ADG’s Molly Mann Travels to Washington’s National Parks!
We initially called it the “Summer of Travel,” but the ADG team has traveled so much this year we’ll have to call it “The Year of Travel” instead! And while our team will potentially travel more this year than any other, 2024 marks the continuation of a trend that’s central to ADG’s ethos: to travel to places that inspire us to create.
One of our veteran employees, Molly Mann, recently returned from a trip to Washington State’s three national parks.
A Nine Day Itinerary
ADG: Molly, why don’t we start by having you introduce yourself?
Molly: Hey, I’m Molly Mann! I’m a Nashville native and travel blogger, and I’ve served as the Social Media Manager and Customer Service Guru here at ADG for almost ten years. Working for a small business, I often wear several hats. Along with maintaining our social media presence daily and ensuring our amazing customers are tended to, I oversee poster printing, our processing for custom-printed orders, being the go-to contact for our vendors, and so on!
ADG: You are a Jill of all Trades! And before we get into the park-specific questions, can you give us a quick itinerary of your trip?
Molly: My trip to Washington was over a total of nine days. I chose the end of August for the temperature/weather (warmer days and little chance of rain), and the wildflowers are in full bloom in Mount Rainier. I started in North Cascades, went down to Mount Rainier, and ended in Olympic. I spent two days in North Cascades, two in Rainier, and three in Olympic. I extended a day in Olympic simply because it required more driving in and throughout the park. Technically, my last night and day were spent in Seattle to see some of the city before heading home.
ADG: Wow. You got a lot done in nine days! What inspired a trip out to the PNW?
Molly: Anytime I’m researching what national parks to go to next, I’m always drawn to ones I’ve never been to. I also try to look for areas with more than one park within a reasonable distance. I traveled to Oregon for the first time last year, and that’s the most PNW I’ve visited, so I was itching to see more!
ADG: Makes sense! Before we dig into the parks themselves, what was the most memorable moment from the overall trip?
Molly: My sisters came with me on the trip (one lives in Nashville, the other in NYC). Spending uninterrupted, quality time together was memorable overall. We’re close and love being in nature, so Washington was a great choice. We would unequivocally say that our favorite moment was seeing the sunset on Second Beach in the Olympics. The coast was experiencing a day of pure sunshine, so it was extremely rare to get the sunset that we did. It felt like this (literal) golden moment in time. It was so pure and peaceful. A core memory, for sure!
ADG: Sounds dreamlike. What advice do you have for others traveling to the Washington parks? Did you learn anything from going to the parks that people wouldn’t necessarily be able to discover by researching online?
Molly: Because many national parks are usually away from big cities, it’s a no-brainer that one will experience poor phone service. By far, I had the worst cell service in Washington! I recommend bringing a hotspot if you visit any of these parks. I was able to get by just enough to navigate. But even in Airbnbs that offer WiFi, it’ll be spotty.
- Also, always go to the visitor center first! North Cascades had a whiteboard with information on the hiking trails that were closed due to mudslides from the rain. It wasn’t posted on the NPS website or their social media channels, so I’m really glad we went to the visitor center first. Plus, we got to talk to a ranger to get advice on the open and recommended trails.
- Mount Rainier’s hikes were incredible and rewarding, but many are quite strenuous. We were grateful to have electrolytes to mix in our water to get us through long days of hiking mostly uphill. Folks usually camp within the park, so the gift shop has electrolytes and other necessary items available.
- The Hoh Rain Forest in the Olympics is undoubtedly the most popular attraction, but they do not have a reservation system, so go early in the morning! We arrived fairly early and still had to wait about an hour to enter the parking lot.
ADG: And last question before we enter the parks: what were you looking for when visiting these three parks? Did you have any goals you were trying to accomplish? Or was it more of an open-ended, just-experience-the-parks type of journey?
Molly: This fall, we’re releasing a new coffee table book from the illustrations of Kenneth Crane! (Stay tuned for a pre-order date, we’ll be announcing that soon). We received sample copies just days before I left, so I took the hardcover with me and took shots in all three parks.
