Washington State is located in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), which is a geographic region in western North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Rocky Mountains to the east. When thinking about PNW, it usually includes U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and the Canadian province of Brithish Columbia. Washington State is full of spectacular mountains, giant waterfalls, lush rainforests, apline lakes and so many other natural wonders, the landscape is quite diverse here! The state’s largest city is Seattle, which was the starting point of our road trip through all three Washington National Parks. We flew to Seattle from SFO Airport (San Francisco), and rented our car at the airport, then headed to the first national park, Mount Rainier (you can read the travel guide from Mt Rainier here).

We visited Washington in the end of October and we only had one week to see all the national parks: Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic. We also decided to stopped in two beautiful towns - Leavenworth, which looks like a Bavarian village, and Winthrop, an old, western town. We also couldn’t miss Seattle, during our trip. October was the perfect time to beat the crowds and find cheaper flights, almost all the places were empty, this is why we loved it so much! I hope you’ll enjoy this Perfect 7-day road trip itinerary to Washington State, featuring three national parks to explore, charming villages to see, best places to stay & eat and more.

Mount Rainier National Park

Mt Rainier National Park was the first park that we visited in Washington last fall and we were completely blown away by the views! Mount Rainier is an active volcano, with the elevation of 14,411 ft (4,392 m) and it’s the highest mountain in Washington. It’s located 50 miles southeast of Seattle, 1,5 hour drive. You can see Mt Rainier on a sunny day from Seattle or other parts in Washington state.

The best time to visit this park is in the summer, but it’s also the busiest season. Some of the areas in the park are closed in the fall & winter. When we came in October, there was lots of snow, we weren’t able to visit all the spots that we wanted. We spent two nights in Ashword and we visited the following spots in the park: Christine Falls, Longmire, Narada Falls, Myrthe Falls and Reflection Lakes. We will come back in the summer for sure, to do more stunning hikes! Read the full blog post about Mount Rainier, here.

Leavenworth & Colchuck Lake

Leavenworth is a Bavarian-styled village in the Cascade Mountains. We visited this cute town on our way to North Cascades National Park. We stayed two nights at LOGE Camps Leavenworth, and it was great! Near Leavenworth, you can find a beautiful, alpine lake called Colchuck Lake, which is a hidden gem in Washington State. This lake was the main reason why we stopped in Leavenworth during our trip. It was definitely worth it! Both the town & the lake are great, you should visit them.

The buildings in Leavenworth have stereotypical Bavarian facades, they are colorful and charming. After strolling around the center of the town which reminds me of Bavaria & visiting the Waterfront Park, we had a traditional, German dinner in one of the restaurants. Also, we went to Tumwater Canyon Bridge (or Red Bridge) on the Wanatchee River, and it looked so stunning in the fall (it’s pictured above).

Lake Colchuck is a hidden, alpine gem, a natural wanter nestled in The Enchantments, about 15 miles from Leavenworth. This was the best alpine lake I’ve ever seen and the most rewarding hike I’ve ever done. It took us 2 hours one way to get to this apline lake. Colchuck Lake Trail has 8 miles, out and back, and it’s heavily trafficked. We started hiking around 1 hour before sunrse to avoid crowds on the trail and have the best light for pictures. The views were absolutely stunning and jaw dropping! This lake should be on everyone’s bucket list when coming to Washington State!

North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park is located in the north of Washington State, really close to the border with Canada. It’s an alpine wonderland with many turquoise lakes, rugged peaks of the Cascade Range, lots of glaciers and thick forests. If you’re an adventure lover, the park offers so many hiking trails and other outdoor activities. The North Cascades Scenic Highway (SR-20) goes through the center of the park, there are so many view points and hiking trails easily accesible from the Highway. Diablo Lake, Ross Lake and George Lake are artificially created lakes, located in the center of North Cascades National Park. They were built to generate power for the region.

What to see in North Cascades National Park?

Since the park is made up almost entierly of protected area, there are view structures and roads in the park. Most of beautiful places worth seeing require hiking and venturing. We spent two days in North Cascades Natoinal Park. On the first day we drove the Scenic Highway 20 through the park and went to some vista around the lakes, and on the second day we decided to do the Maple Pass Trail. The views from the trail were amazing and the hike was moderate. Here are some pictures featurying this hike!

Where to stay in North Cascades National Park?

During our trip to this national park, we stayed in Winthrop, WA. It’s a small, old western village located on the North Cascades Scenic Byway, in Methow Valley. We spent there two nights and it was our base for daily adventures in North Cascades NP. It took us about 40 min drive to get to the park from Winthrop, and the route was really picturesque! We loved the village itself, there were so many nice bars, cafes and stores, our hotel Methow River Lodge was also fantastic. We were enjoying morning walks along the river & watching horses in the nearby stud.

Seattle

On our way to the last national park in Washington, Olympic NP, we decided to stop in Seattle for one night. I’ve never been to Seattle and I was so excited to check out this city for the first time in my life.

Where to stay in Seattle?

We stayed in Wawrick Seattle Hotel, we had a beautiful room with a nice view over downtown. I highly recommend you booking this hotel (their website here), the price was reasonable (we paid around $90-100 for a night) and the breakfast was delicious!

What to see in Seattle?

Since our hotel was located in the center, we decided to stroll around downtown & walk and see the Space Needle. Later, we headed to Kerry Park located on the hill in rich neighbourhood called Queen Anne. This area was so picturesque and the views over the city were so stunning! Next morning we went to Pike Place Market, a historic farmer market with artisan and local foods. You can’t miss visiting the original location of Starbucks, which was founded in Seattle!

Olympic National Park

What to see in Olympic National Park?

Olympic National Park was the last park on our road trip to Washington. The park itself is really big and has a lot of different areas, it’s good to spend there at least 3-4 days. It’s also very diverse - you’ll find there beaches, mountains and rainforests! We just had one full day to enjoy the park and these are the places that we’ve seen: Lake Crescent, Marymere Falls, La Push Beaches, Sol Duc Falls.

Where to stay in Olympic National Park?

We rented an airbnb on Lake Sutherland, really close to the park - Olympic Lake House. This place was truly magical, we’ll come back for sure. We spent there 2 nights in this retro cabin, surrounded by mountains and peaceful water of the lake. Waking up for sunrise is also a great idea, I’ll remember this moment forever!

I hope you find this road trip itinerary to Washington State very useful! You can also follow us along on Instagram - @sarowly & @lechwardamian ; we post so much more on that platform! Also feel free to save this post on Pinterest!

The perfect 7-day road trip itinerary to Washington State