Exploring the Pacific Northwest: A Romantic Adventure Guide

After we tied the knot in December at Clinton Gulch, Colorado (read more about it here), my husband, Anthony, and I went on our romantic , yet adventurous honeymoon in Washington and Alaska!

The Itinerary

Anthony has never been on a cruise before, and although we wanted to try one, we wanted to do something more daring than the typical tropical destination. Our hearts were set on the mountains, so we decided to embark on a cruise to Alaska. After thorough research and planning, we flew from New York to Seattle, Washington, where we began our 9-day journey to Alaska. We also took the opportunity to explore Washington before starting our cruise.

Discovering the Beauty of North Cascade National Park

Diablo Lake

During our stay at an Airbnb near North Cascade National Park, we had the incredible opportunity to visit the awe-inspiring Diablo Lake, a glacier-fed lake with striking blue hues. We spend a day hiking, exploring, and immersing ourselves in the beauty of the surrounding wilderness.

Diablo Lake gets it mesmerizing coloring from the fine rock power that is carried by glaciers and suspended in the water. The suspended particles give the lake its unique turquoise hue, which contrast beautifully against the surrounding lush green forest and rugged mountain peaks.

Cascade Pass/ Sahale Arm Pass Glacier

The next morning, we woke up super early and drove to the Cascade Pass/ Sahale Glacier trailhead for a 12-mile hike that’s often considered the best day hike in North Cascade National Park. The Sahale Arm hike is breathtaking every step of the way, with gorgeous views that never disappoint.

The first section of the trail consisted of switchbacks that wasted no time in gaining elevation, with a total of 1,500 feet. We counted 36 switchbacks as we climbed 2.7 miles.

The second section led us to Cascade Pass, where we paused for a brief snack and took in the breathtaking view.

The third section took us to the Doubtful Lake viewpoint on the way to Sahale Arm.

The final section took us to the top of Sahale Glacier Camp, where we enjoyed panoramic views of the North Cascades.

The sky was perfectly clear during our hike, with clouds moving in as we walked. We were walking among the clouds for some time before climbing high enough to look out over them. The clouds began to break by midday. We completed the hike in 7 hours, including time for taking millions of photos, snack breaks and lunch.

Adventures in Olympic National Park

HOH Rain Forest

After hiking at North Cascade National Park, we spent two nights in Olympic National Park and had the opportunity to explore the Hoh Rain Forest, one of the seven wonders of Washington. Seattle is known for being rainy, but the Hoh Rain Forest receives an astounding 14 feet of rain per year, along with plenty of fog and mist, making it one of the world’s lushest rainforest.

Rialto beach

We also hiked at Rialto Beach to check out the Hole in the Wall, a 3.3-miles out and back hike featuring beautiful ocean views, dramatic rock formations and tidepooling opportunities with neon green sea anemones, colorful starfish, and other small creatures.

Mt. Storm King

For a sunset hike, we tackled Mount Storm King, one of the most popular trails at Lake Crescent. This short but steep hike features a relentless climb, ropes to help pull yourself up, and a final scramble to the peak.

Mt. Storm King Hiking Stats:

Mileage: 4.6 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 2,100 ft.

Difficulty: moderate

Sunrise Trail, Hurricane Ridge

Finally, we woke up early to catch the sunrise at Sunrise Trail in Hurricane Ridge. Along the way, we had a close encounter with a mountain lion that jumped in front of our car and ran into the forest. We made it to the trail just in time to watch the sunrise and spotted a small group of black-tailed deer emerging from the forest.

Read more about our adventurous honeymoon as we continued on to Alaska here.