Our Adventure Guide remains our most popular product, so I photographed and took videos of that, as well as our Legends of the National Parks Guide and postcards. My goal is to capture our products “out in the wild” and also bring back photos that our designers can use as reference and inspiration for future designs.
Aside from work goals, I always come with an open mind to the parks. I’ll normally set a loose outline of spots I want to see or hikes I’d like to take, but I know that the nature of travel is that it doesn’t always abide by your plans! Weather can take a turn, trails close, spots become overcrowded, etc. With that in mind, I stay open to pivoting or rerouting. When that does happen, it allows me to see and experience things I wouldn’t have necessarily planned for.
ADG: That's great advice. Now let’s get into each park!
Molly: Let’s do it!
North Cascades National Park
ADG: Give us a summary of your time at North Cascades.
Molly: North Cascades lived up to its nickname of being the “American Alps.” In two days we covered plenty of ground, but we could've spent much more time in this glorious northern wonderland.
Even on a day that was misty and gloomy, Thunder Knob Trail allowed us to see the glory of the evergreen trees in the forest, weaving its way through spectacular lookouts of the surrounding mountains. In contrast, the sunnier and brighter day that followed allowed us to spend more time by Diablo Lake and bask in its surreal, turquoise glacial waters.
ADG: Sounds dreamlike. What stood out most to you about this park?
Molly: Diablo Lake was a huge highlight. I’ve never seen water that color in my life.
ADG: I heard it’s quite blue-green! If you were to visit again, what would you do differently?
Molly: The Stehekin portion of North Cascades offered more activities (I was dying to go horseback riding!), so I would’ve loved to visit that side. However, it was closed due to recent fires. Ross Lake also offered kayaking, which I was hoping to do, but it’s a bit of a trip to get there, and we didn’t have the time.
ADG: Any advice for folks traveling to North Cascades?
Molly: Embrace the moody weather and still (safely) hike. Although our trip was sunny, we got one day of quintessential PNW weather in North Cascades and loved the calming feeling it brought.
ADG: Despite its proximity to Seattle, North Cascades is on the top ten list of LEAST-visited parks. Did you mostly have the park to yourself? Or were there plenty of other visitors?
Molly: There were many visitors, especially on the warmer day when the sun was out, but I mostly noticed a large camping population. I gathered that locals from Seattle will often drive up just to camp for the weekend.
ADG: What would you say is North Cascades’ most underrated feature?
Molly: The most popular parts seemed relatively close to the entrance, but the deeper you go into the park, the richer the experience. I couldn’t believe how never-ending the mountains were.
Check out a snippet of Molly's trip to North Cascades National Park below:
Mount Rainier National Park
ADG: Give us a summary of your time at Mount Rainier.
Molly: Paradise, indeed. The rare, constant sunshine we received showcased the endless Douglas fir trees, blooming wildflowers, rushing waterfalls & creeks, and the main event: Mount Rainier. You can’t go wrong with any trail on days like this, but the Skyline trail was our favorite. Any route is scenic, but I recommend taking the Dead Horse Creek Trail for a less-crowded experience. Halfway at Panorama Point, we saw Mount St. Helens! We enjoyed the pleasant path to Myrtle Falls to top off an adventurous few days in Rainier.
ADG: What stood out most to you about this park?
Molly: It gave me a feeling similar to the one I had when I visited the Grand Canyon for the first time. The pictures don’t do it justice, and I was overwhelmed by how big and beautiful it all was.
ADG: If you were to visit again, what would you do differently?
Molly: I’d carve out more time to visit the Sunrise area of the park. The views and trails on that side of the mountain look incredible.
ADG: Any advice for folks traveling to the park?
Molly: The marmots and chipmunks are very cute and popular in Paradise, but please don’t feed them!
ADG: The mountain is often shrouded in cloud cover. Were you able to see the peak of Mount Rainier? If so, what was that like?
