14 day trip in Washington
 

We are planning on spending two weeks in Washington during Sept. There is so much to see and do that I'm having a hard time trying to fit everything into just 2 weeks. Does this schedule sound reasonable to anyone? Arrive in Seattle - stay 1 night. Head towards Mt. Rainer/Mt. St. Helen - spend 1-2 nights. Drive to Columbia River Gorge - 1 night. Head towards Olympic NP (rainforest area), drive along the coast to get there and possible stay somewhere along the way? 2 nights in Hoh/Quinault, drive Hwy 101 to Portsmouth for 2 nights and then head to Victoria on Vanc. Island for 2 nights. Leave Victoria - head thru SJ Islands/Orca Islands stay 1 night. And last 2 nights in Seattle. We are huge outdoor lovers and definitely love to hike. We also don't mind driving but we don't want to spend too much time in the car.

I presume that you mean either Port Angeles or Port Townsend rather than Portsmouth, as it's a very long drive from the Hoh Valley to New Hampshire. But which? IMO 2 nights in either is one too many, but clarify and we can help more.

Id recommend Long Beach WA for your coastal overnight. Make sure you book well in advance for accommodations along the Olympic Peninsula Pacific coast.

You might think about continuing over the mountains after Mt. Rainier, then go south on US 97 to the Columbia, tour the Gorge, then hit Mt. St. Helens on the way out to the coast (via Longview.) The east side of the Cascades, the Goldendale area, and the eastern approaches to the Gorge are grand in September, plus you'd avoid the most boring bits of the I-5 corridor in this manner.

Oops! I did mean Port Angeles area, not Portsmouth. I scheduled 2 nights here because I figured we would arrive early evening (hoping to check out some of the WA coastline along the way). I wasn't sure how much there was to do - hiking trails and Hurricane Ridge? From there we will be taking the ferry to Victoria. Thanks for the suggestion about seeing the Gorge first and then St. Helens. I think we just might do that. And I did look into Long Beach a little bit. It sounds very nice. Would it be worth the time to check out Willapa as well? Also, do you know if it will be difficult getting reservations in WA during the first two weeks in Sept? I haven't reserved anything yet.

Willapa is fine (not sure what facilities are there.) Also check out Ilwaco, or even Astoria (you should see the mouth of the Columbia anyway - wow.)

Accommodation on the coast is tight all the time, by all means book ahead if you can. Also note that over Labor Day weekend (first weekend in Sept.) Seattle holds its mega-arts festival, Bumbershoot, at the Seattle Center grounds. It's a great event, but it can from time to time fill up nearby accommodation. Just a heads up.

Aside from a lovely drive past Lake Crescent, the road between Hoh and Port Angeles is pretty blah. You certainly can spend a good period of time at Olympic NP near PA if you want - Hurricane Ridge etc.

Happy planning.

I made a loop of the Olympic Peninsula and over to Vancouver Island 2 years ago with my mom.

Two very nice hotels were:
Lake Quinault Lodge
Lake Crescent Lodge

Here's a link to info about my trip and pictures:
http://tinyurl.com/yqk28

With regard to the Columbia River Gorge, we much prefer the two-lane road on the Washington to the super-highway on the Oregon side. I agree with the suggestion that you drive north on 97 through the Simco Mountains. If you really want to see the best of Washington, I would continue on a path that includes the fabulous stretch of road between Soap Lake and Grand Coulee. From there I would head for Winthrop and stay a night at Sun Mountain Lodge before heading west on Route 20 (the North Cascade Highway). I also recommend Crescent Lake Lodge (where Laura Bush stayed last summer). It's a lovely place with a really good restaurant. Have the entree with three types of fish fresh from the ocean.

You don't have to go on I-84 to enjoy the Oregon side of the Columbia. We always take the scenic highway, which is lovely and passes by a number of nice trails and waterfalls. Also, it goes by "Vista House" which is an old lookout point with scenic views and information on the gorge, plus a little gift shop.