We decided to stay two nights at Cougar Rock Campground so we could look around and do a bit of hiking. We drove up to the visitors center, which was supposed to be closed, but it turned out it was not. We enjoyed the place as it was beautiful. There were lots of hiking trails but the lot was full and people were everywhere, on a Wednesday. This place must be miserable in the busy season. The hotel was also interesting and was built similar to the Yellowstone hotel, but smaller.
We hiked around the lot and some trails and then headed down to the lower visitors center and to get fuel. It was funny though since my miles-to-empty reading was 64 at the top and when we made it to the fuel it was up to 85.
We enjoyed a coupe of hikes, one to a beautiful falls, and then hung out at the campground and did some reading. The pups enjoyed the walks in the humongous tree forest.
We headed out early on the 10th to get to Issequah where the new Starlink had been shipped. We found wildlife park (zoo) along the drive and decided to stop for a tour and lunch. They had a really nice tram ride around the wild portion of the park and we saw their buffalo, mountain goats, foxes, elk, deer and caribou. In the other portions of the zoo there were wolves, bobcats, lynxes, mountain lions, eagles, and wolverines (which we could not find). It’s a beautiful setting for a zoo.
One interesting/disturbing piece I found was a free feminine hygiene product dispenser in the men’s restroom. I guess in this area the zoo fences are arbitrary.
We made some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches in the parking lot and then continued on our journey. It was a nice easy drive and the package pick up was easy. I scoped out a spot next to a river park that was said to be ok for overnighting. We took the pups for a long walk around the park and the surrounding area and stumbled upon a neat old shopping area where old homestead buildings had been relocated and turned into shops and restaurants. Very beautiful.
The night was uneventful. Three other travelers stayed in the same location and we were undisturbed. Issaquah is a beautiful and busy city outside of Seattle.
Here are some additional photos for these days.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250909-10-mt-rainier-np-and-wildlife-park