Let’s say you have an extra day or two to spend during your visit to Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. While there is plenty to see and do in the park itself, you might want to explore a little more of this Pacific Northwest state.
Locations of a few side trips you might be interested in exploring from your home base of Mount Rainier National Park / Google Maps screenprint
Below are a few side trips to consider. Fair warning: each destination runs between 90 minutes to under four hours’ drive time from the Nisqually Entrance starting point. That sounds like a lot of driving, and it is, but if you leave early, you’ll have the better part of the day with which to experience a new adventure while enjoying the scenery along the way. You might even decide to make an overnight trip of it, since there is so much to see and do at each site.
Note: distances are calculated from Google Maps
Mount St. Helens from Loowit View Area, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument / Rebecca Latson
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Distance from Nisqually Entrance: 114 mi/183.5 km
Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, a visit to this national monument will put you within frame-filling view of a still-active-but-currently-quiet Cascade Range volcano. It’s been 43 years since that devastating eruption on May 18, 1980, but you will still see marks left by the explosion, from trees felled like so many matchsticks, to still-bare terrain covered in pumice and ash, to acres of replanted single-species stands of Douglas fir along land originally swept clean of trees by the eruption.
Traveler’s Note: Due to a landslide on Washington SR 504 around Milepost 51, Johnston Ridge Observatory (and the road leading up to it) is closed for the foreseeable future. A gate is closed by the Hummocks Trailhead, preventing further travel on State Route 504. It is estimated that Johnston Ridge may be open in 2027, depending on repair work progress. Further updates on when the visitor center will open will be made available as soon as possible. Learn More.
The Demonstration Garden in full bloom at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site / Rebecca Latson
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Distance from Nisqually Entrance: 138 mi/222.1 km
Once a fort protecting the interests of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and later the location not only of Vancouver Barracks - the first U.S. Army post in the Pacific Northwest which served as a major headquarters and supply depot during the Civil War and Indian War eras, and the site of the world’s largest lumber mill during World War I – but of Pearson Field and its Air Museum. Visit during the summer and you’ll see the Demonstration Garden – an example of what fort inhabitants grew and consumed - in full bloom with vegetables ripe or ripening.
The waves have a life of their own during king tides at Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington State / Rebecca Latson
Cape Disappointment State Park
Distance from Nisqually Entrance: 167 mi/268.8 km
Visit between November and January to view the king tides at Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington State. Part of the way there, you’ll be following in the footsteps of Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and their Corps of Discovery along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. You might even decide to stay the night at historic Astoria, across the bridge from Washington to Oregon. The oldest city in the state, Astoria was founded in 1811 and is the first permanent American settlement west of the Rockies.
Pure Seattle: a Washington State ferry, the Puget Sound, and "The Mountain" towering in the background / Rebecca Latson
Seattle, Washington
Distance from Nisqually Entrance: 90 mi/144.8 km
Founded in 1852 and situated between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Seattle was named after Chief Seattle (Sealth), 19th-century leader of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. Considered the most populous city in the Pacific Northwest, not only are there restaurants offering tasty fare from all over the world, but microbreweries for those who enjoy the taste of hops with their pub grub, museums (Seattle Art Museum, Museum of Flight, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture), iconic venues (Space Needle, Seattle Science Center, Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium, Gasworks Park), eclectic shopping scenes, and a vibrant music and theater culture, not to mention sporting venues for the Seattle Mariners (baseball), Seattle Seahawks (football), and Seattle Kraken (hockey).
Again, these side trips take a little time to travel, but they offer some nice perspectives of the Pacific Northwest in addition to what you’ll see when you visit Mount Rainier National Park.
