Northwest (2)

Glacier National Park is another highlight of our trip. Logan Pass, 2,025 meters above sea level, is so popular that parking lots are rare even in the morning. Beyond the mountains, the vastness of Montana begins. An ideal location is Great Falls on the Missouri River with its waterfalls and the Black Eagle Dam. From here you can explore the Giant Springs Heritage State Park and the First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park.

The next cities on our schedule are Helena, the small capital of the huge state, and Missoula with the University of Montana. Before we leave the state, we visit the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas in Arlee. The National Bison Range again is a highlight you should not miss. The next three nights we spend in Spokane Valley, now back in the state of Washington.

Coeur d’Alene is a picture book town; public art, parks, trails, water – everything is available. No less interesting is Spokane, the biggest city between Seattle and Minneapolis. We follow US 2 west to the Grand Coulée Dam on the Columbia River, with an installed capacity of 6,800 MW the largest power station in the USA. The Sun Lakes Dry Falls State Park is worth a detour; it is a huge canyon with unbelievably steep edges. After one night in Wenatchee, we go ahead to Leavenworth, the Bavarian city, unique in the USA: German street signs, Bavarian style houses, a McDonalds logo decorated with edelweiss. You just have to see it.

Our next destination far Northwest is Olympic National Park, which we reach via Stevens Pass and the car ferry across Puget Sound. Port Townsend is okay for spending the night, Port Angeles is the gateway to the park’s attractions such as Marymere Falls, famous Hurricane Ridge or the Elwha River Restoration, the largest dam dismantling project in the world. Via Olympia and Tacoma – both old friends from our first trip to the Northwest – we finally return to Seattle. This time we take four days to explore the streets and places of this fascinating city – believe us, it’s worth it!