Rascal’s Roadshow
From Carnation to Ashford 🚐🌲
From Carnation, we cruised another stunning route filled with dense
forests and lush green fields until we reached the small community of Ashford,
Washington. Just outside town, near the base of Mt. Rainier, we pulled into a
cozy wooded RV park. New arrivals are asked to stop at the entrance and walk to
the office—there’s a small sign pointing the way. It’s only about 100 yards,
but worth noting if walking is tough for you. I followed the dirt road to a
group of buildings, none clearly marked, until I spotted a few letters peeking
out from behind a plant—bingo, the sign pointing me to the office! It’s tucked
around a corner along a mossy stone path. It was closed when I arrived, but our
reservation was taped to the door. We stayed 5 nights and never talked with a
staff member, though I did spot a woman cleaning cabins and a man hauling
branches. We’re learning that in some parks, that’s pretty normal!
Creekside Camping and Rubber Duck
Races 🏕️🦆
Paperwork in hand, we backed into our spot with a sweet little creek
running behind us, but sadly, no fish in it for Todd. Just beyond was a quiet
road leading to other resorts and the entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park.
One afternoon, a group we guessed were siblings and their families showed up to
stay in nearby cabins. It was joyful chaos—dads playing with kids, laughter
echoing through the park, and the highlight: a rubber duck race in the creek! 🦆 Each little one had a different
colored duck and a tiny net to scoop it out of the creek, and one dad made the
whole event hilarious with his play-by-play commentary. Todd and I were
cracking up! After they left, the park felt very quiet.
Kayaking at Alder Lake & Forest
Walks 🌊🌲
Todd tried his luck fishing at Alder Lake—no bites, but he loved paddling
the new kayak 🚣♂️ I’ll join him soon, once
I grab a new life vest (required by Washington law, and smart regardless). I
have one, but it’s in storage! 😕
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| Todd's point of view from the kayak. Alder Lake. Photo courtesy of Todd |
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| Todd's view of Mt. Rainier from Alder Lake. This photo is also courtesy of Todd. 😊 |
While he was on the lake, Rascal and I went on “Adventure Walks” through
the park 🐾🌲 I snapped pics of gorgeous flora and
fauna (okay, one chipmunk 😂). I also caught up on blog writing,
though I couldn’t post because the Wi-Fi was basically nonexistent. This was
the first park in 2+ years where Starlink only worked occasionally, but
understandable with the thick forest all around us. So, I’m playing catch-up
now!
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| Rascal looking left for the chipmunk... meanwhile, the chipmunk is slightly below the top of the photo on the right! |
Mounthaven Resort & Mt. Rainier
Day Trip ❄️🏔️
Our campground, Mounthaven Resort, was perfectly located just 2
miles from the Nisqually Entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park 🏔️ We lucked out—on the day we visited,
the road was open all the way to the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center! The
scenic drive up was full of twists and turns, towering snowbanks, and avalanche
warning signs, 😳 but the views were jaw-dropping.
Rascal loved it too—he lives for the snow. Watching him bound through it with
joy, dragging me behind him, you'd never guess he's 11! He’s a total travel
pup, always curious and ready to “sniff all the sniffs.”
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| I hope that sign wasn't important! 😳 |
He wasn’t thrilled to be left in the truck while we explored the Visitor
Center (I spent too much on stickers 🙈 AGAIN!). But the view of Mt. Rainier’s snowy
peak from the parking lot was amazing—and surprise! We saw several glaciers! ❄️ We didn’t even spot any at Glacier
National Park! My photos didn’t quite capture the bluish tint, so this is
definitely something you need to see in person.
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| At 14,410 feet, Mount Rainier is the tallest volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range. |
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| You can just make out the blue glaciers on the mountain peak. |
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| The glaciers are massive rivers of ice that are up to 750 feet deep. While at the summit steam pushes through the still active volcano. |
We also saw lots of folks renting snowshoes and heading up the trails.
