Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks in the fall
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After we found out that there are some flights from Willard (a regional airport in Champaign) that are inexpensive, we started flying out from here instaead of Chicago. We got a really good price of plane tickets to Seattle, so we decided to go to more national parks! The two parks that we visited were Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks. We thought about going to North Cascade as well, but the time was limited so we planned to visit there next time. Visiting these two popular national parks in the fall was such a good choice–less crowd, nice weather, and fall foliage!
We began our trip on September 28, although we flew out of Champaign the evening before, on the 27th, and spent most of that night traveling to Seattle. Our first adventure was a visit to Olympic National Park, which spans a vast portion of Washington. The first stop within the park was Hurricane Ridge. My fiancé hadn’t quite prepared me for the length of the hike—I initially thought it would be a short walk. Instead, it took all my strength to reach the top. Despite the challenge, the view from the summit was absolutely breathtaking, and I couldn’t help but forgive him.
Our next stop was Port Angeles, where we enjoyed a poke bowl and some ice cream. Although I didn’t include a picture here, the ocean was a strikingly vivid blue.
From there, we drove to the Hoh Rainforest, another part of Olympic National Park. The rainforest was lush and incredibly mossy. Every tree was draped in moss and ferns, transporting us back to what felt like the age of dinosaurs. (And yes, my fiancé couldn’t resist channeling his inner child by role-playing as a T-rex.)
Just before sunset, we arrived at our final stop of the day: Ruby Beach. Although there are many beaches along the Pacific coast, we chose this one because it was the most well-known (as indicated on Google Maps).
We instantly fell in love with the beach. The sunset painted beautiful silhouettes across the landscape, and the mist added an ethereal quality to the scene. After soaking in the magical atmosphere, we left the beach once the sun had set and headed to a supermarket to pick up some sushi and noodles, bringing a perfect day to a close.
The next day, we began our adventure at the Paradise corridor in Mount Rainier National Park. The name couldn’t have been more fitting—it truly felt like paradise on Earth.
We spent time walking around, taking in the breathtaking views of the mountains and lush surroundings. One particularly adorable moment was spotting a groundhog gazing intently at the mountain, as if it, too, was marveling at the beauty of the landscape.
Next, we visited Reflection Lake (pictured below), but the water was not completely still, so the reflection wasn’t as clear as we had hoped. We also explored the Grove of the Patriarchs, a peaceful walk along a shallow creek. The atmosphere was incredible, and we were fortunate to have the area all to ourselves at that time.
Before wrapping up the day, we decided to visit the Sunrise Corridor. While it wasn’t as striking as the Paradise Corridor, it felt quieter and brought us closer to Mount Rainier, offering a different perspective.
We then returned to Seattle, enjoyed some amazing ramen, and endured a red-eye flight back to Champaign, marking the end of our trip.
At the end of Summer 2025, we embarked on a grand tour of the northern United States. Our goal was to explore a mix of popular national parks and hidden gems across Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington. The journey took us through breathtaking mountain ranges and bountiful wilderness teeming with wildlife. Thanks to booking our flights more than six months in advance, we were lucky enough to fly directly out of Champaign, a perfect start to our adventure!
This past July, we embarked on a whirlwind three-day trip to visit some of California’s national parks that were still on our list, namely, Channel Islands, Pinnacles, and Kings Canyon. While they may be less famous than their neighbors, we found them to be refreshing, full of fun, and wonderfully family-friendly. The trip was a showcase of California’s diverse wildlife, giving us our first-ever sightings of whales, island foxes, scrub jays, and California quails, and that’s not even counting the school of dolphins that raced our ferry to and from the Channel Islands!
This trip was a triumphant redemption for our failed attempt last year, exactly one year prior, when Frontier Airlines unexpectedly canceled our flight just eight hours before departure, derailing our Fourth of July plans. This year’s adventure, thankfully, proved to be the best redemption ever! We successfully visited all the national parks in Colorado and even managed to include Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, which we’d missed last summer.
We had the chance to return to England for Poy’s graduation at Oxford University—a trip filled with celebration, friends, and family. It was such a joy to revisit familiar places and explore new ones, like Canterbury and Hampton Court Palace, which took us a bit outside the city. Accompanied by Poy’s family and my college bestie, Emma, the trip was packed with laughter, meaningful moments, and plenty of walking—over 15,000 steps a day!