Hi there, hoping someone can give me recommendations on our upcoming trip at the end of May. We will go on a 7 day cruise to Alaska and then have 5 days to split between Seattle and somewhere else. I was originally thinking Vancouver or Victoria but am open to any suggestions you all have. I am guessing we'll see whales on our cruise so that isn't a priority; we are adventurous, active, outdoorsy, and aren't afraid to drive several hours to a destination if it is really worth it. Any ideas??? Thanks so much for your help!

The Olympic Peninsula National park.

That's so much outdoor stuff you can do in the Pacific NW. Mt. Rainier, or futher south to St. Helen near the Oregon border. Portland, OR is a nice city by itself. And Vancouver and Victoria are still excellent choices.

By the end of your Alaska cruise I expect you'll have had a bellyfull of saltwater and rainforest.

Therefore my suggestion is to loop east of the Cascade mountains out to Grand Coulee Dam, then back down the east flank of the mountains (US 97) to the Columbia Gorge, thence down the river past canyons, a museum full of Rodin, waterfalls, orchards, a couple of noteworthy volcanoes, to Portland or even Astoria (if you're ambitious and like driving). This will expose you to mountain passes, cowboy and Indian country, old west scenery, red rocks, and the great river of the West. Warm weather, blue skies, and the waterfalls in the Gorge roaring with spring meltoff. Perfect time.

Though all these suggestions are good, I think Gardyloo may indeed have the best one. The difference between Eastern and Western Washington is startling and the drive over the mountains to there is terrific. I'm also a BIG fan of the area around the Grand Coulee (LOVE Steamboat Rock on Banks Lake). The trip (as laid out) is a couple of days at least - 3 if you go all the way out to the mouth of the Columbia at Astoria (a great experience).

Of course, if you are from a desert climate, Eastern Washington may not be what you want to see on your vacation.

And a trip to Mt Rainier is great choice too.

Ken

Thank for the replies and more are still appreciated.

I am from the Gulf coast of Florida so anything will be a dramatic and welcome geograpic and climatic change from what I live in. Eastern Washington sounds amazing. I'm wondering if we would expect the same scenery/climate in Vancouver/Victoria that we will have on the cruise and also Seattle? I would like to get as much variety in as possible. We are into mountain biking and I know there are several famous spots in B.C. but I like the 'old west' idea as well.

Grandest aspect of the scenery in Vancouver is that the northern edge of the city ("North Van") literally climbs up the mountside from the waters' edge. Vancouver also has a whole lot of sights within the city itself (an especially nice collection of gardens) and is larger and more cosmopolitan than Seattle.

Victoria is more "quaint" and has nice views out across the Straits. It's much more of a tourist city than Vancouver is. By this I mean that Vancouver feels like a real city, whereas Victoria feels a bit like a tourist attraction (a very nice one mind you).

Scenery in all 3 places are a bit similar (at least in comparison to Eastern Washington - which is truly desert).

The fact is, I don't think there are any bad choices here. This is in fact one of the most beautiful areas of the US and ALL of it is gorgeous. The only drawback is that the weather can be "socked in" for a good part of the year, sometimes making it hard to really see just how beautiful it is.

Ken

If your cruise originates and ends in Seattle you'll be stopping in Victoria anyway, probably only for a few hours, which IMO is enough to see all the cuteness in the Inner Harbour area, or maybe a trip to Butchart Gardens on the outskirts of the city. Either way, I think going back to Victoria is an unnecessary duplication.

Yes, the scenery and climate around Van/Vic will be the same as at least parts of your cruise, since you'll be cruising there. Obviously weather can change over a period of a week or 10 days, but you won't see a dramatic change in conditions as you toodle up the Inside Passage from the Seattle/Vancouver area.

If you want to see Vancouver, you can do an interesting modification to the itinerary I mentioned earlier. Drive from Seattle to Vancouver, spend a couple of nights there. Then travel east across the Cascades on BC Hwy 3 to the Okanagan Valley (a gorgeous ride), then cross back into the US and take US 97 all the way south from the Canadian border to the Columbia river at Goldendale.

Doing Vancouver plus eastern BC/Washington and the Gorge will probably suck up all 5 days easily, but it will be a very thorough introduction to the region, and will leave you (I'll bet) wanting to plan your return visits.

If you do decide to head over to the Grand Coulee area, you might want to take a peek at Dry Falls. It's an ancient waterfall (now dry) that was the site of one of the largest floods known, created when an ice dam holding back a massive ancient lake (that was nearly as big as Lake Superior) broke and the water was all released. The water at Dry Falls had a water flow that was 50 TIMES the flow over Niagara Falls. The resulting (now dry) canyons are spectacular. The whole area from Dry Falls, past Banks Lake (Steamboat Rock) up to the Grand Coulee Dam (3rd largest dam on earth) is just awe inspiring and pretty compact (once you are in the area).

