16 years before Mount Rainier National Park was established in 1889, James Longmire built a 13 mile long trail from Ashford to a hot springs he discovered in what is now know as the Longmire Historic District. By 1890, he had built cabins and a small hotel, attracting up to 500 guests each summer by the turn of the century. His family also built a trail to the Paradise area, six miles away.
Iconic Mount Rainier is the centerpiece of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. The snow-capped volcano is just the beginning of what you can see and do while visiting. The park offers over 260 miles of incredible hiking trails, waterfalls, pristine lakes, and plenty of outdoor activities.
Tiny Ashford, Washington, is just west of the main entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. It makes a great base for visiting the park if you don’t plan to stay within its boundaries.
On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens blew its top and destroyed 230 square miles of forest. The eruption left at least 57 dead and created a mudslide that reached 50 miles. Two years later, President Ronald Reagan established Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in order for the environment affected by the eruption to regenerate naturally.
The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the most magical areas of Olympic National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Washington. One of the largest temperate rain forests in the United States, it receives between 140 and 170 inches of rain annually.
The biggest attraction in Forks, Washington, other than the vampires, is the Forks Timber Museum. This modest museum on the southern edge of town educates visitors on the history of the town and the local logging industry.
The small town of La Push, Washington, is located a short drive west of Forks. It sits on the Pacific Ocean and within the Quileute Nation. The small town features resorts and a marina, and all businesses are owned by the tribe. La Push is also mentioned in the Twilight series.
We spent a windy, rainy day exploring (or trying to explore) some of the Pacific beaches at Olympic National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Washington. The beaches are often described as “wild” in many park publications, and for good reason. They’re part of the longest stretch of undeveloped beach in the contiguous United States. This entry covers all beaches we visited except Shi Shi Beach.
There’s no doubt that Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga is popular, selling more than 100 million copies worldwide in over 50 countries and being converted into films. Twilight enthusiasts have been flocking to remote Forks, Washington, the setting for the series, in order to get a glimpse of the places they learned about from the books and movies.
Neah Bay is a town on the Makah Reservation in Washington. It’s a popular place for fishing and hiking to places such as Cape Flattery and Shi Shi Beach.