Turns out you can rent them at the gift shop. You can find rental info here: Snowshoe Rentals – Mt. Rainier Guest
Services
Snowshoeing Adventures (and
Misadventures) 🥶🤣
Speaking of snowshoes, we own snowshoes (you guessed it, they're in storage)—and let’s just
say I’m not a natural 🤦♀️ First time out, within my
first few steps, I sank into a soft spot up to my thighs! Todd tried to pull me
out... and ended up in the snow with me! We laughed so hard it took forever to
recover. The second time I fell and Todd was too far away to hear me yell.
Picture Kevin Hart yelling “Heeeeelp!”—that was me! 😂 With Todd’s help I made it out
eventually, but unless the path is packed, I’ll leave the snowshoeing to the
pros.
Visitor Center Mix-Up & Glacier
Gallery 🗻🛍️
Even in the off-season, the Visitor Center was bustling. The gift shop is upstairs, and Todd tapped out quickly due to the crowd. He said he’d be “outside,” but apparently meant outside the shop—not outside the building. So, I didn’t find him at the truck as I expected, but I did find a rather annoyed Rascal peeking through the cracked window. He couldn’t understand why I didn’t take him out, but the truck keys were with Todd, who was busy checking out the upstairs gallery (which I missed). He said it had great info about the glaciers—worth a visit if you're there!
Narada Falls Viewpoint – Worth the
Wobble! 💦🏞️
The Paradise River flows down to Narada Falls.
You can see just how deep the snow is here.
On the drive up to the Visitor Center, we stopped at Narada Falls. From the bridge, the falls were hidden by a wall of snow, but we saw a better view across the way.
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| I'm sorry for the photo of Rascal writing his name in the snow, 😱 but this is the only photo I had of the snow on the bridge that kept us from seeing the Narada Falls from this vantage point. |
To get there, we followed a narrow, slightly slippery path—snow wall on one side, a short rock barrier and drop-off on the other 😬 Heights aren’t my thing, but I’m determined to make the most of our adventures. With Rascal leading the way, we made it to the perfect viewpoint, and it was so worth it! The falls tumbled under an arched rock bridge framed by snow—breathtaking.
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| An instance where the photo doesn't do justice to the scenery. The view, along with the sound of the water, made this spectacular! |
On the way back, I
walked so carefully, arms outstretched, that two sweet young women offered to
help me! I politely declined and joked that I didn’t want to take them down
with me 😄 One victim is enough. Poor Todd!
Tip for National Park Travelers 📍
When visiting Mt. Rainier—or any national park—remember there are often
multiple entrances. Plan ahead and pick the best one for your adventure! 🚙🌲
A Delicious Detour – Copper Creek Inn 🍲🥧
One yummy lunch spot I recommend in Ashford is the Copper Creek Inn Restaurant. We sat at the counter where I enjoyed a hearty bowl of Beef Stew with a sourdough roll and a dollop of raspberry butter! The butter was DELICIOUS and worth the 5 Weight Watcher points, as was the slice of raspberry pie! Todd absolutely loved his Tuscan Chicken Sandwich.
Prices were
reasonable, servings were perfect, our waitress, Becky, and the
pie-chef/hostess were both fun and sweet. Great place to check out… and I left
the little gift shop with more stickers! If you’re looking for a place to eat,
this is a great stop. You can check out their website for lodging and
destination weddings too!
Thank you so much for joining us on this leg of the journey! Have questions
or just want to say hi? Drop a comment!
🗺️ Next stop: Port Angeles,
Washington! From the salty sea breeze of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the
snowy peaks of Olympic National Park—we can’t wait to share with you!
👇Before you go check out more photos below!👇
📷📷📷
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| The beautiful orange of the aptly named Iron Creek was the perfect backdrop for these yellow flowers. |
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| Soaking it all in... |
Copper Creek Inn:
A Few Sights From Around Ashford:
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| Hobo's Inn Where you can stay in a train car! |
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| The yard art here was so cool. It is open to the public and I'm sorry we didn't stop in. |
Last But Not Least...
the Animal Menagerie:
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| Stormy, affectionately known as Fuzzbutt, is our resident troublemaker. |
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| Shadow, or as we call this sweet boy, Panther |
🐶 "Paws down, this place was awesome! Snow,
sniffs, and so many new trails to explore! I gave it four tail wags and a happy
howl! Can’t wait to see what’s next!" – Rascal 💨🐾
