rockinrobin

To you awesome people who have been very informative on this site - my member name is different, but I'm sure you'll recognize the itinerary -

Please tell me what you think of this itinerary. It represents what I have read in the past week in here about the best-to-see places, and, though I wish we (2 of us) could spend 3 nights in Tofino (only a week away, getting reservations after I write this), doesn't look like we can, with the other things we want to do. We have 9 days, and probably won't be able to return for years, so we want to hit the highlights, as we've never been up to the Pac. NW before.

Day 1 Seattle - see what we can! (Have guidebooks, know what to see)
Day 2 Vancouver - the same!
Day 3 Round trip to Whistler for the day, staying in Vancouver
Day 4 Drive to Tofino, stay there
Day 5 Tofino, stay there
Day 6 Drive to Victoria, walk it, evening at Butchart Gardens
Day 7 Victoria - Royal BC Museum; ferry to Port Angeles; drive through some of ONP (Hurricane Ridge if can make it, and if not, the next morning)
Day 8 Drive to Forks, La Push, more of ONP, stay in Seattle
Day 9 Drive to Mt. Rainer; return to Seattle for night

I know it's a bit ambitious, but from the postings, these are the places that strike us. Please comment if you think something should be left out entirely, and/or, be replaced with something else, for a first-and-only-timer to the region. Our objective for the car trip is to reach the most scenic views of the areas listed, with short hikes.

Maria_H

It sounds a bit hectic to me, to be honest and I can only comment on days 2 to 7. I'm sure people will suggest dropping either Tofino or Whistler. Though we loved Tofino, with the time you have, I'd be tempted to skip it and spend an extra night in Victoria or stay over in Whistler. The drive to Tofino and back will take at least 5 hours each way and much of it is through forest without much in the way of views. Worth it if you are going for a few days but maybe not for 2 nights and 1 full day.

There is a lot to do in the Victoria area, more than we had time for - we didn't have time for any of the museums. You can also do whale watching trips from there. It's also worth considering overnight in Whistler to make the most of the cable car day pass on the mountains. It can take all day to do the round trip with a few of the short trails and the views are fantastic.

Just my opinion the end, as you know your pace of holiday but I personally wouldn't like to spend most of it driving.

christy1

Skip Whistler. I love skiing there in the winter, and there are certainly good hikes in the vicinity (as well as great mt biking) in the summer, but the scenery you'll get on a day trip from Vancouver will pale in comparison to what you'll see at Rainier and Hurricane Ridge. (It looks like Hurricane Ridge will be a VERY tight squeeze for you, but don't miss it). Remember, it's a ski resort, so Whistler/Blackcomb Mts will be scarred with ski runs and lifts. And it's not like there's an interesting alpine town--it's a corporate ski resort development. The sea to sky highway is scenic, but you'll get plenty of great coastline scenery on the rest of your trip. If you had a few days and were looking forward to golfing or some other outdoor activity, that would make sense. But I don't see the point of a summer day trip. Give the day to another destination in what looks like a very hectic trip.

I'd also skip Tofino--I agree it's a very long and not very scenic drive there.

If day 9 is a weekday, leave for Rainier early to avoid getting caught in metro area traffic. If you leave by 7 you should be okay.

taggie

You are going to be doing a LOT of driving with that itinerary.

rockinrobin

Ok, thank you so much for your comments!

We didn't want to double up, but only see one of each type of topography. Thought Whistler and Tofino were unusual, but if we'll see the same type of place elsewhere, we'll leave them out.

It sounded like Tofino is such a cool place to visit that we felt we shouldn't miss it.

We'll make sure to have enough time for Hurricane Ridge in Olympic NP. We'll spend more time in Victoria, and cut down on driving.

If anyone has more comments, it is much appreciated!