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BILL GIFFORD has been leading Sierra Club backpack trips in the Northwest since 1976, including trips to Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, Eagle Cap, Hells Canyon, the North Cascades, the Sky Lakes, Glacier Peak, the Three Sisters, and the Strawberry Mountains. Trees and wildflowers are his particular areas of expertise.
If You Go
Getting There: Mount Rainier National Park is roughly fifty miles southeast of the Sea–Tac Airport, which is served by most major carriers.
Best Time to Visit: Cougar Rock and Ohanapecosh Campgrounds are open from late May to late September; the White River and Mowich Lake (a hike-in campground) are open from late June through early October.
Campgrounds: Cougar Rock, Ohanapecosh, and White River Campgrounds have a total of 480 campsites. No hookups or showers are available, though campgrounds have potable water, flush toilets, and fire grates. Some first-come, first-served sites are available, though you’d do best to make a reservation through Recreation.gov (877- 444-6777). Sites run $12 to $15.
Activities: Hiking, biking, wildflower viewing.
Water, like the Sol Duc Waterfall, is the defining feature of Olympic National Park.
Washington—Forks
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK
RECOMMENDED BY Rainey McKenna
Olympic National Park rests on the northwestern edge of the continental United States, on a wind-and-rain-swept peninsula that’s a study in gray, green, and, occasionally, blue. It could be said that Olympic National Park is three parks in one. First, it’s a park for arboreal resources. The river valleys of the park have a remnant of what was once the greatest temperate rain forest in the world. Olympic National Park also boasts the largest coastal wilderness in the Lower 48—more than seventy miles of coastline, with very limited access points. Toward the eastern side of the park, there’s wonderful high country. Despite its modest elevation (the highest peak in the Olympic range, Mount Olympus, tops out at 7,829 feet), the Olympics are home to a number of glaciers.
“Many people who come to Olympic National Park are amazed by the size of it,” began Rainey McKenna. “There are some national parks you can see in one day—or at least get a sense of them. Olympic is a park that is very hard to see and experience in just one day. There are no roads that cut through the middle of the park; to see the coast, the rain forest, and the mountains in one day, you’d have to drive a minimum of five hours. The road system is like a wheel with spokes, each spoke accessing a different area of the park. If you want to really experience Olympic National Park, you should plan to visit for at least a couple of days . . . better yet, come for a week.
If there’s a defining feature of Olympic National Park, it is water: the 135 inches of rain that fall on average in the Hoh River basin, and the more than 50 feet of snow that accumulates on Mount Olympus; the 4,000 miles of rivers and creeks that radiate from the park’s central mountains, hosting healthy runs of salmon and steelhead and acting as a circulatory system for the park’s varied ecosystems; and finally, the Pacific, which delivers the massive weather fronts to the Olympic Peninsula in the first place. The most celebrated beneficiaries of all this water are the rain forests, and a hike up any of the river valleys on the west side of the park—the Quinault, Queets, Hoh, and Bogachiel—will likely redefine your idea of a “big tree.” Sitka spruce and western hemlock dominate the landscape, but western red cedar, Douglas fir, and Engelmann spruce, among other conifers, are also present. Some of the largest specimens can approach 50 or 60 feet in circumference and reach heights of more than 200 feet. Almost as impressive are the mosses, ferns, and lichens that spring from the trunks of these giants. Even in the less-than-bright light that’s the norm most of the year, the tangle of greens on display are so varied that they’d make the color-namers at Sherwin-Williams jump for joy. (Wandering through the rain forests, be on the lookout for Roosevelt elk, the largest of elk species.)