Molly: We had an incredibly rare couple of days weather-wise in Mount Rainier, some of the clearest days they'd had all year! We could see the peak and every other part of the mountain.
ADG: What would you say is Mount Rainier’s most underrated feature?
Molly: Reflection Lakes was a fantastic lunch spot but offers several different trails. Getting such different, stunning views and perspectives of the mountain and surrounding area from that viewpoint was unexpected!
ADG: I’ve heard the park can be quite chilly, even during summer. Was that your experience? If not, were there other aspects of your trip into the park where proper preparedness helped you and your group?
Molly: Another amazing, rare experience we had was that it was HOT. Because there was no cloud cover and we ascended in elevation, we all got a little sunkissed! It got chilly once the sun went down, but we got our fill of vitamin D. One of us always had a lightweight jacket in case someone needed it, but it wasn’t necessary for this park.
Check out a snippet of Molly's trip to Mount Rainier National Park below:
Olympic National Park
ADG: Give us a summary of your time at Olympic National Park.
Molly: Olympic can be summed up in one word: serenity. Forests hundreds of years old, beaches, and mountains. First, we explored and soaked up the sunshine in Rialto and Second Beach surrounding La Push. The second day came with a walk through every shade of green in the Hoh Rain Forest. Lastly, we did a send-off from Lake Crescent and a stop by the visitor center near Hurricane Ridge to soak up some history lessons.
ADG: What stood out most to you about this park?
Molly: How diverse the entire park is. The Olympics has mountains, beaches, and a rainforest. You truly get it all here.
ADG: If you were to visit again, what would you do differently?
Molly: I’d love to do more in the Hurricane Ridge portion of the park and see Mt. Olympus.
ADG: Any advice for folks traveling to the Olympics?
Molly: It can be a lot of driving, but make time for the Hoh Rain Forest and visit at least one of the beaches. Those were huge highlights.
ADG: What would you say is Olympic’s most underrated feature?
Molly: Lake Crescent! It’s huge and has stunning lookouts along the way.
ADG: Summer is supposed to be this park’s “dry” season, but it’s also the wettest place in the lower 48! Did you get rained on?
Molly: Not once! Our last evening there, it became overcast, but there was no rain whatsoever!
ADG: Lucky! Did you see the famous banana slugs?
Molly: Oh yes, especially in the Hoh Rain Forest! They make stuffed animals and other quirky memorabilia for these gross little guys in the gift shop.
ADG: One of this park’s coolest features is the Pacific Ocean. What was it like visiting the park’s western boundary, where it meets the ocean?
Molly: We were crossing our fingers to see some whales, but to no avail. Surfers were out and about, though. I had gotten a version of what it was like for the woods to meet the ocean when I visited Redwood National Park last summer, but this was a new ballgame. Sea stacks, driftwood, and colorful, smooth stones galore, it was all pure PNW eye candy. Undoubtedly, my favorite part of the whole trip. Being close to the Quileute reservation created a sense of sovereignty and reverence for the land. The colors of the sky were unreal on Second Beach! So many campers and photographers flocked to the water’s edge to watch the sunset. It was like everyone knew there would never be anything like this scene again.
Rialto Beach is extremely accessible and a great place for the daytime, whether it's sunny or overcast. The colors of the stones seem to change in either light. But the sunset should be seen and experienced on Second or Third Beach, especially with a clear sky. Second is easier, as the trail through the woods is not as long as Third’s.
ADG: Such an amazing adventure, Molly! Thanks for filling us in!
Molly: My pleasure!
Travel On
Trips to the national parks are inspiring, therapeutic, educational, meaningful, spiritual, and fulfilling. If you’re looking for inspiration for your next national park adventure, or if you’re looking for a souvenir for a recent trip, check out ADG’s 63 Illustrated National Parks, an award-winning collection of national park poster art.
See you on the trail,
-Ren Brabenec
Anderson Design Group Staff Writer