Lake Quinault and the Quinault Rain Forest – Olympic Peninsula WA

The Olympic Peninsula in Washington State lies northwest of Olympia and due west of Seattle. (TIP: If you’ve got kids and you’re coming to the peninsula from Seattle, break up the 3-hour drive with a halfway stop by the Hands on Children’s Museum in Olympia. It’s fabulous!!) Olympic National Park makes up nearly one million …

Cascade Loop

Cascade Loop Scenic Highway: Best Washington Road Trip

The Ultimate Washington Road Trip The Cascade Loop Scenic Highway quickly became one of our favorite road trip adventures to date! We’ve embarked on some pretty incredible road trips throughout our travels – the North Coast 500 in Scotland and Ring Road in Iceland quickly come to mind. In fact, scenic drives are our preferred way to see the world! As …

Washington Nature

Washington Nature Abounds in North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park in Washington North Cascades National Park is one of three national parks in the state of Washington; the other two being Olympic National Park & Mount Rainier National Park. The park encompasses over six-hundred-thousand acres of beautiful Washington nature and includes both the Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. It is …

Things to do in Manson WA

Things to Do in Manson WA – Our Top 5 Recommendations

Given that we love getting off the beaten path and exploring small towns along the way, we found the village of Manson along the shores of Lake Chelan in Washington to be a charming community yearning for your discovery. With plenty of things to do in Manson WA, they have so much to offer their visitors. We …

Maple Pass Loop

Maple Pass Loop: One of the Best Hikes in Washington

Jagged and majestic, the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington is one of the state’s most iconic images. Now imagine you’re breathing in that fresh mountain air while gazing upon an endless horizon of snow-capped mountain peaks, alpine lakes, and flowering meadows. All of this and more can be found on Heather Maple Pass near the North …

Leavenworth Events and Activities: Bavarian Fun in Washington

 Break out the dirndls and lederhosen and put away your passport (if you’re from the U.S., that is)… there’s a little slice of Bavaria right here in the U.S. of A! We absolutely love the region of Bavaria in Germany, so when we heard there’s a Bavarian-themed village in Washington State, we simply had to check it out …

San Juan Island Whale Watching: Orcas in the Wild

Heading to Washington State? San Juan Island Whale Watching is definitely an experience you’ll want to have on your itinerary! No visit to the San Juan Islands is complete without a whale watching experience. Seeing orcas in the wild was a bucket list item that we were ecstatic to cross off our list! FUN FACT: …

Exploring the Olympic Peninsula

With nearly one million acres to explore, Olympic National Park provides visitors with endless options to consider. Located on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, the park encompasses a variety of ecosystems begging to be explored by adventurous travelers! From beaches to rainforests, all containing an impressive collection of wildlife, there is certainly no shortage …

Ruby Beach: Sea Stacks and Stacked Rocks

The coastline of the Pacific Northwest is something we’ve both longed to see. Spending most of our lives on the east coast of the US, we grew up visiting beaches with lukewarm water, small waves, and minimal changes to the tide. Basically, the complete opposite of the rugged coastline in the Pacific Northwest! During a …

Incredible Tide Pools at Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach is one of the most popular beaches on the Olympic Peninsula, and for good reason: it is gorgeous! It’s also one of the easiest beaches to access, unlike Second Beach, which requires close to a mile hike through a forest before reaching the shore (totally worth it, though!). At Rialto Beach, the parking lot …

Second Beach – Where the Forest Meets the Sea

The Olympic Peninsula on the upper west coast of Washington State has a wide variety of ecosystems. During our week on the peninsula, we had the opportunity to stroll through a rain forest, hike along a ridge-line trail, and visit several magnificent Pacific Northwest beaches, including Second Beach. Getting to Second Beach Beach-goers must hike a …

Exploring Hurricane Ridge (Washington)

There are many gorgeous views and adventures that await visitors to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. We visited Olympic National Park, which makes up much of the peninsula, in late July and the weather was absolutely perfect! Once on Hurricane Ridge Road, there are plenty of places to pull off and enjoy scenic vistas! Keep your …

Rain Forests in the US? They Do Exist!

Very few rain forests exist in the United States, so we felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to explore one of Washington state’s most luscious attractions. There are two types of rain forests: Tropical rain forests, which lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and are characterized with warm temperatures, and temperate rain …