Pacific Northwest

A 12-Day Pacific Northwest Photography Arc

Day 1 — Arrive Seattle (SEA). Pick up 4WD. Drive ferry to the Olympic Peninsula. Stay Kalaloch Lodge or Lake Quinault Lodge.

Day 2 — Hoh Rainforest + Ruby Beach. Pre-dawn at the Hall of Mosses Loop (1.3 km, easy) — temperate rainforest at its most photogenic in soft overcast. Sunset at Ruby Beach for sea stacks + driftwood.

Day 3 — Olympic Coast. Second Beach pre-dawn, Rialto Beach Hole-in-the-Wall (tide-dependent, check tables). Drive south to Mount Rainier (4 hr).

Day 4 — Mt. Rainier wildflowers / fall color. Paradise area subalpine meadows — peak wildflowers late July to mid-August (lupines, paintbrush, avalanche lilies). Reflection Lakes at sunrise for the iconic peak reflection.

Day 5 — Mt. Rainier east side + drive to the Columbia Gorge (3 hr). Sunrise on Skyline Trail above the clouds. Afternoon drive south past the Cascade volcanoes to the Columbia River Gorge.

Day 6 — Columbia Gorge waterfalls. Multnomah Falls (620 ft, 2nd tallest year-round in US), Wahkeena, Latourell, Bridal Veil. Best in morning or overcast. Vista House at Crown Point for the gorge panorama. Mt. Hood Trillium Lake reflection (50 min south).

Day 7 — Drive Gorge → Cannon Beach (2.5 hr). Ecola Point overlooks Cannon Beach + Tillamook Rock Lighthouse offshore. Sunset at Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock silhouetted. Stay Surfsand or Stephanie Inn.

Day 8 — Coast drive south to Yachats (3 hr). Cape Kiwanda, Pacific City en route. Sunset at Thor’s Well (Cape Perpetua) — tidal blowhole, time to high tide.

Day 9 — Cape Perpetua dawn + drive to Boardman (3.5 hr). Morning at Devil’s Churn and the spouting horns, then south to Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor (Brookings area) — most dramatic coastal viewpoints on the Oregon coast.

Day 10 — Boardman highlights. Natural Bridges Cove, Secret Beach (the iconic frame), Whaleshead Beach. Drive east to Crater Lake (3.5 hr via Grants Pass).

Day 11 — Crater Lake. Pre-dawn at Watchman Overlook for the deepest-blue-lake-in-North-America shot. Rim Drive (open Jul–mid-Oct). Wizard Island in evening light.

Day 12 — Drive north to Seattle (7.5 hr via I-5) and depart — or drop the car in Medford (1.5 hr) for a shorter exit.

Best photographer window: late June to August for Mt. Rainier wildflowers + accessible Crater Lake rim. Late September to mid-October for fall color in the Gorge + Cascades + Olympic. Winter (Dec–Feb) for storm photography on the coast, snow at the volcanoes — but most high elevations are inaccessible.

Physical Difficulty

Beginner to moderate. Most major subjects are short walks from parking:

• Hall of Mosses (Hoh): 1.3 km flat loop.
• Reflection Lakes (Rainier): drive-up.
• Skyline Trail (Rainier): 8.7 km loop with 500 m gain — moderate.
• Watchman Peak (Crater Lake): 2.5 km / 130 m, moderate.
• Thor’s Well: short walk but slippery basalt + sneaker waves. Stay away during big surf — fatalities have happened.
• Multnomah Falls upper trail: 3.5 km / 230 m.

Weather + Light

• Summer (Jul–Aug): 18–25°C inland, 12–18°C coast. Best subalpine access. Smoke from wildfires possible.
• Fall (Sep–Oct): 5–15°C, peak color in Cascades + vine maple in the Gorge.
• Winter (Nov–Mar): 0–10°C, Cascade roads closed above ~3,000 ft. Coast gets storm watching.
• Spring (Apr–May): variable, waterfall flow peak from snow-melt.

Wildlife

• Black bears + Roosevelt elk (Olympic): year-round.
• Marmots + pika (Mt. Rainier alpine): Jun–Sep.
• Gray whales migration (Oregon coast): Dec–Feb south, Mar–Jun north.
• Tufted puffins (Haystack Rock): Apr–Jul.

Permits + Reservations

• Rainier Paradise summer entry: timed-entry system Jun–early Sep — reserve at recreation.gov.
• National Park pass ($80 annual) covers all federal sites.
• Olympic Coast tide-pooling: no permit but check tide tables — many beaches inaccessible at high tide.
• Drones: banned in NPs (Olympic, Rainier, Crater Lake). State parks vary.

Airports

• Seattle (SEA) — primary hub. Olympic + Rainier base.
• Portland (PDX) — Columbia Gorge + Mt. Hood + central Oregon. Cheaper rentals than SEA often.
• Bend / Redmond (RDM) — central Oregon, useful for Crater Lake + high-desert work.
• Eugene (EUG) — central Oregon Coast access.

Lodging

Olympic: Kalaloch Lodge (oceanfront), Lake Quinault Lodge (1926 historic), Lake Crescent Lodge.

Rainier: Paradise Inn (Jul–Sep only), National Park Inn at Longmire (year-round).

Crater Lake: Crater Lake Lodge (rim access, Jul–Sep), The Cabins at Mazama (year-round).

Oregon Coast: Stephanie Inn (Cannon Beach), Headlands Coastal Lodge (Pacific City), Tu Tu Tun Lodge (Gold Beach).

Gorge: Skamania Lodge, Columbia Gorge Hotel.

Food

Pacific salmon (sockeye, king, coho), Dungeness crab, oysters (Willapa Bay, Yaquina), berries, marionberries. Portland + Seattle have world-class food scenes. Pack snacks for long highway days — many coastal and forest stretches have minimal services.

Transport

• Rental car essential. 4WD optional except in winter / high elevation.
• Distances: Seattle → Hoh 4 hr (ferry+drive); Rainier → Columbia Gorge 3 hr; Gorge → Cannon Beach 2.5 hr; Boardman → Crater Lake 3.5 hr.
• Ferries: Bainbridge or Edmonds–Kingston for Olympic Peninsula. Reservations recommended.
• Mt. Rainier roads: Stevens Canyon Road (east side) closes mid-Nov to late-May.
• Crater Lake Rim Drive: open ~Jul to mid-Oct.