Back in May we decided to pack up our three crazy boys and travel west to the PNW. It seemed daunting to write this post because of the amount of info and photos and fun I really wanted to share with you all. But FINALLY, I made myself do it.

This by far, was one of our most favorite trips. Going anywhere new is always exciting, but exploring somewhere so different from the Mitten is fascinating. I’ll just really never forget the feeling I had when we first drove into Mt. Rainier National Park or the looks on the boys faces when they took in everything around them in Seattle. It truly is a blessing to travel.

We flew in to Seattle-Tacoma from Detroit later in the evening. We had planned to grab our rental Van (Driving in style!), get some food and make the hour drive to our Air BNB in Mt. Rainier National Park. We were met at the airport to a surprise- Uncle Jeff waiting for us with a “Ball Camp” sign like we were fancy! Ha! It was a fun gesture and the boys loved it. We all went out to dinner together before making our way to the park. For those who don’t know- “Uncle Jeff” is a lifelong friend who’s lived in Seattle for years and was excited to have us in the area!

Upon arrival at our AirBnb it was late, and we were all sleepy. We couldn’t wait to wake up and explore our surroundings. Our Airbnb was the PERFECT little cabin in the woods for exploring Mt. Rainier National Park. Look how cute:

We woke up, made coffee, and toast, before heading out for the day. WeWe were just so excited to have the whole day to explore the park.

We stayed in Ashford, on the West side of the park, closest to Seattle. We used the Nisqually Entrance- Historic District to get into the park. This is the oldest and first entrance to the park. It also happened to be less than a mile from our Airbnb. It was so close!

We were blown away by the mountain views, and the size of the trees immediately. We were actually yelling at each other, “look at that tree” over and over. We decided to make our destination for the day the Sunrise Visitor Center. This is the highest elevation in the park accessible via vehicle at 6400 feet. We took our time driving to the visitor center, stopping along the way for all the beauty around us.

The higher we climbed, the more the scenery changed. Eventually we made it. And there was snow!

Side note, we searched for an alternative to a heavy backpack carrier for this trip and stumbled upon the MiniMeis carrier. We really loved having this for the airport, hiking, and walking all over Seattle. It folded in seconds to a size small enough to fit in this Northface backpack. It was perfect for this trip.

After a real exciting day, we headed back to the cabin for some grilling out, a quick trip for ice cream, hot tub time for the boys, and just relaxing by the fire. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

The next day, we got up, made breakfast and coffee, and headed out again for a couple of more hikes before we made the trek back to Seattle for some city fun.

The first leg of our trip was overall one of the best places we’ve been yet as a family. We cannot wait to go back to Washington to spend more time in the parks- We could have spent many more days here!