anngmoore

My husband & I are planning on visiting Washington and are considering the end of August.. Is this a good time of year. ? We'd prefer not to have snow since we live in Upstate NY and get plenty of that all winter. But I want to go when all the flowers will be in bloom. So far our plans are: day 1- fly into Seatle and drvie to Mt Ranier. Day 2- spend at Mt Ranier. Day 3 am at MrRanier in the am and Mt St. Helens in the afternoon and return back to Mt Ranier. Is that too much or not enough time at each place? We are mild to moderate hikers. Does it make more sence to stay at MR instead of Seatle? Day 4- Stay at Quinalt and check our Olympic National Park, Day 5- Stay at Port Angeles and spend another day at Olympic National Park. Should we be checking out the Pacific coast / beaches on our way or is that too much time ont the road ? Day 6- Take a ferry over to Victoria- do you advise not taking a car ; staying there or spend a second night back at Port Angeles. Do the ferrys go at night ? Day 7 Drive to Seatle- how long does this take ? Day 8 in Seatle and Day 9 head back to NY. Any must see spots or trails would be greatly appreciated.

happytrailstoyou

August is a great time for this visit. Since you have never been to the NW, I suggest only two nights in the Mt Rainier/Mount St Helens area and that you spend at least one night at Lake Crescent Lodge in the ONP.

There aren't many great hotel options in the Mt Rainier area.

There is a foot ferry to Victoria, which is a good town for walking. There are various ways to get to Butchart Gardens without a car.

If you want great views of the Pacific, I suggest you include the Oregon coast, perhaps using this routing: Seattle-Mt Rainier/Mt Saint Helens-Newport OR-Cannon Beach OR-Quinault Lodge-Lake Crescent Lodge-Victoria-Pt Angeles-Pt Townsend on way back to Seattle.

HTTY

rickandpat

Ah, my favorite state, which we visit often. I'm from Michigan, another lovely state, but it's cold in the winter and no mountains. Anyway, August is great, but for the best wildflower display you might want to go a bit earlier in the month. I agree you might want to cut out one day at Mt. Ranier in favor of putting it toward the Olympic Peninsula, which is big, and I personally would not go back to MR after seeing Mt. St. Helens, but push on. It's easy to stop at one or two beaches on your way north of Quinault. We did a ranger walk at Ruby Beach and really enjoyed it. Do not miss Hurricane Ridge and the walk from Hurricane Point. We took the car ferry to Victoria, drove straight to Butchart Gardens, then came back to Victoria to take high tea and walk around. It's easy but more expensive to do it this way, so if you're not going to Butchart (and even if you do you can catch a bus) definitely take the other ferry.

I'm going to throw out that you've got an ambitious itinerary. Perhaps you could save Mt. St. Helens or Victoria for another visit? I know I prefer doing more hiking and less driving, but that's just me. Whatever you choose, you will love it!

suze

I agree that it's a bit much for only 9 days in the area, and would also suggest skipping either Mt St Helen or Victoria, and making your scenic loop a bit smaller.

kelsojim

If you travel from Mt Rainier to the coast, it is about 3-4 hours. But a loop drive around the Olympic Peninsula is beautiful. Consider 2 days for travel. Quinalt Lodge is very nice as is Klaloch Lodge and the coastal area there is where parts of the movie "Twilight" was filmed (Forks, WA) and is more remote than the Oregon coast. Also a great hike would Shi-Shi Beach near Neah Bay. The best times for wildflowers around Mt Rainier would be late June or July. But check out the Mt Rainier National Park web site to be sure which roads and areas are open. There is adequate lodging at both Packwood & Randle, which is 1/2 way between Mt Rainier & Mt St Helens. Again check with the Mt St Helens Nat'l Monument hdqtrs to see which roads are open. If it is open, forest road 25 going south from Randle, then forest road 99 gives you the best view into the crater.

anngmoore

Let's say we fly into Seatle and get settled in at Mt Ranier on day one. Is it too much to do Mt Ranier and Mt St Helen's the next day? OR should we spend one day at MT Ranier and then the next morning at Mt St Helens and move on to Quinault in the afternoon. IF we did both in a day would we spend the night back at MT Ranier to cut down on the # of lodgings? We like to be done with touring by dinner time and relax and enjoy dinner rather than driving at night. It sounds like there is more to do /see at Mt Ranier than Mt St Helen's. IT sounds like spending more time driving up the coast and enjoying that makes more sence then addning Victoria in the mix. Thanks for all the tips.