jacobla

Hi, 3 of us, very active women at 60 will be in Washington State for the first time. We have cousins in Sammanish and Camano Island so will be going both of those places but would like advice on the best places to go and things to do in the state. We want to see the best of the great scenery, Seattle, maybe a few wineries, orcas, nature/National Parks, eat great food and visit any other don't miss places. We're thinking 9 days which with travel will give us 7 days but are flexible at this time. Appreciate the help!

suze

great scenery, Seattle, maybe a few wineries, orcas, nature/National Parks, eat great food and visit any other don't miss places. Plus visiting: Sammanish and Camano Island

I think 7 days will be very rushed to try to do all of that! You'll need to prioritize your list.

Any one of the National Parks - Mt Rainier, ONP, or North Cascades are 2-4 hours drive time out of Seattle, so you'd need 2+ overnights for any of them except Rainier, which can be done in a long day trip (not ideal but possible).

Seeing whales is going to mean going up to the San Juans on your own or with some kind of wildlife tour operator. Again 2-3 days would be good for that.

Seattle, assuming you want to do any of the usual tourist highlights needs at least 2-3 especially if you want to include wineries. Other "don't miss" places in the city is a very long list that could fill your 7 days just doing that.

You see what I'm getting at anyways... WELCOME to Seattle. suze

Gardyloo

Would the seven days include time with the cousins, and if so, how long? Would you be staying with or near them, or just planning to include them as day trips?

We have to start someplace, so I'm going to throw out an imaginary driving map which might form the basis of further talks. Here it is - https://goo.gl/maps/8mZRAopjLa6t8m2SA . Google the places listed.

This goes north from Seattle to Camano Island (don't know where on the island, so just used Camano town, which isn't much.) Then it goes to the pretty waterfront town of La Conner, then on to beautiful Deception Pass, the wonderful gap between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands, with great views from both the bridge and beach levels, as well as lots of walking trails, etc.





You'd then travel down Whidbey to another cute waterfront village, Coupeville, then across the island to the Port Townsend ferry dock and take the little ferry over to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. Port Townsend is a beautiful waterfront town, full of terrific Victorian buildings, numerous B&Bs, cafes, etc. When you're ready, leave Port Townsend and head west to the rolling country between the town of Sequim ("skwim") and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. During most of July you'll see extensive fields of lavender; there's a big local festival but don't know if you'll be there then, but regardless the fields are still lovely. Turn on the car radio to the French language service on the CBC (booming in from Victoria BC) close your eyes (not the driver) and imagine you're in Provence. Well, not really. WSDOT - Ferries

(Not my picture)



Continue west to Port Angeles then turn south and drive up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. This offers stunning views of the Olympic mountains, and if you're lucky you'll be there when the wildflowers are open - if you're there for the lupines, use eye protection to keep them from bugging out.

(Again, not mine)



Go back down the mountains and either spend the night in PA, or take the last ferry of the evening over to Victoria. (You could park the car in PA and go as foot passengers.) Visit the Inner Harbour, look at the legislative buildings (aka the BC "Parliament") and visit the Empress Hotel (only have their afternoon tea if you really feel the need to part with sixty bucks or so) and/or take one of the many tour buses out to Butchart Gardens, gorgeous if a wee bit pricey. The Royal BC Museum next to the harbo(u)r is also fabulous. Spend a day (or a night and a day) in Victoria, then back to PA. Obviously you'll all need passports. https://www.cohoferry.com/ https://www.butchartgardens.com/

(Also not mine)



(A note on whale watching. The local pods are under some stress and whale watching is being regulated quite closely and generally being discouraged. There are reputable services operating out of Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Victoria if you want; they'll see the same whales.)

Then return to Seattle. Stop in the pretty (tiny) village of Port Gamble, and the Norwegian-themed waterfront town of Poulsbo before taking the ferry from Bainbridge Island back to downtown Seattle.

This is but one (imaginary) plan that you could do with, say, three or four days. There are so many more that it's laughable.

jacobla

Suze, I have a tendency to try and do way too much on the first visit when there are so many amazing things to do. It makes so much sense and it just means we’ll have to go back again, right?
Gardyloo, thank you so very much for your suggestions and plan! We will be staying with our cousins for at least a few days and I don’t know how much they will be involved with our sightseeing but I love your itinerary you suggested. I may have a few more questions for you after we look over this but again thanks so much!

Fodorite018

jacobla--I would check with your cousins first and see what they have planned for you. Then work your plans around that. Camano is a tiny island so you can see all of it in a day, at a very slow pace When you go, be sure to stop at Camano Island Coffee Roasters. Best coffee ever. My husband won't drink anything else now. They only sell there on the island or through their website via subscription. Check their website and see if they are doing a tour when you are there, and if so go, it is really good!