Seattle road trip
 

We are going on a 7 night alaskan cruise, departing from Seattle, and are lucky enough to have a further week stay in Seattle.

Could anyone suggest an itinerary for a road trip around the Seattle area, would mainly like to visit state or national parks - we will have a car and don't mind driving long distances.

Many thanks

There are so many beautiful places to visit in Washington State. I love the beautiful and quaint town of Port Townsend and going to Port Angeles and taking the ferry to Victoria, British Columbia. The little waterway shops of Gig Harbor are also wonderful.
Of course, going to Seattle you will probably want to go to the Space Needle and the Fish Market.

Oh, I almost forgot, the area around Lake Crescent is stunning.

The most popular destinations from Seattle are Mt. Rainier, The Olympic National Park (with a visit to Port Townsend), and the Cascade Loop (I-5, 20, 153, 97 and 2).

There are many other possibilities.

The Cascade Loop could include a visit to the Grand Coulee Dam and the scenic drive from Electric City to Soap Lake.

One of my favorite drives is I-90 and 82 to Yakima, and 97 over the Simcoe Mountains to Hood River and exploration of the Columbia River Gorge.

I would do this for at least part of it:
Start from Seattle, take the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry to Whidbey Island. There are lots of neat state parks and a national reserve-Ebey's Landing-(with beautiful scenery and historic significance) on Whidbey. Keep driving north, over Deception Pass (pretty state park) to Hwy 20. This is the North Cascades Hwy and is the most scenic highway in WA. Spend a little time in the Methow Valley (Winthrop, Twisp) if you like outdoor activities-there are some neat places to stay in that area, too. As you head east on Hwy 20 you have your choice of destinations-there are a lot of nice state parks if you head south along the Columbia River, and there are some a little east (if you are interested in geology or desert landscapes, Dry Falls is great). Or as happytrails mentioned, you can head over to Grand Coulee Dam, if that interests you.

Check the WA state parks website for other options in that area.

It would be great if you could then take Hwy 410 back from eastern Washington to Mt. Rainier, then see the park on your way back from Seattle. BUT, the park's roads were hammered by storms this fall, and it is unclear what roads will be open this year. Keep an eye on their website and plan accordingly-Rainier is spectacular and shouldn't be missed.
www.nps.gov/mora