Exploring the

Pacific Northwest
Popular Northwest destinations worth visiting.

By Katie Jordan
Mount Rainier National Park
Commented [A1]: You might consider adding a
paragraph before the Mount Rainier section that
outlines all the trips

Commented [A2]: Consider creating a brochure with

Mount Rainier National Park located 80 miles (128km) from Seattle, Washington and is a this content.
popular destination for sight seers, hikers, climbers and photographers.
Iconic Mount Rainier is 14,410 feet above sea level. Subalpine wildflower meadows surround
the volcano and ancient forests ring the lower slopes. Whether youre heading to Rainier for
the day, overnight or an extended hiking trip, youre bound to find new adventures. [TIP: To
view this document in Read Mode, tap or click the View menu, then tap/click Read Mode.]

Take a Hike
Trails lead through peaceful old growth forest, colorful meadows (late summer) and river
valleys. Check out the most popular day hikes at both Paradise side of Mt. Rainier and
Longmire. [TIP: Click the table to display the Design and Layout Table Tools. Check out how
easy it is to format a table.]
Trail1 Description of Hike Trailhead Distance Round Trip Commented [A3]: Add a map

Nisqually Enjoy excellent views of Mount West end of the 1.2 miles,
45 minutes
Vista Trail Rainier and the Nisqually Glacier. lower parking lot. loop trail
Bench & Enjoy two lakes along this trail. Stevens Canyon 2.5 miles
Snow Lakes See bear grass & flowers. Road, roundtrip 2 hours

Twin Firs This short loop trail passes 2 miles west of

0.4 miles 20 minutes
Loop Trail through old growth forest Longmire.

1
Check out this site for other great hikes. www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/day-hiking-at-mount-rainier.htm
Enjoy the Wildflowers
For a limited time each year, Yyoull be able to see impressive wildflowers in the meadows
around Mt. Rainier. Depending on the weather, flowers typically bloom in late July and early
August. In the higher elevation meadows look to see lupine (blue flowers in the photo),
mountain aster, magenta paintbrush, columbine, monkey flower, fireweed, phlox, rosy spirea,
black alpine sedge, and more. In the subalpine region of the park look for avalanche lilies,
glacier lilies, buttercups in the early part of the season. Later in the summer youll find lupine,
Indian paintbrush and Sitka Valerian. While hiking along the trails, youll see an abundance of
wildflowers in the open areas and meadows throughout the lower elevations of the park.
To help you identify
wild flowers in the
field, download the
Mt. Rainier
Wildflower site
bulletin.
[TIP: Click a photo
to view Layout
options and the
Picture Tools menu].
.
SUBALPINE WILDFLOWERS BLOOM ALONG THE TRAILS OF MOUNT RAINIER.

Plan Your Trip

If the Paradise side of Mt. Rainier is your destination 19 miles (30km) east of the Nisqually
Entrance, consider staying at the historic Paradise Inn. The nearby Paradise Jackson Visitor
Center is the place to get general information, guided ranger programs and offers a cafeteria
and gift shop. The Paradise Inn offers comfortable rooms at a reasonable price, especially for
the location. The nearby Paradise Jackson Visitor Center is the place to get general information,
guided ranger programs and offers a cafeteria and gift shop.
Where to Stay in the Park
The Paradise side of Mt. Rainier receives on average 643 inches
Paradise Inn, Paradise.
(53.6 feet/16.3 meters) of snow a year and offers many winter
Open May - October
activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and National Park Inn,
tubing. Longmire. Open year
round.
The road between Longmire and Paradise is plowed
throughout the winter.
Longmire, the original park headquarters, is 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east of the Nisqually Entrance
in the southwest corner of the park. The old park headquarters building houses a museum
open daily throughout the year. The historic National Park Inn, with spectacular views of Mt.
Rainier, offers a great place to stay.
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is actually three
parks in one. The majority of its 900,000
Fast Facts
acres is filled by the majestic Olympic [Tip: add a shaded text box, such as this
Mountains. Then there are the parks one, to highlight important information]
12 major watersheds and more than
western rainforest valleys, which drain into
4,000 miles of rivers and streams.
60 miles of Pacific Coast seashore. Each 600 high lakes, two large lakes, and
ecosystem supports diverse populations of more than 70 miles of intertidal habitats
fish. along the Pacific Coast.
Lake Ozettethe third largest natural
Taken together, these diverse areas lake in Washington State.
provide plentiful fly-fishing opportunities 31 native freshwater species from 11
all year long. Even better, many of these different families of fish.
areas are usually not crowded, and the At least 70 unique populations of Pacific
backcountry fishing is virtually untapped. salmon, trout, and char.
5 non-native fish species: brook trout,
You may find it worthwhile, though, to do
yellow perch, largemouth bass, yellow
your homework and ensure you are bullhead, and American shad.
heading for the right location considering As of 2008, 5 fish species on the federally
the season. threatened species list: bull trout, Puget
Sound steelhead, Puget Sound Chinook
So grab your pole and your flies, and salmon, Hood Canal summer chum
break out your ferry schedule. Its time to salmon, and Ozette Lake sockeye
head out to the Peninsula for some fly salmon.
fishing, hiking and more!

Fly Fishing Hotspots

[TIP: Click the chart below to modify layout options, chart elements, chart style and color, as
well as values and names]. The chart below tracks river discharge over the course of a week
for 3 of the best fly fishing rivers in the Olympic and can be used to predict fishing conditions.

Hoh, Elwha and Queets Rivers - Discharge (6/28-7/5)

Discharge, cubic feet per

2500
The Queets
2000
second

Hoh River
1500
1000 Elwha River

500
0
28-Jun 29-Jun 30-Jun 1-Jul 2-Jul 3-Jul 4-Jul 5-Jul
Discover Lake Crescent
Commented [A4]: This is one my favorite trips. Good
idea to focus on Lake Crescent.

Lake Crescent is 5,000 acres of beauty and stillness. Some people compare its sheer mountain Commented [A5]: Mine too!

peaks, which jut straight out of its crystal-clear water, to Norways fjords. Its the most famous
lake in the park, not just for its beauty but also for its fishing. Common species of trout found
there include the Lake Crescent cutthroat and the Beardslee rainbow. Keep your eye peeled
for the small but delicious Kokanee salmon as well.

Lake Crescent in the spring

If Lake Crescent is your destination, consider staying at the scenic lodge and resort, which is
located right on the lakes western shores and run by the national park. You can stay in one of
the many cabins, eat a lovely breakfast, lunch, or dinner in the lodge, and then walk about a
hundred yards down to the lake for great fishing. Highly recommended.
There are a variety of fish species in Lake Crescent, as well as the other lakes and rivers in the
Olympic National Park:
At a Glance Hoh River Elwha River The Queets Lake Crescent Lake Ozette Lake Quinault

Rainbow Trout

Cutthroat Trout

Kokanee Salmon

Places to Stay
The river lodge off Highway 101 between Forks and Port Angeles makes a great base for fishing
the Peninsula, as do lodges on Lake Crescent and Lake Quinault. The owners at the river lodge
also offer a fishing guide service, specializing in steelhead and salmon outings.