The Pacific Northwest is the most scenically dense corner of the country for an RV — three national parks, a wild coastline, a river gorge full of waterfalls, and volcanoes on the horizon, all within a 10-day loop. I’ve run this route out of Seattle twice, and the range of it still surprises me: temperate rainforest one day, high-desert crater lake the next.
Here’s the 10-day Pacific Northwest loop that hits the best of Washington and Oregon without living in the driver’s seat.
The Route Overview
Total Distance: ~1,000 miles Best Time: July–September (the high country is snow-free and the coast is at its warmest) Starting Point: Seattle, Washington (a top RV rental hub — see our RV trips from Seattle guide)
The Loop:
- Seattle → Olympic National Park (rainforest + coast)
- Olympic → Mount Rainier National Park
- Rainier → Portland → Columbia River Gorge
- Gorge → Oregon Coast (Highway 101)
- Oregon Coast → Crater Lake National Park
- Crater Lake → back to Portland or Seattle
One 2026 note before you book: Mount Rainier dropped its timed-entry reservation this year, so you can drive into Paradise without a permit — just arrive early, because the lots still fill on summer weekends.
Days 1–2: Olympic National Park
Ferry or drive around Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula — three parks in one. Walk the moss-draped Hoh Rain Forest, soak in the view from Hurricane Ridge, and camp near the wild Pacific beaches at Kalaloch, where the surf pounds driftwood the size of telephone poles.
Don’t miss: Ruby Beach at low tide, and a soak at Sol Duc Hot Springs. See the Olympic NP guide for campground timing.
Days 3–4: Mount Rainier National Park
South to the mountain that defines the Seattle skyline. The subalpine meadows at Paradise explode with wildflowers in July and August, and the Skyline Trail loop puts the glaciers right in front of you. Camp at Cougar Rock or Ohanapecosh among the old growth.
Don’t miss: the reflection at Reflection Lakes at dawn. Full details in the Mount Rainier NP guide.
Day 5: Portland & the Columbia River Gorge
Drop into Portland for a food-cart lunch, then run east up the Columbia River Gorge — a wall of waterfalls, with Multnomah Falls the showpiece. The Historic Columbia River Highway is one of the prettiest short drives in the country.
Don’t miss: the fruit stands and wineries of Hood River, with Mount Hood looming behind.
Days 6–7: The Oregon Coast
Turn west to Highway 101 and the Oregon coast — arguably the most beautiful stretch of shoreline in America, and (unlike much of California) lined with public beaches and state-park campgrounds the whole way. Cannon Beach’s Haystack Rock, the dunes near Florence, and the sea stacks of Bandon are the highlights.
Don’t miss: it connects straight into our Pacific Coast Highway route if you want to keep driving south to San Francisco.
Days 8–9: Crater Lake National Park
Inland and up to the deepest lake in the United States — a caldera of impossibly blue water in the crater of a collapsed volcano. The Rim Drive (open roughly July–October) circles it, and the campground at Mazama Village puts you close.
Don’t miss: the first view from Rim Village genuinely stops people in their tracks. See the Crater Lake NP guide.
Day 10: Back to Portland or Seattle
Close the loop north. If you started in Seattle and want to end elsewhere, a one-way drop in Portland is often available and shortens the last day considerably.
Where to Camp
The Northwest is rich in public campgrounds, but the national-park sites book fast for summer:
- National parks (Rainier, Olympic, Crater Lake): reserve 6 months ahead on Recreation.gov.
- Oregon state parks: among the best-run in the country, reservable ahead and often with hookups — a genuine advantage over the California coast.
- Private parks: plentiful around Portland, Hood River, and the coast for hookup nights.
When to Go
July through September, without much debate. The high roads at Rainier and Crater Lake are snow-free, the Olympic and Oregon coasts are at their (relatively) warmest and driest, and the wildflowers peak. Spring and fall trade crowds for rain and closed high country; the Northwest earns its reputation October through May.
The Bottom Line
The Pacific Northwest packs more variety into a 10-day RV loop than anywhere else in the country — rainforest, volcanoes, waterfalls, coast, and a crater lake. Go in summer, book the national-park campgrounds six months out, and lean on Oregon’s excellent state parks for the nights between. Start planning with our RV trips from Seattle guide, and if the coast hooks you, keep rolling south on the Pacific Coast Highway route.