Olympic National Park’s wonderfully diverse ecosystems provide a perfect palette for a host of outdoor adventures. “Given that so much of Olympic National Park is wilderness, and that we have more than six hundred miles of trails, hiking is certainly a popular activity,” Rainey continued. “However, you don’t have to be a hiker to experience the grandeur of the old-growth forests or the spectacularly rugged, beautiful, and wild coast. There are many short trails for easy day hikes, and most points of interest can be reached by car. The park is home to thirty-one native species of fish, including all five species of Pacific salmon and a number of trout. You can fish by boat or from shore on one of the park’s many rivers or lakes. The park’s two largest lakes, Lake Ozette and Lake Crescent, are also popular with boaters and kayakers. If you enjoy tide pooling, Olympic’s tidal areas are some of the richest in North America. During the summer, rangers lead interpretive programs at beaches along the coast. If you go tide pooling, be aware of the tides and visit during low tide.”
If you’re looking for a more laid-back activity during your visit, there are several hot springs in the park, including those at the commercially operated Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort.
There are sixteen campgrounds spread throughout Olympic National Park, from the coast to the mountains. “Many of the campgrounds are open year-round—not necessarily with running water—though summer is by far the busiest time,” Rainey explained. “Each campground offers a very different experience colored by the surrounding environment.” At Hoh, you’re deep in the rain forest along one of the park’s great rivers. Heart O’ the Hills is great for families and an ideal base camp to explore the camp. It’s open year-round and is one of the park’s largest campgrounds, with a hundred and five sites. The Elwha campground rests in a beautiful valley, and you’re close to the site of the Elwha River restoration project—the largest dam removal in U.S. history.
“With the Glines Canyon and Elwha Dams now gone, critical habitat-building sediment is once again moving downstream and salmon are migrating upstream to spawn for the first time in a hundred years,” Rainey reflected. “It’s amazing to see how the land and river are changing in the Elwha Valley, returning to what conditions were like before the dams. Everything in this ecosystem is tied to salmon and the nutrients they bring back from the sea. With the removal of the dams, return of the salmon, and the hard work of the park’s restoration crews, vegetation is coming back and wildlife, such as deer, bears, and otters are returning to the areas that were once reservoirs. Visiting the Elwha now, you can see restoration and the web of life in action. It’s a very dynamic environment.”
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RAINEY MCKENNA is a public information officer for Olympic National Park.
If You Go
Getting There: The closest major airport is Sea–Tac, which is served by most major carriers; it’s roughly three hours’ drive to the park welcome center in Port Angeles by car. Kenmore Air (866-435-9524; www.kenmoreair.com) offers regular air-shuttle service from Seattle to Port Angeles.
Best Time to Visit: Olympic National Park is situated in a temperate rain forest, and it can rain anytime. Nonetheless, July, August, and September are the driest months, with pleasant temperatures. Snow is generally gone from the high country by late June. The Olympic National Park website (www.nps.gov/olym) details backcountry guidelines and seasonal weather conditions.
Campgrounds: There are sixteen campgrounds in Olympic National Park; all operate on a first-come, first-served basis, with the exception of Kalaloch Campground (reservations can be made here for the summer season at www.recreation.gov). You can learn more about each campground at the Olympic National Park website (www.nps.gov/olym). Sites range from $10 to $18.
Activities: Hiking, tide pooling, wildlife viewing, fishing, swimming, kayaking, and boating.
The Tetons, captured here after a late autumn snowfall, are America’s most iconic mountain range.
Wyoming—Jackson
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
RECOMMENDED BY Jackie Skaggs
Jackie Skaggs’s first
brush with Grand Teton National Park mirrors so many children’s first national-park experience. It was from the backseat of the family sedan.
“I was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho,” Jackie began. “My family drove through the park when I was twelve years old, and I had my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic. I photographed the mountains, the bison, and the lingering snowdrifts during our family vacation to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. When I looked at those photos later, the Tetons absolutely burned into my consciousness on some primal level. Ten years later, when I graduated from college, my husband and I had to decide where to start our lives together. He said, ‘We don’t have to stay in Pocatello, you know. Where would you like to go?’ I immediately thought of Jackson Hole and the Tetons. That was 1976. We managed to get seasonal jobs at Signal Mountain Lodge on the shores of Jackson Lake, and that was the beginning of an unrelenting obsession with this mysterious, magical place. Hook, line, and sinker, I was a goner.”
