WASHINGTON FALL ROADTRIP 🍁 North Cascades National Park, Bellingham, & Winthrop!

This year we decided to take on the Pacific Northwest (PNW) for our Fall Adventure. The PNW in fall is known for their larches! Larches are deciduous pines, not evergreens, and their needles change a beautiful yellow every fall season. It seems like something from a Dr. Sues book! We were on the hunt for the larches & all the fall colors! Our first stop was Bellingham, Washington, a beautiful college town with great shopping & food options. Just down the road is the picturesque neighborhood of Fairhaven, another great spot to shop & eat! We then took time to explore some of the main destinations in North Cascades National Park! So many beautiful view points & great hikes! Our last night we stayed in the old western town of Winthrop, located on the eastern side of North Cascades NP. It is such a cool town & a definite must stop if you're visiting the park. Everything is western themed & provides such a unique experience! After exploring Winthrop we drove back into the park to take on the famous Maple Pass Loop Trail. It is one of the more famous hikes in the park, one of the harder hikes, but offers some of the most majestic views! It is a steep climb, but the view from the top are unbelievable! We loved our time exploring the North Cascades & surrounding areas. We can't wait to plan another trip to explore more!
STAY: hotelriovista.com
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING 😊
SUBSCRIBE TO FOLLOW ALONG AS WE SHARE MORE OF OUR ADVENTURES!
FOLLOW US ON IG & TIKTOK FOR MORE: @james_and_meg 📸
BLOG: www.jamesandmeg.org
BUSINESS INQUIRIES: [e-mail]

[@tabbyrodriguez3975]

We moved up to Washington a couple of years ago. Last year we lived on SR 20, 40 minutes outside of the park. And this made me miss it so much! Bellingham is one of our favorite cities and we loved driving up and down Chuckanut for weekend morning drives. Next time you guys have to check out Deception Pass and Whidbey!

[@BillHaynal]

I've lived in Washington State all my life, but have never been to North Cascades National Park or Winthrop. Both on my bucket list now. Great video!

[@JamesandMeg]

You definitely have to check it out in the fall! It is absolutely gorgeous & Winthrop is such a cool town! Thank you for watching!!

[@hollymccormack4081]

Looks like an amazing trip! I am in Seattle and need to get up to spend more time in North Cascades. For others considering doing this loop, I would recommend adding a few more days to the trip and 1. Taking a day while in Bellingham to go up to Artist Point for spectacular views of Mt Baker & Mt Shuksan. Amazing views from the parking lot but tons of great hikes too (and skiing / snowboarding in the winter. 2. More time on the Eastern side to visit Chelan and Lake Chelan. Tons of wineries around there, good hikes and if you have a day, the boat to Stehekin which is a part of the National Park only accessible by boat, plan or foot (it's a popular side trip for those hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.) Loved your pictures and views - I may have to follow in your footsteps this summer.

[@SparklyStoner360]

Welcome to NW Washington! The Cascades are so amazing. You guys need to check out Whidbey island! Deception Pass bridge/state park is mind blowing and the entire island is incredible. We’ve got so much to do and see on the island!

[@JamesandMeg]

Thank you for the suggestion! We will have to do that for sure! We should have planned for that on this trip!

[@SparklyStoner360]

@@JamesandMegI recommend checking out Langley, it’s a cute little seaside town with a whale museum and a whale watching viewpoint. There’s also Coupeville, it’s one of the oldest towns in the whole state, it’s an adorable little seaside town too, and it was used in the movie Practical Magic. Definitely check out Toby’s Tavern for food, Kapaw’s for ice cream, and the other little shops in the town. Ft Casey is a pre-WWI fort that’s now a state park and really cool! I also recommend checking out Port Townsend, it’s a 20 min ferry ride from Coupeville and it’s an old Victorian town with all kinds of cool shops and restaurants, plus lots of history.

[@johnpeppers3784]

I've lived in the country in Washington state most of my life and the only bears I have seen are at zoo's. 😂😂

[@JamesandMeg]

That's what a gentleman at the store said. We were warned of bears from people online, but then the locals said they weren't ever around. 😂

[@DylanWrona]

I’m glad I found your guys’ channel. These videos are such a good vibe💯

[@JamesandMeg]

Thanks so much and thank you for watching! 🧡

[@brianwalker5937]

OK, dang it guys. I just got recommended your channel and I've been binge watching. I have to wake up for work in a few hours but I can't stop watching. You have a unique approach to travel vlogging which has me hooked (at least from the ones I've seen). I am going to save some videos for another time, but rest assured I will get to them all. Funny, I am watching the ones from Washington where I am from. I've only been to N. Cascades a couple times and really just breezed through. This video makes me want to spend more time there. I spend most of my time hiking in Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest, mostly on Mountain Loop Highway - I particularly like hiking to small mountain lakes. The trails in Western Washington are overrun with people now. When I first started hiking in my 20s (the 90s) trailheads were full but just barely. Now, you have to hike a mile on the road just to get to the trailhead. It has been a few years since I've done anything, but I found this channel as spring is coming so maybe in a month or so I'll pack up whal little camera equipment I have left and go on a small hike. Thanks for the inspiration!!!

