USA: Discovering the Northwest.

After spending our first night dispersed camping near the park entrance, we finally enter the national park proper. We begin by heading to the Hidden Lake Lookout area, on the edge of the park. Here, “lookout” refers to one of the old fire lookout towers found throughout the mountains of the United States. These are often small cabins perched high above the surrounding landscape, with 360-degree views that allowed rangers to spot fires as they started. Some are still in use while others have been decommissioned, but they remain wonderful hiking destinations, especially when it is possible to spend the night in one.

The next morning, we hiked back down and collected a wilderness permit for a two-day loop around Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm. This time, we were properly entering the national park, where backcountry camping rules are stricter. We had originally hoped to sleep at Sahale Glacier Camp, a campsite fairly well known for its location, but it had already been fully booked for several months. We eventually obtained a permit for another campsite lower down in the forest. This still allowed us to climb toward Sahale Arm and enjoy the views over the surrounding peaks and glaciers. It was also in this area that we saw our first mountain goats of the trip, large white goats that are not very wary of people and quickly became one of the symbols of the mountain wildlife of the northwestern United States.

We then descended to our campsite lower down in the forest, finishing the walk in the dark. The next day, before leaving North Cascades, we drove part of the park's scenic road. Unlike many other American national parks, North Cascades has no entrance fee, and access is fairly straightforward, without a traditional entrance station.

Before heading east again, we made one last stop at Diablo Lake Overlook. It is one of the park's best-known viewpoints, overlooking the lake and its striking turquoise color. After this final stop, we left North Cascades and headed toward Glacier National Park in Montana. The drive between the two parks takes around eleven hours in total, so we stopped in Spokane to break up the journey before setting off again the next day.

For our first days in Glacier National Park, we based ourselves around Lake McDonald. As we often do in American parks, we first stopped at the ranger station to see which wilderness permits were still available. The most popular areas were already heavily booked, but we eventually managed to obtain a permit for one night at Gunsight Lake. This allowed us to plan a two-day point-to-point hike between the Lake McDonald area and the road near Jackson Glacier Overlook. The full route is around 32 kilometers with a good amount of elevation gain, already making it a substantial two-day hike.

Glacier is also one of the parks where the presence of bears is felt most strongly. When we collect our permit, the rangers make sure we are well informed about the subject: here, you can encounter black bears, but also grizzlies, which are larger and potentially more dangerous. We are therefore asked to carry bear spray, a pepper spray designed to repel a bear in the event of an attack. Along the trail, we naturally remain quite alert. We see a great deal of bear droppings on the path, which really gives us the impression that they could be nearby. Around Sperry Chalet, several people we meet tell us that they have seen a mother bear with her two cubs in the area.

The next day, we continue our point-to-point hike toward the road. During this second day, we also make the most of the small berries growing along the trail. Early August is peak season and they are everywhere: huckleberries, which are like large blueberries with a very distinctive flavor and are very well known in this region, raspberries, and also thimbleberries. The latter look like flatter, very delicate raspberries, with a wonderfully subtle and fragrant flavor. It is a small detail, but it is also part of what we loved about Glacier: those long hikes through the mountains, stopping regularly to eat wild berries beside the trail.

As we had neither a permit to sleep in the backcountry nor a place in one of the park's campgrounds, we had to find somewhere outside the park to sleep near the car. Campgrounds are developed campsites inside national parks, often fairly basic and paradoxically rather expensive when they are located within a park. They too are in very high demand during the busy season. We drove our Jeep along steep mountain tracks until we finally found a quiet place in the middle of nowhere to pitch the tent. That is the advantage of having a 4x4 that can go almost anywhere!

After the drive from Glacier, we spent a night in Gardiner, one of the last towns before Yellowstone's north entrance. You could say that we then explored the park more like typical tourists. Unlike in Glacier, we did not do a long hike or follow a multi-day route. The idea was instead to drive from one area to another, then take short walks to see as much as possible in a limited amount of time. Yellowstone is absolutely immense. With only two or three days, you really have to focus on one area rather than try to travel from one end of the park to the other.

