Drive time Seattle to Port Angeles
 

We arrive in Seattle 5/28 and hope to make a quick stop at the Pike Place Fish Market before heading north to Port Angeles.
We should depart the Market around 4:30 and need recommendations for the best route. Mapquest sends us north to catch the Kingston/Edmond ferry. It looks like we could also go south through Tacoma and go north on Hwy 16. This calculates to 30 minutes longer.
Any recommendations for the best route in regards to traffic/time? We can save $40 ferry fees with the longer route. Probably worth it for a half hour more time if in fact Mapquest is accurate.
The GPS will naturally select the shortest route, but I would like thoughts from some locals if possible.

The drive from Seatack to Port Angeles via Tacoma and the Narrows Bridge is about 125 miles and it takes about 2 1/2 hours, if you don't get slowed down in rush-hour traffic.

If you go to Pike Place Market before driving to Port Angeles, it would be logical to take the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton and to then drive on to Port Angeles. It takes 20-30 minutes to drive to Seattle from Seatac and about 1 1/2 hours to drive from Bremerton to Port Angeles. The ferry crossing from Seattle to Bremerton takes one hour. Of course you will have to allow additional time to find a parking place in Seattle, to find your way to the ferry terminal in Seattle, and to wait for the ferry to arrive.

Great fresh fish is easy to find all over the NW--even in Port Angeles.

HTTY

It looks like the Edmonds to Kingston ferry would be quicker than Bremerton due to less time across the water.

If you say so.

But first you will have to fight your way from First Avenue and Pike Street to I-5 and then sit in rush hour traffic as you make your way to Edmonds via the biggest parking lot in the NW.

If you want quicker, you will drive to Port Angeles via Tacoma and the Narrows Bridge.

Perhaps somebody will tell you want to hear just to mess with you.

HTTY




HTTY

Try the Bainbridge Island ferry rather than Bremerton, but avoid driving on I-5 that time of day if you can.

Definitely you want the Bainbridge ferry, not the Bremerton or Kingston ones. 20-40 minute crossing (Colman Dock is just a few minutes from Pike Place Market), and from Bainbridge I'd guess about 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours to Port Angeles. 305 through Poulsbo to Hood Canal Bridge, then 104/101 to PA.

Mapquest is wrong--you want to take the Bainbridge ferry from downtown. But if you can, I'd save your visit to the Market for another part of your trip and leave Seattle earlier than 4:30 PM, as the waits for the ferry will be long on the Friday afternoon before the holiday weekend and will get worse as the afternoon goes on. Driving around won't help at that time either as the traffic on I-5 going south from Seattle will be horrendous at 4:30 (and it won't be any better going north to Edmonds).

Thanks for the heads up. This will be our only chance for the market. We are going straight to Victoria for a few days and then down the Oregon coast. If we hope to catch the 4:40 ferry, what time would we want to be at the ferry dock?

No later than just after the previous ferry leaves...but there may be more than 1 boat overloads at that point in the afternoon.

Just out of curiosity...how are you planning to get to Victoria? The last ferry from Port Angeles is at 5:15 that night...or are you staying over in Port Angeles and going to Victoria the next day?

Don't know if you want to consider another option, but we left from Anacortes and enjoyed staying at the motel right by the ferry.
http://www.shipharborinn.com/
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/infodesk/faq/victoria/

That way, you'd have the full day to enjoy Seattle, an 1.5 hour drive to Anacortes, and no stress about making the ferry in time. We walked to a great restaurant and just totally enjoyed the experience.

BTW, we returned via the ferry to Port Townsend and IMO the ride from Anacortes through the San Juans is just gorgeous - one of the best parts of the trip.

Yes, didn't notice that you're planning all this for Friday afternoon before the Memorial Day weekend. I would get in line for the 4:40 ferry by around 3:30. Even at that, you will have to contend with stop and go traffic getting off of Bainbridge and through Poulsbo. It will definitely be about a 2 hour trip from the Bainbridge landing to Port Angeles. That should put you in PA by around 7:30 PM.

Not disagreeing about taking the Anacortes ferry but it'll take a heck of a lot longer than 1.5 hours to drive to Anacortes on Friday afternoon with the holiday traffic--at least an hour to Everett alone, I'd say.

And starrs, did you mean to say you returned via the ferry to Port Angeles? There's no ferry from Victoria to Port Townsend, so I didn't want to confuse the OP if you misspoke.

Yes. Sorry. I mispoke.
Didn't notice the dates either (Memorial Day weekend).

But we DID prefer that route :-)

I wouldn't do it unless they can do an overnight in Anacortes. I just think it would give them more time to see the Seattle area. I'd stop by the locks too.

This is one of those best of the poor options questions:
the best bet w/traffic and ferry & time options considered:
drive to the downtown Seattle ferry terminal and take the Winslow, Bainbridge Island Ferry.

Buy your picnic dinner in Pike Place and eat on the Ferry...

Thanks to all for the input. Although we heard the Market is neat place to see, we've decided to forgo it based on your responses. After getting in at 2:00, we'll just head south from SeaTac on I-5 and make the drive up to PA avoiding the ferry.
Flying home out of Portland, so perhaps next time we can do more of Seattle.

Wise decision. This will give you time to drive to Port Angeles via Highway 101 as it skirts Hood Canal--that's the scenic way to get there.

Have fun, HTTY