we have 6-7 days for a trip in early october and we wanted to see changing of the leaves on the west coast--combine some hiking with possibly going to the islands. Are we better off going to washington, oregon or around vancouver? we could fly to seattle,portland or vancouver and rent a car. we would like to stay in one place for 2-3 days,not change every day.

i am starting to read about washington's cascade loop, but it is a bit overwhelming.

Where would we be more likely to see the fall foliage and do some walks and/or hikes?
if we want to add an island--what would you suggest?

West of the mountains our fall colors are splashes here and there--not the mountainsides aflame seen in the northeast.

Each fall we look forward to driving to Mt.Baker and taking the easy hike at Artists Point. This drive and others are described here: http://gonw.about.com/od/attractions...iagetrip_5.htm

We did western Canada back in about 1980 and have NEVER forgotten it. We followed fall color all the way: Mara Lake, Lake Louise, Banff, down into the Waterton Peace Park and the Going to the Sun Highway. Gorgeous trip.

The Ashland area has lovely fall color and they are on rolling blond hills. Gorgeous. Plus you can throw in some Shakespeare theater. Nice dining opportunities, too. I don't know if Crater Lake is still open, but you could research that possibility. It would be a lovely drive.

A good article on this topic appeared in this morning's (10/01/09) Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ldrives01.html

Here is a convenient site for getting an idea about where the colors are changing: http://www.weather.com/activities/driving/fallfoliage/

HTTY