Later that day, we reached Grand Prismatic Spring, one of the park's best-known places. To appreciate its colors more fully, we climbed to Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook, a short out-and-back trail that gives a slightly higher view over the hot spring. From the viewpoint, the rings of color around the pool are much easier to distinguish than from the boardwalks, and it is easy to understand why this place has become one of Yellowstone's most famous images.

At the end of the afternoon, we finished at Old Faithful, the park's most iconic geyser. Its eruptions are predictable, and the estimated times are displayed so that visitors can plan accordingly. We waited for the announced time to watch it erupt before heading to Madison Campground for the night. Sleeping inside the park is very practical in Yellowstone: it avoids having to drive back out in the evening and helps reduce the amount of traveling, which can quickly take a great deal of time.

Yellowstone is also very well known for its wildlife, particularly its bears and bison. We briefly spotted a grizzly in the forest not far from the road, just long enough to realize how imposing these animals are. We were still a little disappointed not to have seen more of them elsewhere in the park. The same was true of the bison, one of Yellowstone's great symbols: we probably did not stay long enough to see the large herds we had imagined before coming.

We therefore left Yellowstone feeling that we had seen only a small part of it. It is an immense park that would require much more time. We had to continue our loop, so we set off toward Grand Teton National Park, very close to Yellowstone, with around one to two hours of driving depending on which part of the park you leave from.

Arriving from Yellowstone, we quickly realized that finding somewhere to sleep around Grand Teton was not so simple. Every campground in the park was already full, and even the dispersed camping areas around it were fairly saturated. Camping is prohibited in many places, particularly near roads and the closest access points to the park. We still managed to find a place for the night thanks to someone who agreed to share their spot with us. It was also then that we understood that, although Grand Teton is less well known in Europe, the park is very popular with Americans.

After this first big hike, we still wanted to bivouac near Grand Teton. As it was difficult to obtain a permit inside the park, we look for an option along the national park boundary. We set off on a two-day loop from Death Canyon Trailhead. The idea is to hike through the national park first, then reach the boundary with Caribou-Targhee National Forest, where the camping rules are different.

We first follow Death Canyon Trail, then climb toward The Wall, a long ridge on the boundary between the national park and the National Forest. The approach is a little tricky: the terrain is quite unstable, with sections through scree, and we need to stay alert. But once up there, the view is truly superb. On one side, we look toward Idaho and the National Forest, with small lakes below. On the other, we have a magnificent view of Grand Teton, the park's peaks and other lakes farther down.

That evening, we also take the time to visit Moose Ponds, an easy short walk near Jenny Lake that is known for moose sightings. We hoped to see at least one during our time at Grand Teton, and we are finally lucky enough to spot a female moose with her calf. We also encounter other deer with their young, adding a little more to our list of animals seen during the trip.

After these final moments at Grand Teton, it is time to get back on the road toward the west and begin heading back toward Seattle. We still have one last park to discover before the end of the trip: Mount Rainier National Park. But before getting there, we have to cross a large part of Idaho and then continue into Washington State. The drive is long and will take almost a full day.

We had anticipated the poor weather at Mount Rainier and booked a night in Packwood at a fairly typical hotel with something of a saloon atmosphere. As rain was forecast, we thought it might be better to sleep somewhere dry rather than under the tent. On the evening we arrived, we therefore took our time in Packwood and went out for dinner.

The rain was indeed there the next morning. We took shelter at Mountain Goat Coffee, a local café where we spent much of the morning waiting for a break. The forecast suggested a calmer window in the afternoon, followed by more rain that evening. The next day was supposed to be better, so we decided to try our luck anyway. On paper, the plan was simple. In practice, of course, it was a little less so.

Late that morning, we went to the ranger station to collect a wilderness permit. Mount Rainier's best-known route is the Wonderland Trail, which goes around the volcano and whose campsites are in very high demand. But as we had little time, we were not trying to complete a long section over several days. Our idea was simply to find somewhere to bivouac with a beautiful view, then take a short hike the next day before returning to the road.

Rather than leave straight away, we still decide to hike up to Mount Fremont Lookout, one of the best-known fire lookouts in the park. As is often the case in the United States, it is a former observation post used to spot forest fires, perched high up to provide a wide, unobstructed view. In theory, at least. That morning, the clouds do not really move and the view remains completely obscured. We do get to see the lookout, which is something, but not the panorama for which it is known.