We were camping with family on the shoulder of Mount Rainier National Park recently when the meandering conversation turned to national parks. Someone asked, “Which state is home to the best national parks?”

A spirited discussion ensued.

You have a lot of contenders: Utah, for instance, has five exceptional national parks: Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and Zion. That number alone is tough to beat.

And, you could argue that Yellowstone and Grand Teton make Wyoming a formidable contender. What about Arizona? It has the Grand Canyon, Saguaro and Petrified Forest.

But think about it: Our very own Evergreen State has three of the most diverse, beautiful and wild national parks in the country: Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades. Our vote has to be with Washington, we emphatically agreed.

Where else can you drive onto a snow-covered volcano, explore the lower 48’s only temperate rainforest, or take a hike in one of the most remote wilderness areas in the United States?

We made these very arguments as we were enjoying a potluck dinner with an assortment of John’s cousins at La Wis Wis Campground near Packwood, Wash., just outside Mount Rainier’s Stevens Canyon entrance.

Then somebody brought up California. Uh-oh -- Yosemite, Pinnacles, Channel Islands, Death Valley, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood -- yikes! The Golden State probably wins simply on the number of beautiful and diverse national parks it offers.

And it’s still a fun discussion, right? So what’s your favorite state for national parks? Send us a note at goingmobile@spokesman.com. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Timed entrance update

Speaking of Mount Rainier, we have some intel on the park’s new timed entry policy. Until Sept. 2, you will need to book an entry time in order to visit Mount Rainier’s Nisqually, Stevens Canyon and Sunrise entrances. The policy is meant to manage the summer crowds at Mount Rainier, and times can be booked at recreation.gov for $2 each.

Of the three entrances, Nisqually is by far the busiest. Even with an entry time, it took us 50 minutes to enter at Nisqually when we visited in June. Our latest visit to the park using the other two entrances was much smoother. Sunrise had no line when we showed up at noon, and the next day, Stevens Canyon also was easy-peasy.

Our favorite  is Sunrise. After Labor Day, you can visit without an entry time, and that high-elevation part of the park should remain open into October. Check the Mount Rainier website (nps.gov/mora) for current conditions.

Is that Leslie?

We were hiking along the Sunrise Rim trail amid Mount Rainier’s amazing collection of wildflowers when a person walking down the rocky path gifted Leslie with a memorable small-world moment.

On spying the signature mop of pink hair, Dave Hall asked: Is that Leslie Kelly? Why yes, and hi! So wonderful to run into the co-founder of the beloved Mustard Seed restaurant. He introduced Leslie as the Spokesman’s former restaurant reviewer, a title she enjoyed from the early 1990s to 2003 when the team moved to Memphis. Running into Dave was a treat and triggered an immediate craving for Chicken Osaka.

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