Itinerary for Seattle, Vancouver and Side Trips
 

I had previously posted a vacation plan for doing Seattle and the Oregon coast and gotten some great feedback from everybody on this forum, only to have my husband throw a monkeywrench in my plans and insist that we make a stop in Vancouver also. Since there are some other must-sees in the area for us, I've eliminated the Oregon coast from our travel plans but am still having trouble fitting everything in and figuring out driving time between various stops.

Would like your input on my current plan (for 9 or 10 nights in late July with my 15 year old):

Arrive late day 1; 3 nights in Seattle; day 4 (midweek)leave for vancouver, either taking the Bainbridge ferry as previously suggested and/or stoping at Boeing on the way (are these mutually exclusive?; 2 (or 3 nights in Vancouver); 1 day at Mt. Ranier; 1 night in the Mt. Ranier/Helens vicinity (maybe Portland? other suggestions?); following day do Helens then 1 night either in the vicinity or on the way to the rainforest; 1 day somewhere around Olympic National Park; last night at the airport so we can catch an early flight out the next day.

Will this plan work, are the driving times manageable? (Sorry about the long post.)

Abbyw -- I would love to compare notes with you after your vacation. My family and I are doing Seattle-Vancouver in early July, and have not planned ANY of the activites that you and your family are doing. I guess there's just so much to do, you have to choose. Where are you staying in Seattle?

I suspect possibly you're confused about Vancouver city vs. Vancouver Island. Vancouver the city is on the mainland; no ferry needed from Seattle, just a 3-hour drive more or less. Vancouver the island requires a ferry from the US or Canadian mainland; a few choices for routes. Victoria the city is on Vancouver the island. (Victoria the island is in the high Canadian Arctic - no roads, no ferries, zip.)

All your destinations are located more or less along the narrow I-5/BC99 corridor, so two separate there-and-back-again trips, combined with day excursions, are probably the most efficient way to handle it.

Trip one, north from Seattle to Vancouver. 3 driving hours from Seattle up, probably 4 coming back counting extra time at the border.

Trip two, south from Seattle to Mt. St. Helens. Roughly 3 1/2 hours each way. Or you can extend easily to Portland for an overnight, see the Columbia Gorge, then back.

Side or day trips from each city: From Seattle, Mt. Rainier, figure 2 hours each way. Whidbey Island (via Boeing plant tour and nearby Mukilteo ferry), figure 6-7 hour loop. Port Townsend, Port Angeles (for Hurricane Ridge), 8 hour loop. Pacific coastal area of Olympic NP (rainforest valleys, coastline), 3 hours each way, so a full day outing. Victoria BC, 3 hrs each way on high speed passenger-only ferry, or 45 min. each way on float plane from Lake Union (preferred but pricier.)

From Vancouver, Whistler and Sea to Sky highway, 3 hours each way. Worth it. Sunshine coast (lovely area north of Van. seldom visited by US visitors) - day trip from Vancouver depending on how far up you go - road plus short ferries. Victoria, 4 hours each way by ferry, or also scenic float plane ride from Canada Place.

The Bainbridge ferry and the Boeing tour are indeed mutually exclusive.

In July you might be well advised to focus on the "hub and spokes" approach - less hassle unpacking and schlepping to another hotel, more hotel choices in the big cities so possibly cheaper than scarce and overpriced accommodations in national park or other big tourist zones, things like that. I know when ours was you kids' ages the daily routine of up early, pack, go, stop, unpack... was very tiring and having a "base" to retreat to after a long day sightseeing was a good thing. Even better if there was a pool or other familiar recreations. Just a thought.

Gardylou, I think your approach of sidetrips does make more sense than the convoluted loop I was trying to construct. My new plan is to come back to Seattle after Vancouver and head out from there to Ranier (this also lets me build in a flexible day depending on whether we'd rather have the extra day in Vancouver or Seattle). However, I am thinking that it might make more sense to head to Portland from Ranier, make a day trip the following day from Portland to Helens, then head out the following day to Columbia Gorge and back to Seattle. If we were to do this, how long would it take us to get from Ranier to Portland?

If that makes sense, that leaves us with just one big driving day (to the rainforest). Suggestions about where specifically to head on this day (and where to stop and eat)?

Thanks for all your great information.

I've never driven from Mt. Rainier to Portland, but I'm guessing it's around a 3 1/2 hour drive from the Paradise visitor center. So the day becomes 2 to Rainier, 2 or 3 at the mountain, 4 to Portland, plus stops for food/gas/etc. equals 9-10 hour day. Pretty long with kids, but you know their limits.

I know this is heresy to many people, but honestly I don't know if Mt. Rainier is worth it from kids' points of view. For one thing, the visitor centers become very crowded in peak season - buses idling, dusty parking lots, all that. The mountain is gorgeous, but frankly the scenery is not that much more impressive than other places that may be on your itinerary - the Whistler area, for instance, or Hurricane Ridge.

Wha I would do to make your visit more interesting from a kids' viewpoint is skip Mt. Rainier, but spend an extra night in Portland, and turn the Columbia Gorge tour into a loop including Mt. Hood. Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood is the grandaddy of classic mountain lodges (used in "The Shining") and Mt. Hood, while shorter, is the scenic superior of Mt. Rainier - more classic volcano-y looking.

The Gorge-Mt. Hood loop is way more fascinating to kids - waterfalls, visit the big hatchery at Bonneville Dam and see the monster sturgeon and salmon (huge kid-pleaser); at Hood River you can watch the windsurfers out on the river (world capital of windsurfing) - there's just lots to do, better than sitting in a car for hours driving through the woods to and from Mt. Rainier.

Good choice to skip the Oregon Coast on this trip. With the short amount of time you do have, it deserves an entire trip in itself to really do the Coast right.

The gorge area is very pretty, your daughter will enjoy getting out at all the vistas and looking at the beautiful falls. We did this trip when our kids were all under ten and they still remember Multnomah Falls.

The Columbia River Gorge Hotel is a great place to stay in this area. www.columbiagorgehotel.com is the web address. The place is known for their farm country breakfasts, which are just amazing. Very elegant place with beautiful spacious grounds to stroll.

I don't know where you're staying in Portland, but our daughter (15) has loved the River Place Hotel in Portland for our stays there. It is a luxury hotel directly on the waterfront. You can take carriage rides around Portland in the evening, they leave right outside the hotel. Also a great loation to ride bikes to the Saturday Market or walk the shops and restaurants on the waterfront. Have a great trip! ***kim***

Thanks for all the suggestions. Our current plans call for a day trip to the Hoh rainforest. Anybody have specific suggestions about best driving route and best way to see this?

Also, for our trip to Ranier and St. Helens, we decided to see Ranier first, stay outside Ranier (at the Nisqually lodge) that night, go on to Mt. St. Helens from there, spend the night after Helens around the columbia river gorge, and the following day around the gorge before heading back to the airport. Does this sound like a reasonable plan as far as driving times and time at each destination? Does anybody know anything about the White Salmon Inn?