re: Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens or Olympic

Friend,

Rainier is my favorite of those three. Great hiking and mountaineering if you climb. Beautiful and easy hikes are plentiful.

Olympic is very diverse, but it is quite spread out and you never get the feel of being in a national park. The hiking there is below average for a NP. North Cascades is closer to Seattle and more beautiful if you want to see and climb mountains.

The hiking at Mt Saint Helens is okay, but to climb the mountain you need a permit. If you are not quick on the draw it is not worth seeing in a limited time budget when there are far better places to see nearby.

Definitely see the Grand T****s while you are in Wyoming. I enjoy more than Yellowstone, where traffic can be frustrating and the noxious smells of geysers makes me sick. Mammoth Hot Springs is neat for an hour and Lamar Valley is breathtaking. The Old Faithful area just is not for me.

Glacier I love for some of the best hiking in America, but the grizzlies there terrify me. North Cascades is a great cousin to Glacier but without the grizzlies. As far as mountain scenery goes, however, Glacier at Many is the most beautiful spot in America.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

P.S.

TulaneLSU’s top 10 hikes of Rainier. Unfortunately, the photos have gone missing.

TulaneLSU’s short and recent review of Olympic

TulaneLSU’s recent hike at North Cascades