The Tetons, just north of Jackson, Wyoming, are not America’s tallest mountains, though they may be its most recognizable and photographed range of peaks. Rising abruptly from the valley floor, the distinctive jagged pinnacles of the compact Teton Range are iconic of the American West and the national park that bears its name. Grand Teton National Park encompasses 485 square miles, making up the southern sector of the vast Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest intact temperate ecosystem in the world. Forested hillsides slope down to the sage-covered valley floor and the banks of the shimmering Snake River, which runs north to south through the park. Beyond the river, the long, relatively flat valley unfolds. (The “hole” in Jackson Hole refers to the 55-mile-long, 13-mile-wide valley.) There are 250 miles of maintained hiking trails in the park, ranging from gentle walks around Jenny Lake to the ambitious backcountry Teton Crest Trail. The Grand Teton, which measures 13,770 feet at its summit and rises some 7,000 feet from the valley floor, looms over it all. (Twelve other peaks in the Teton Range eclipse 12,000 feet in elevation.)
After thirty-eight years around the park—many of those in a public-affairs role, speaking to visitors each day—Jackie has a clear vision of Grand Teton’s many appeals to campers. “I’d say there are four main reasons that visitors come to the park. First, it’s the scenery, the awe-inspiring, in-your-face drama of the Teton peaks. The uplift is so abrupt from the sagebrush valley of Jackson Hole, it’s overwhelming. This is accentuated by the range’s proximity to the road. Whatever direction you approach the park from, the granite massifs are a breathtaking surprise. The Tetons provide the sort of vistas people equate with the big western parks.
“Wildlife is the second reason people come to GTNP. All the megafauna that people visit Yellowstone to see—bison, moose, elk, pronghorn, grizzly bears, and wolves—are here in Grand Teton too. The ecosystem has all the wildlife and flora that was present when the first Europeans arrived, another compelling reason to visit. Twenty years ago, you hardly ever heard of grizzly bear sightings in Grand Teton, but the population has expanded from Yellowstone and the bears have moved southward. Given that Grand Teton is only one-sixth the size of Yellowstone, you may even see grizzlies more frequently here. The fact that the bears are around makes the park feel a little wilder. You’re a little more aware of making noise and likely to carry bear spray when you’re out on the Teton trails. A third attraction is the range and variety of outdoor activities available throughout the park. The Tetons are one of the premier mountain climbing venues in the Lower 48. There are many routes that can be climbed, either by experienced climbers on their own with the help of a guidebook or by neophytes with the assistance of experienced guides. The Snake River, which flows through the middle of the park, is a great trout-fishing stream and provides a pristine setting for raft or kayak trips. Of course, there are many, many hikes. Thanks to the intimacy of GTNP, you can pack a bunch of activities into a day—say, a float trip in the morning, a hike in the afternoon, and a ranger program in the evening.”
There are seven campgrounds in GTNP. A perennial favorite of tent campers is Jenny Lake. “You’re situated very close to the base of the Tetons, so the vistas are especially dramatic,” Jackie said. “It’s a fairly small campground, only forty sites, and RVs aren’t permitted. You have quick access to the central trail system, with hikes like String Lake, Cascade, and Paintbrush Canyon right from your tent. If you’re looking for a mellower hike, there’s the Jenny Lake Trail. I also like the Signal Mountain campground. There, you’re close to boating and fishing on Jackson Lake, the largest glacial lake in the park. And, if you don’t feel like fixing your meal, you can walk over to the Signal Mountain Lodge for a gourmet dinner or a hamburger. Wherever you camp, GTNP has features found in few other national parks. You can have a very rustic experience during the day, but then you can drive twenty or thirty minutes into Jackson and enjoy a more cultural experience, be it fine dining or attending a music festival or an art-exhibit opening. Then you can drive back and sleep under the stars. It’s a unique balance, and I think it reflects what more people are looking for in a camping experience—roughing it, but with creature comforts.”