You'd swear you were somewhere in the Southwest.

Ken

Actually the climate does change a great deal about one day's sail north of Vancouver. Vancouver and Victoria are in a mild west coast marine climate which generally has very rare extremes of heat and cold and is very wet in Winter and dry in Summer. In both cities flowers bloom year round and hardy Palm trees are common. Seattle is much like Vancouver/Victoria with a greater liklihood of being colder in the winter and hotter in the summer. As you move north of Vancouver the climate is much cooler and wetter and from the Queen Charlottes north the liklihood of a warm sunny day even in mid-summer is 50-50.

IMHO
Vancouver is truely beautiful but you will see all that on the Alaska Cruise.
I love Victoria but yes--the few hours there, you'll get the flavor.

Five days really isn't that long.. Take Interestate 90 and visit Walla Walla (that's half day drive) and enjoy the wine country! IT is becoming quite well known. Spend the night at Marcus Whitman Hotel, drive back through I84 (Columbia Gorge) to Portland, spend a night at Benson Hotel, then to the Oregon coast (Canon Beach)--stay at Stephanie's Inn...then drive through Olympic Peninsula National Park, back to Seattle.

Yes--that is what I would do.

Okay, here is a different idea. Go to the ape caves. It is a very cool place to go through (literally, too). They are lava tubes and there is an easy hike if you go one direction and a more difficult hike if you go the other (the difficult hike is the best). When you are done you can see Mt. St. Helens and other cool stuff. A web site that takes about the caves is: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/...framework.html.

Wow, lots of great recommendations, almost too many to choose. Think in terms of three general options: Mountains and wild coast, mountains and high desert, Islands and urban northwest.

Mountains and coast:
Given you're from Florida, a trip to Mt. Rainier seems like a must. You could go up to Paradise Lodge for one night then turn around and head out to Kalaloch on the Pacific Ocean. Why the coast for someone from Florida...because this wild coast line is very different from the sundrenched flatlands of your Atlantic. Loop the Olympic Peninsula, don't miss the Hoh Rain Forest, Lake Crescent, Port Townsend, then over the Hood Canal Bridge and you're back to Seattle.

Mountain and desert:
I think the Eastern Wa recommendation is a good one except I would take highway 20 over the North Cascades and spend a night at Sun Mountain Lodge (one of my favorite spots in this great state). Next day head down through Coulee and, yes, Dry Falls/Sun Lakes...love it. Return to Seattle via highway 2, Waterville Historic Hotel, Leavenworth Bavarian village, Snohomish antique shops and back to Seattle. (variation: it's a pretty long round trip but I'm also very fond of Walla Walla wine touring. I would opt for the Mill Creek Inn B&B instead of the MW. And don't miss Palouse Falls).

Islands and urbans:
Visit Seattle, then head north taking in Skagit valley backroads, stay in La Conner for a night. Next day head to Anacortes for a walk on ferry trip to Friday Harbor in the San Juans. (Loop down to Deception Pass if you have the time or don't want to bite off the ferry trip). Return in the afternoon and complete the day via Chuckanut Drive (highway 11) to Semiahmoo Resort for a night. Next day you're within an hour of Vancouver, a wonderful city to visit.

Any way you go you win. Good luck deciding.

Mill Creek is good..but it is in midst of nowhere.

Wow Suzie you got a ton of GREAT advice and well informed people. I actually live here and I have to tell you that the part or the person I agreed with most was:
Mountain and desert:
I think the Eastern Wa recommendation is a good one except I would take highway 20 over the North Cascades and spend a night at Sun Mountain Lodge (one of my favorite spots in this great state). Next day head down through Coulee and, yes, Dry Falls/Sun Lakes...love it. Return to Seattle via highway 2, Waterville Historic Hotel, Leavenworth Bavarian village, Snohomish antique shops and back to Seattle. (variation: it's a pretty long round trip but I'm also very fond of Walla Walla wine touring. I would opt for the Mill Creek Inn B&B instead of the MW. And don't miss Palouse Falls).

Islands and urbans:
Visit Seattle, then head north taking in Skagit valley backroads, stay in La Conner for a night. Next day head to Anacortes for a walk on ferry trip to Friday Harbor in the San Juans. (Loop down to Deception Pass if you have the time or don't want to bite off the ferry trip). Return in the afternoon and complete the day via Chuckanut Drive (highway 11) to Semiahmoo Resort for a night. Next day you're within an hour of Vancouver, a wonderful city to visit.
North Cascade highway is very cool as is Winthrop and Leavenworth.
If you do get a chance to go to Anacortes to catch the ferry I would check out La Conner a very neat little town. You won't believe how different Eastern WA is from the wet West side. I hope you have a great time!
Dave