
Olympic Lodge by Ayers in Port Angeles (1 night)
Dew Drop Inn Motel in Forks (2 nights)
Lake Quinault Lodge (1 night)
Packwood Lodge in Packwood (1 night)
Paradise Inn in Paradise (1 night)

Happy to answer any questions you may have on any parts of our trip!

yk, I have been following along and this is my first chance to comment. I love your report and your stunning photos. We visited Mt. Rainier, ONP and Seattle (along with the North Cascades NP) many, many decades ago. I still have fond memories of that trip. You were wise to go in July. Our trip was from mid-June to early July, and we encountered snow everywhere. It was beautiful but we weren't able to do some of the hikes we planned on. I remember that at the North Cascades one morning we woke up to a snow-covered tent. Yes, we were tenting back then. Not any more! How wonderful for you and your son that you take these awesome vacations.

KarenWoo So kind of you to stop by and drop me a note, while busy writing your fantastic Italy TR. Amazing to see that you've been such an intrepid traveler all your life. I drew the line at camping - done it once in my early 20s and i'm like, thanks but no thanks! Unfortunately that really limits me not be able to visit certain places, like the Northern Cascades! I was captivated by photos of Northern Cascades but when I find out it's mostly a wilderness NP and you really need to camp there in order to access the park, I had to give up on visiting.

yk--for future reference we felt that we saw a lot of the North Cascades park by driving on the loop trail. Unfortunately we were not able to take the boat trip up Lake Chelan that we had planned because of very bad air quality due to forest fires.

I would like to get back to Washington state to see the Olympic National Park and have enjoyed visiting vicariously with your TR

The North Cascades is incredibly beautiful even if you don't go into the park. Towns like Winthrop and Mazama have lodges and cabins so you don't have to camp.

Loving this trip report. Loving the photos. Thanks again.

Nice report! It sure brought back a lot of fond memories of my trips with my kids when they were teenagers then.

I actually thought of a trip to Washington state this summer but somehow never get into the planning. At least now I could revisit the places through your report and photos. I truly enjoyed the wild flowers meadows, and that is the sole reason that I want to visit Mount Rainier in the summer. The last time we went was at the end of summer, only the dry beargrass was on the trail, but with no mosquitoes. I guessed that was the trade off with the tail end of the season.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Happy travels.

Cherthor There is always next summer

suze & Vttraveler Thanks for the info on Northern Cascades. I didn't look too much into it after I realize there's no way I can fit it in this trip. Maybe another summer trip to Seattle in the next couple of years before it becomes too hard for me to do the medium/strenuous hikes?

Just a note that if you want to see something of the North Cascades but don't have the time or the inclination to hike in our take two or three days, you can drive up the Mount Baker Highway (WA 542) to Picture Lake and Artist Point, which offer stunning views of Mts. Baker and Shuksan. You're not inside the national park, but the views and trails in the area are lovely. It's around 90 minutes from Bellingham.

Wow, those photos are unreal, Gardyloo. Hope I'll get to visit Northern Cascades some day

I love the North Cascades. But pretty sure I've never actually been in the national park and I do not hike. A friend and I went car camping along the Methow River for many years each summer. Near the towns of Winthrop and Mazama, where you can also find lodges and cabins to rent. Everyone has local favorites, but for me the North Cascades wins first-place for our region for dramatic scenery. In a completely different way than ONP or Mt Rainier.

Gardyloo has the BEST photos. Although you gave him a run for the money Thanks to you both. And WELCOME for anyone new to PNW. I moved to Seattle decades ago to "try it out"... and never left.