Few people come away from the Grand Teton National Park unmoved. “There’s a definite spiritual nature to the Tetons,” Jackie opined. “It goes back to the native peoples. Many tribes came here in the summer [visiting tribes included Shoshone, Bannock, Blackfoot, Crow, Flathead, Gros Ventre, and Nez Perce] to hunt, but they also had a special reverence for the mountains that beaconed them. I feel it myself in a palpable, personal way. The Tetons have gotten me through some tough times, like the death of my father, who I was very close to. Whether it was watching the play of northern lights across an expansive night sky in November, skiing across the frozen surface of Jackson Lake in winter, seeing my first grizzly bear with newborn cubs, or just looking up at the soaring Teton peaks as I hiked and realizing just how small I felt in their shadow, the Tetons’ permanence—seemingly unchangeable qualities—helped me heal many times, but especially after my father’s passing. They’ve been my comfort, strength, and inspiration for most of my adult life. And that lifelong inspiration began when I snapped my first photograph as an impressionable twelve-year-old girl.”
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JACKIE SKAGGS is public affairs officer for Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, and serves as the official spokesperson on behalf of the park’s superintendent. She began her NPS career at Grand Teton in 1984 as a seasonal ranger in visitor services (fee collection); she spent ten years as a seasonal ranger in the Division of Interpretation, seven years as a public affairs specialist, and the past eight years as the public affairs officer. Jackie earned a BA in elementary education from Idaho State University in Pocatello and completed additional post-graduate classes in the natural sciences.
If You Go
Getting There: Several carriers fly into the Jackson Hole airport, including United (800-864-8331; www.united.com) and Frontier Airlines (800-432-1359; www.flyfrontier.com). Many visitors will opt to fly into Salt Lake City, which is a roughly six-hour drive to the park.
Best Time to Visit: The campgrounds in Grand Teton National Park are generally open from late May through October. The summer months have the most reliable weather (and crowds); late spring and early fall can be magical.
Campgrounds: There are seven campgrounds at GTNP, and they all operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Sites are $22 for tent campers. Reservations (800-628-9988) for group camping are accepted at Colter Bay and Headwaters Campgrounds & RV sites. Full hookups for RVs are available here. Visit www.nps.gov/grte for more details.
Activities: Hiking, wildlife viewing, boating, river rafting, horseback riding, rock climbing, and fishing. Ranger-led activities include wildlife walks, hikes, bike tours and campfire programs.
Yellowstone has more geothermal activity than any place else in the world. It is also home to a host of the Rocky Mountain’s most iconic animals.
Wyoming—West Yellowston
e, MT
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
RECOMMENDED BY Al Nash
“I’ve found that many people have preconceptions about Yellowstone before arriving,” began Al Nash. “They’ve heard of Old Faithful—a place where hot water shoots out of the ground. And they know about the big log lodge—that is, the inn at Old Faithful. They may also know that Yellowstone is a place where you can see bears. I think that the biggest challenge people face is grasping the size of the place. There’s a limited amount of the park that you can see on a three-day visit—or even a longer visit. People often ask about the best way to see the park. I don’t know if there’s a best way. There are two things I do encourage people to do when they’re visiting. First, remember that you’re on vacation and slow down. You don’t travel quickly in Yellowstone—you haven’t really experienced the park until you’ve been in a ‘wildlife jam!’ [That is, a traffic backup caused by people stopped or pulled over to observe a wild animal along the roadside.] The second piece of advice I offer is to step out of the car and see the park by foot. If you only do a ‘windshield tour’ you’re not getting the full experience. You don’t have a sense of being in the wilderness if you’re at Old Faithful in the middle of July. But even there, you can find a trailhead and in thirty minutes have a completely different experience. It’s easy to get away from the crowds without too much effort.
“Some of my earliest memories as a child involve Yellowstone—the excitement of seeing animals, the smell of the thermal areas, my mom herding my siblings and I back to the car as my dad took a picture of a bear. I equated Yellowstone with awe, wonder, and excitement. Yellowstone can tap those feelings in any individual if they are open to it.”
Fifty Places to Camp Before You Die Page 20