By Kacee Saturay, WNPF Donor Stewardship & Social Media Coordinator
Spring in Washington’s national parks is a special sight. Roads are opening, wildflowers are blooming, trails are emerging under the snow, and park visitation increases.
As the person behind WNPF’s social media pages, I get the unique perspective of seeing the photos and videos of park visitors’ experiences and adventures that are shared every day.
I often find new and creative ways to experience our parks thanks to our community, so I decided to crowdsource spring park recommendations from our creative partners, park concessionaires, and social media followers for you, too.
These spring recommendations were made for you: everyday park users, first-timers, seasoned visitors, and everyone in between. Whether this is your first or fiftieth park visit, our hope is that you can find an activity in the park that suits your interests or introduces a new opportunity for you. We think these activities truly show that #OurBackyardRocks!
Sometimes it’s about the journey, not the destination.
As one of the snowiest places in the U.S., spring takes on a different meaning at Mount Rainier National Park. Professional tour guide Diann Sheldon (@tourmtrainier) likes to focus on the changing scenery rather than covering several miles on trail.
Pack your 10 Essentials, rain gear, and welcome Spring!
You can read her spring recommendations here:
Celebrate your accomplishments in the park.
With graduation season around the corner for many students, my personal recommendation is to take your senior photos around Mount Rainier. If you time it right, you can get a snowy landscape on a bluebird day or capture the early bloom of wildflowers. Either way, the mountain is the perfect background for the upcoming graduate.
A day trip is plenty of time for your session but extending your trip for at least a night is always a treat. In June of 2019, I took my senior photos around Paradise, Reflection Lakes, and even some of the turnouts on the side of the road! I stayed at Cougar Rock Campground, which served as a great basecamp for the different locations where I wanted to take photos. If you’re willing to hike around with your cap and gown and look silly for a few minutes on the trail, this would make for an unforgettable park visit.
Coincidentally, that was the year that I came across Washington’s National Park Fund. Like many of our social media followers, I used #OurBackyardRocks, and got featured on our page. Little did I know that I’d be managing our social media pages just a couple of years later!
A spring scramble, snowy side up.
For an adventure-packed hike in Olympic National Park, we of course had to ask our creative partner Nate Brown (@natebbrown) for a recommendation. After completing the 30 peaks in his Olympic Mountain Project, we knew he had at least one suggestion for spring:
“Hurricane Ridge is one of the most accessible ways into the high alpine of the Olympics. Mount Angeles is one of my favorite early spring summit scrambles, with only six miles and 3,000 feet of elevation gain. But don’t let those relatively low numbers trick you into complacency; getting to the summit requires steep snow and rock skills and knowledge about avalanche terrain.”
The weather in the higher elevations of Olympic National Park can vary in early spring. There is a good chance that you will encounter snow so be sure to check conditions, pack the essential gear, and ensure you’re prepared for any situation in the mountains. Check out this page from the park service about climbing in Olympic National Park’s wilderness.
Spend some time by the tides.
Interested in practicing your nature photography skills? Zoé Moreano (@zoe_elizabethphotography), one of our Instagram followers, shared her spring activity at Olympic National Park. Like many park visitors, Zoé knows the magic that you can capture around the park. You might come across a sea anemone in a tidepool, an eagle in its nest, or a climber coming down from a tall peak. Bring your camera along and keep your eyes peeled for anything you can snap a photo of!
Looking to spend more than just a day on the coast? Amy Neil, the general manager at the Kalaloch Lodge, has the ideal weekend in mind. If you find yourself in the Kalaloch area of the park, consider adding this to your itinerary:
“The Tree of Life walk is nature at its finest. The tree is magnificent as it hangs onto the cliffs around it for dear life, exposing its roots and showing off its beauty. The walk to the tree is equally stunning with the dense rainforest leading to the dramatic driftwood beach. It is one of the most magnificent sights to see while visiting the lodge. We recommend taking the trail to the tree, enjoying the beach, coming back to the lodge, and enjoying our lawn games along with a delicious meal!”
We are proud to have the Kalaloch Lodge as one of our partners participating in our guest donation program. By spending the night, you’re able to support the park even in your sleep! Learn more about the program and other lodges.
For the Parks, For the Kids.
Chris, the dad behind @parktoparktour, is bringing his two daughters across America’s national parks and luckily for us, they have seen all three of Washington’s parks! Here’s his recommendation if you have kids joining you at North Cascades National Park Complex:
BYOB: Bring Your Own Bike
Our final recommendation is a real leg burner, but we think it’s the best possible way to get your legs moving as North Cascades begins to open more roads and trails.
The North Cascades Highway (also known as SR 20) is a scenic gem in Washington state and if you are looking for a challenge, then cycling the highway should be on your to-do list this spring. Within 57 miles, traveling west to east, you will ascend a total of 7,000 feet with views of glacial lakes, scents of Douglas-fir forests, and the cool air of the mountains.
Learn more about cycling on the North Cascades Highway this spring from our friends at North Cascades National Park.
Just remember: there is a chance that the road is still being cleared of snow in early spring, so stay up to date with WSDOT to get a status on road conditions.
🗣️N CASCADES HIGHWAY REOPENING UPDATE 🗣️Pictures from earlier today, our maintenance crews are continuing to clear snow along SR 20 / North Cascades Highway as we prepare to reopen the road. You can read more about our work here: https://t.co/uCeU8yRZTj pic.twitter.com/CYghfgOkIg— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) April 14, 2022
🗣️N CASCADES HIGHWAY REOPENING UPDATE 🗣️Pictures from earlier today, our maintenance crews are continuing to clear snow along SR 20 / North Cascades Highway as we prepare to reopen the road. You can read more about our work here: https://t.co/uCeU8yRZTj pic.twitter.com/CYghfgOkIg
These tips are just a taste of what Washington’s national parks have to offer in the spring months – we hope you’ve found some inspiration. And remember: if we love these places, we have to care for them, too.
We hope you will join us in helping the parks to thrive for many, many springs to come. There are so many ways to give back, from volunteering your time to making a donation in support of a park priority project.