Road Trip Revival – The Northwest

Located roughly 125 miles to the south of Anchorage is the Kenai Fjords National Park.

At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula lies a land where the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords’ crowning feature. Wildlife thrives in icy waters and lush forests around this vast expanse of ice. Sugpiaq people relied on these resources to nurture a life entwined with the sea.

Source: National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior

240 miles to the north of Anchorage lies Denali National Park and Preserve.

Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America’s tallest peak, 20,310′ Denali. Wild animals large and small roam un-fenced lands, living as they have for ages.

Source: National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior

Located to the northwest of Ketchikan, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve makes the perfect day trip for those looking to explore Alaska’s southeastern wilderness.

Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastlines and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska’s Inside Passage and part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site—one of the world’s largest international protected areas. From sea to summit, Glacier Bay offers limitless opportunities for adventure and inspiration.

Source: National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior

Located 90 miles southwest of Bend, Crater Lake National Park marks the perfect start for exploring the American Pacific Northwest.

Crater Lake inspires awe. Native Americans witnessed its formation 7,700 years ago, when a violent eruption triggered the collapse of a tall peak. Scientists marvel at its purity: fed by rain and snow, it’s the deepest lake in the USA and one of the most pristine on earth. Artists, photographers, and sightseers gaze in wonder at its blue water and stunning setting atop the Cascade Mountain Range.

Source: National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior

Located 108 miles northwest of Bend, Mt. Hood National Forest offers gorgeous views of the mountain and the area around.

Located twenty miles east of the city of Portland, Oregon and the northern Willamette River valley, the Mt. Hood National Forest extends south from the strikingly beautiful Columbia River Gorge across more than sixty miles of forested mountains, lakes and streams to Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes of Mt. Jefferson.

Source: Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture

Located just 27 miles east of the upcoming My Place Hotel in the Portland/Vancouver MSA, Multnomah Falls offers a viewing platform where visitors can view all 620 feet of the falls.

Multnomah Falls is the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest with more than 2 million stopping by each year to take in the views! Fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain, the flow over the falls varies, but is usually highest during winter and spring. This is also one of the best places in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to study geology exposed by floods.

Source: Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture

Located 69 miles west of Yakima, Mount Rainier National Park allows visitors to stroll through temperate inland rainforests in the spring and hike through wildflower-filled trails in the summer.

Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. Sub-alpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems. A lifetime of discovery awaits.

Source: National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior

Roughly 203 miles west of My Place Hotel-Pasco, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument offers visitors a chance to see the results of a catastrophic eruption both from afar and up close.

The Monument offers many seasonal activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, snow sport, and ranger-led educational programs.

Source: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Interior

Located 180 miles northwest of our upcoming My Place Hotel-Vancouver, WA hotel, Olympic National Park offers visitors multiple ecosystems and countless opportunities for adventure.

With its incredible range of precipitation and elevation, diversity is the hallmark of Olympic National Park. Encompassing nearly a million acres, the park protects a vast wilderness, thousands of years of human history, and several distinctly different ecosystems, including glacier-capped mountains, old-growth temperate rain forests, and over 70 miles of wild coastline. Come explore!

Source: National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior

Located just 26 miles to the northwest of Spokane, visitors can explore the park for days and not see the same view twice!

One of Washington’s largest state parks, Mount Spokane has 100 miles of trails in the richly forested Selkirk Mountains. The summits of Kit Carson, Day Mountain and Mount Spokane are waiting to be conquered. The charming, historic Vista House atop Mount Spokane and the Quartz Mountain fire lookout provide stunning views of the Spokane Valley, the north Idaho panhandle and Canada. In early summer, hikers stroll among bear grass, lupine and other wildflowers, through Ponderosa pine and subalpine meadows. By late summer, the meadow grasses turn amber, huckleberries ripen and the fireweed is blooming.

Source: Washington State Parks