How do I get to Mt. Doom?

Going to Seattle next week... How long does it take to get to Mt. Olympus?

• I'm going to Seattle next week for Spring Break! I'm looking for some general travel tips - stuff to do and such, but mainly I was wondering how long it took, in a car, to get to Mt. Olympus? What about Mt. Rainer or Mt. St. Helen's? Thanks!

• Answer:

  The first answerer ("we6877") obviously isn't too familiar with Washington geography. The second answerer was mostly correct. We DO have a Mt. Olympus; it's the tallest peak in the Olympic Range. There isn't exactly a road that goes TO it; most people who visit Olympic National Park see it by going to the visitor center at Hurricane Ridge, and viewing it--and the surrounding mountains--from the viewpoint there. I've never driven there myself although I'm sure I will at some point; but from Seattle, you're probably looking at at least a couple of hours just to get there, without factoring in the length of a round trip itinerary, stops, etc. You can definitely do it in a day; I'd suggest checking out the coastline of the Olympic National Park, too--that's another major attraction for the park. To get to Mt. Rainier from the Seattle area? It's a lot closer, but is still a bit of a drive. I'd recommend making that a day trip, too, so that you can circle the mountain and hit some of the main points--Sunrise, Paradise, the Grove of the Patriarchs, and so on. Mt. St. Helens is farther south, and takes longer to reach also because it's more remote to boot. That, too, I'd recommend as a day trip. The Mt. St. Helens National Monument (it's not a park) has two visitor centers and a lot of interesting things to see in the vicinity... Windy Ridge, Spirit Lake, Miners' Car, Ape Cave, Toutle River, etc. For any of these, just do the research beforehand and plan it out, like you'd do with any other trip. They're all worthwhile.