We were up by 4:45 AM and out the door of the hotel by 6:30 AM. We gassed up the vehicle and headed to Mount St. Helen's National Monument first. Ok...here again, you would have thought we would have learned our lesson about the weather in this area. We looked at the weather the night before and everything looked clear. If you are going to be in this area....do NOT believe the weather forecast. No matter what it looks like you are going to encounter the fog/cloud problem! We decided on the upper route to Mount St. Helen's. This route would take us past three visitor's centers and end at the Johnson Observatory which is the closest spot to the actual mountain and had films and information on the eruption. Sounded good to us...so off we went. We got to the first Visitor's Center and the road was gated and the center was closed. Now all the information that we were able to locate on the web indicated that it was a must to stop at all the visitor's centers, however they neglected to tell you that none of them open till 10:00 AM!! We arrived at the first one at approximately 8:00 AM....not even close! We decided to keep going toward the mountain...the further we got, the thicker the cloud cover got. At some points on the road it was hard to even see a few feet in front of our vehicle...let alone see a mountain off in the distance. We continued on thinking that the fog would lift. It did in spots but never cleared. We stopped at the various turnouts and were able to see some of the damage done by the lava flow and the areas preserved for the regrowth of trees. We drove all the way to the Johnson Observatory and it was about 9:00 AM at this point. Still an hour before any of the Visitor's Centers opened. We walked up to the end of the walkway and were standing right in front of Mount St. Helen's and I swear you could not see the mountain. The thing is huge....totally obscured by the fog! We were able to see the volcanic ash and the crevices where the lava flowed down the side of the mountain but were not able to see the huge crater on the top of the mountain! We waited a few minutes but decided that if we were going to have a chance to make it Mount Rainier National Park, we had to get moving.
There is only one road into Mount St. Helen's and it doesn't connect to Mount Rainier National Park so we had to drive back out the way we came in...about an hour's drive or so just to get back to the highway to head north to the exit for Mount Rainier. By the time we hit the end of the road, the first Visitor's Center had opened. We went inside but there was a charge to get in to see anything and at that point we had already been to the mountain so we decided to pass and keep going. At this point, all the way back down the road, the fog still hadn't lifted and in fact was worse in some spots than when we first headed into the monument area.
So after being disappointed by what was visible at Mount St. Helen's we had mixed feelings about Rainier. We were hoping that since the cloud cover had burned off around 10 AM the previous day at Columbia River Gorge, that it would be a similar situation today and we would be able to have a clear view by the time we arrived at Rainier around 11:30 AM. Well... we got to the park and headed in. The Ranger at the entrance told us that there was a chance that the clouds would clear and we would actually be able to see the top of the mountain. By this time we were seeing a theme develop! Obviously this is a regular occurrence in this area and it's rare to actually be able to see the top of anything ever! Well we figured...what the heck we are here, let's give it a go.
By this time the sun had come out and it was a beautiful day for a drive. There were some wonderful waterfalls that you come to prior to the mountain itself. We stopped and took a couple short trails to see them close up. Now just a warning....the trails usually give a mileage for the trek. This we have decided is usually wrong....the trails are all downhill on a steep grade to get to the base of the waterfalls and then they are all uphill at that same steep grade on the way back to your vehicle. The sign may say 0.2 mi and you think that it's just a short little walk and the next thing you know...you are walking and walking and walking and going around switchback after switchback and you can hear the waterfall but nothing is coming into sight. Finally it appears and it's an awesome sight and you think..."Wow I'm really glad I made the trip down here." You snap lots of pictures from all kinds of angles and then you turn around and see that you are now going to have to climb back up those steep hills and wind up those switchbacks to get back to your car which is sitting in the parking lot! That being said, it was very worthwhile to go and see the waterfalls. The trips were not that horrible and the rewards were great! Each waterfall is distinctly different and amazing.
After the waterfalls we headed on up the road to the Viewpoint and Visitor's Center near the peak of Mount Rainier. Well by this time it was close to 1:00 PM and still no clearing of the cloud cover at the peak...it was totally obscured. We overheard one visitor asking a Ranger if the top would be visible at all that day. He was not optimistic but replied that if you see a little bit of blue sky moving in from the west that the top may become visible for about a minute before it would cover over again. Not terribly promising news. Well we decided that since we had made the trip there we would at least walk outside for a bit around the mountain. There was a "short" hike to another waterfall so we decided to take that and see if we got a little bit of clearing. Well just as we got to the place to turn off to go down to the base of the waterfall, sure enough we started to see some blue sky from the west and then...there it was...the top of Mount Rainier! It was just a second, just long enough to snap a couple pictures and it was gone again! We went on down to the waterfall and saw a ranger down there who told us that usually if the mountain clears it is between 4:00 and 6:00 PM. She said most people have gone by then and that's when it finally clears off if it is going to clear at all. Well by this time it was close to 2:30 PM or so. We stared back down to the parking lot and turned around for a last glimpse and then it happened again....blue sky and the top once again popped out for a few pictures! It wasn't much but we were satisfied that we at least got to see the top at all!
After the Visitor's Center we continued on the roadway a little further. Steven's Canyon Road is closed for repairs so you can only go so far and then you have to turn around. This area past the mountain peak was beautiful and well worth the time invested to see the area. As we were coming back (again there was only one road in and out of the park) the clouds cleard and we had a beautiful view of the top of Mount Rainier from the opposite side! Sometimes it just takes some patience and luck to see what you want to see! Now really satisfied we left the park. Something to keep in mind is that with the tree cover and cloudiness, it is important to get started out of the park by mid-afternoon if you want to get out while it is still light. It's important to get out while it is light because the roads are windy and narrow and hard to navigate in broad daylight let alone in the dark!
We headed back to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA-TAC) to spend the night. We stayed at Homewood Suites that was wonderful...no strange problems here!
So here are my recommendations for Mount St. Helen's and Mount Rainier National Park based on our observations.
1. While it is possible to do both in one day, I wouldn't recommend it. You really need to start out a bit later in the day in order to give yourself a fighting chence to see either mountain with the cloud cover. Starting later will also allow you to go to the Visitor's Centers and learn what you are viewing. it takes several hours to drive from the highway to each mountain then the drive time in between, makes for a very long day. You would be better off taking two days or chosing one if you only have one day in order to make the most of your visit.
2. Patience is a must when going to these parks. You can't rush things. It's a matter of waiting for the perfect time to actually see the mountains. Just realize that there is a chance that you won't be able to see anything.
3. Again, definitely gas up before heading to either area. There are no gas stations in either of the parks. There is also no cell phone service at least for Sprint so be sure that you are aware of that.
Next stop is North Cascades National Park.....the American Alps.
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