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First, a minor thing. There's no "s" in the Pike Place market. Pike Place is a street, an extension of Pike Street. (Pike Street was named after John PIke, the architect for the original territorial university; its site now occupied by the Olympic Hotel.)
I also think it's doable albeit potentially exhausting. Do you have accommodation booked at any/all of these places? If not, it's job one. I know this borders on insanity, but I started to draft an alternate idea, then the interwebs ate it, but hey, I can be ridiculous if I want. My concern with the Olympic NP plan is that it's a LOT of very boring driving. The scenic highlights - the rain forests, beaches, Hurricane Ridge etc. - are terrific, but the drives between them are really - that's really - meh. And with a 2-year old (who we do not know, so this might be no biggie) there's just not a lot of places to stop around the edge of the national park. Again, possibly not a big deal, but... well, anyway, here's a different plan, just to muddy the waters. Here's a map - https://goo.gl/maps/wLsb8BCRNozvCEqVA What's involved: This would take you to Mount Rainier, then instead of heading out to the coast, you'd continue over the Cascades and down to the Columbia River. You could visit the Grove of the Patriarchs just off the (incredible) Stevens Canyon Road, then over White Pass and down to the Yakima Valley. You'd then head south through the Yakama reservation and great "old west" scenery to the big river. Stop at the weird copy of Stonehenge on the clifftops overlooking the river, and stop at the very cool Maryhill Museum - a reasonably kid-friendly place with a surprising selection of exhibits (Rodin in the sagebrush) and a very nice little cafe. Continue west along the river to Hood River, Oregon. Hood River is a very nice little town, a big center for water sports (kite boarding, windsurfing etc.) on the Columbia, but also full of craft breweries, wineries, and galleries. Spend a couple of nights in Hood River; during the days you can drive the Hood River "fruit loop" past U-pick orchards, wineries, fruit stands - https://hoodriverfruitloop.com/ - or drive up to Timberline Lodge on the side of Mount Hood. There are lakes and forest trails in the national forest around Mount Hood, beaches along the Columbia or Hood Rivers for paddling... and everything will be in harvest mode in September - apple and pear orchards, etc. It's a stunningly beautiful area. Continue west along the Columbia past Cascade Locks and the Bridge of the Gods, and visit the Bonneville fish hatchery near the iconic Bonneville Dam. Your daughter will love meeting Herman the Sturgeon (a huge and ancient fish viewed through underwater windows) and for 25c for a bag of food, she can feed the baby trout in the fish pens. The hatchery has been a major kid-pleasing site for decades; I remember going there as a kid myself, although we had to battle mastodons along the way. ;) Then you're in waterfall country. Visit Multnomah Falls, then take the gorgeous "Historic Columbia River Highway," (old US 30) past more waterfalls, such as Latourell. Enjoy the vistas of the Gorge from Vista House and the nearby Portland Women's Forum viewpoint. Maybe visit Portland for a night. Then it's back to Seattle. Like I say, quite a departure from your present thinking, but in my view it might be a lot more kid-friendly, with lots of variety in a pretty compact area. Just a thought, anyway. Possible timetable - Days 1 and 2 - as planned Day 3 - Ashford to Hood River via Stevens Canyon Road, Grove of the Patriarchs, Maryhill Stonehenge and Museum. Overnight Hood River Day 4 - Hood River Valley fruit loop, Timberline Lodge, possibly Lost Lake. Day 5 - Hood River to Portland via hatchery, waterfalls, view points. Day 6 - Portland to Seattle Day 7 - As planned. Reflection Lakes, Stevens Canyon Road https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d23ab09c54.jpg Grove of the Patriarchs https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...af8e3c94c5.jpg Maryhill Stonehenge https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2f4bc240de.jpg Mount Hood from Hood River Valley https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b757d11c7e.jpg Latourell Falls https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...74967815ec.jpg |
Wow! Gardyloo thank you so much for the alternate itinerary and ideas. It sure looks amazing. I am going to look more into this. Last night my wife and I watched some YouTube videos of ONP and North Cascades, and made the decision that North Cascades is probably more to our liking. So, I spent all day coming up with a North Cascades itinerary (little did I know Gardyloo had already given me a lot to think about). Curious to get everyones thoughts on this North Cascades Loop itinerary.
Seattle > Everett > Leavenworth (2.5hrs)
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Are you planning to fish and raft in Monroe? If not, there really isn't any reason to stop there. It is just a town on the way to the mountains.
Sultan Bakery is ok, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. It is popular because there are so few places along here for a meal after hiking/backpacking/skiing so it works for that, but that is the only time we stop there. Wallace Falls is a beautiful hike, and the espresso place is good and the Sasquatch statue is fun. Most people just park there and snap a few pics and move on without realizing that behind the espresso stand is a field with picnic tables that you can go relax at and let the little one run. Skykomish is a tiny town and has a cute little railroad that kids can ride and is always a hit. Out on Icicle Creek Road in Leavenworth, the Icicle Gorge trail is very good for families. It is only 4 miles and very easy, and there are a couple spots you can stop and cool off in the water. There are a few spots that are super shallow so very safe, and other areas that I would not recommend for a 2 yr old. It is obvious, so no worries. A fun place in downtown Leavenworth is the Gingerbread Factory. They make miniature gingerbread cookies that are always a hit with little ones. Blackbird Island/Waterfront Park is really interesting and a great area to walk. Do be careful as there are bears etc there. People are unpriced by that since it is right in town and lots of people there, but especially in the evening/early mornings the wildlife is out so keep an eye out. The Applets and Cotlets place in Cashmere is fun, but make sure they are open the day you plan on going. I think it is Sundays that they are closed. |
mms thank you for the wonderful suggestions. I will definately be removing some things from my to do list, but you have given me some great sounding options to replace them with.
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