[@JamesandMeg]

Thanks so much for watching! We really do appreciate your kind words! 🧡 North Cascades is gorgeous! We definitely recommend staying in Winthrop and exploring the East side of the park. That seems to be where a lot of the best views & activities reside. Let us know how it goes when you head up there and hit the trails!

[@ED_4XPLORE]

Hey guy’s!! I love all your videos! My wife and I always watch it... We've been followers for a long long time! You were the inspiration for many trips! Don't take what I'm going to say as criticism, I don't know if it's because we always watch videos on TV, but I think it's time for you to invest in a gimbal or record from your cell phone, which has better stabilization, on the big screen the videos are getting very shaky and it's often not comfortable to watch, just a tip! don't take it the wrong way! 😊✌️

[@JamesandMeg]

Hey! Thank you guys so much for watching and following along our adventures! That means so much that we inspired some travels for you guys! Thanks so much for the feedback! We have also noticed the stabilization was off on our ZV-1 the past couple of trips & believe something may be wrong with our camera. We're looking to get that fixed before our next trip. We totally understand it can be hard to watch with the shakiness, especially when we're walking around. We really do appreciate your support & feedback!

[@victoriaadams2171]

You must be talking about Tombstone in Tombstone, Az. 😊

[@JamesandMeg]

It was actually called Goldfield Ghost Town near Phoenix.

[@floatingsidewalk1]

You’re not supposed to share our north cascades secrets. 😊

[@JamesandMeg]

I know right! sweat😅 We were surprised with how slow it was up there that time of year! thanks for watching! ⛰️ 🤟

[@happyhorsman6398]

Wow guys!!! Awesome video! I flew down to Olympic National Park, from Alaska, and absolutely loved it. I'm definitely adding this trip to my list. I appreciate how you guys note the trail difficulty. I use love hiking, but I am unable to do elevation anymore due to health issues. These little details help so much with trip planning. Thank you for all of the time you invest into your videos.

[@JamesandMeg]

Thanks so much for watching! We love your support! 🧡 The elevation gain on that specific hike was very tough. We started thinking about it & maybe the elevation & thin air was what made it so hard to breathe. Thanks so much again for you kindness! It means a lot!

[@shermanlulu5892]

Welcome, from Whidbey Island!

[@SparklyStoner360]

I’m on Whidbey too!

[@shermanlulu5892]

@@SparklyStoner360 I just had to check out what they thought of our beautiful Washington.

[@JamesandMeg]

Thank you! We love the PNW! It's one of our favorite places we've visited! Never been to Whidbey, but someone else told us it was beautiful! Thank you for watching! 🧡

[@leestamm3187]

A nice small sample of the North Cascades, a vast and exquisite region where I spent over 30 years hiking and backpacking in my younger days. As you noted, the Maple Pass Loop is a terrific day hike for great views with fairly minimal effort, particularly at Larch time. Depending on how much sweat you want to spend, there are almost limitless opportunities for those with the time and energy to go exploring. There are lots of KZbin videos to give you an idea. Glad you had a good time and hope you make it back sometime.

[@JamesandMeg]

Thanks so much for you comment & for watching! We would love to go back and spend more time on the East side of the park to try out more of the hikes. We really were hoping to see a mountain goat & were disappointed we didn't see one. Thanks again!

[@leestamm3187]

@@JamesandMeg I offer one bit of sage advice for you. If and when you ever encounter any Mountain Goats, I advise keeping your distance. They are quite dangerous and unpredictable. Hikers in Washington have been injured and even killed by them.

[@JamesandMeg]

Thanks so much for sharing! We had no idea they are that dangerous. We keep our distance from all wildlife, but that is definitely nice to know!

[@troppo7]

Hi! What time of year was this? I'm planning to be there this year during the first week of October and was nervous that it would be rainy and wintery by then.

[@JamesandMeg]

This was the first week of October. We did learn that the first week can be hit or miss in terms of weather, but we got super lucky & it felt amazing the whole time in the N Cascades! Thanks for watching! 🧡

[@ashiwilliams8802]

Great video, just curious if you are planning any trips overseas? 😃

[@JamesandMeg]

Thank you! We would love to & plan to in 2024!

[@jesusworksbro4Life]

Jesus loves youuu

[@JamesandMeg]

Thank you!! 🧡

[@marjie62]

Love your video… but James your alway mispronouncing names in Washington. It’s frustrating. 😊

[@JamesandMeg]

I know it's so bad! It's not just Washington though, I keep it consistent and mispronounce them all over the country 😂 I am going to attempt to be better! Thanks for watching 🧡