We are planning a short trip to the Seattle area. Tentative plan is to overnight near Rainier and spend a whole day there [we love to do short hikes]. From there we want to get to Olympic area [either South or North side is ok], again overnight, spend 1.5 days and drive back to Seattle to catch our flight.

I have seen other posts responded by Seattle localites [Lord Balfor, Gardyloo, etc], but this particular question was never asked. And this is what i am attempting to do, so pls help me figure out. Is there a direct road from Rainer to any part of Olympic Park so that we can get there instead of going via Seattle again ? I do understand that to get back to Seattle from Olympic we have to get on the car-ferry from Port Angeles [or is it Port townsend ?]. Can someone give me an idea of how long this ferry ride is and how much time i should estimate for the whole process - buy ferry ticket, load cars, ferry ride and drive off.

Also, how far is Seattle airport from downtown and how far is it from the ferry dock area ? I'm trying to estimate driving times as accurately as possible.

Thanks a lot.

Okay, first of all you have to keep in mind that Olympic National Park has 4 main areas that people visit: There is the rarely visited section on the east side (near the Hood Canal area), the Hurricane Ridge region on the north side (by Port Angeles), the 2 rainforest sections near Queets and up the Hoh Valley, and finally the coastal section (running from near Kalaloch north). I'm guessing you're interested in the rainforest, the coastal regions and Hurricane Ridge (the most popular spots). To answer your question: No you do NOT need to return to Seattle from Rainier before heading out to Olympic National Park. Just rejoin I-5 at Lakewood or Tacoma and head south to Olympia. From there, there is a highway that runs west from Olympia out to Aberdeen/Hoquiam (about an hour or so) and from there you can take highway 101 north to Queets, the Hoh and the coastal areas (only a limited section is reachable by car). Then you can continue north & east on 101 through Forks, past Lack Crescent to Port Angeles and from there up to Hurricane Ridge. Then back down again and continue on 101 until within striking distance of the Bainbridge Island/Seattle ferry at Winslow - a 30 minute ride or so (or continue down to the Tacoma Narrows bridge and cross over to the Tacoma then drive back north up I-5 to Sea-Tac. You can do this circle drive in a day & half with no problem.

Ken

great. thanks a ton. this is reassuring. Just to clarify my understanding of one point you made : am i right to understand that from Olympic Park or Hwy 101 it is possible to get to Seattle city and/or seattle airport completely by road [by crossing the tacoma narrows bridge] and one does not have to necessarily take the ferry ?

Thanks again.

Yes. The Olympics are not on an island, they are on a peninsula that thrusts north so that the mountains themselves are opposite Seattle and seperated from it by Puget Sound. Take a look at a map. You can either take a ferry across Puget Sound (4 different routes depending on your destination - Seattle/Bainbridge Island, Seattle/Bremerton, Seattle/Vashon/Southworth, or Edmonds/Kingston) - or you can cross the Sound further south at the Tacoma Narrows, or finally, go around the very southern end of the Sound at Olympia. The route I am recommending is to go around this south end of the Sound (since Mt Rainier is already south of Seattle anyway), then completely circle the Olympic range and return to the Seattle area on the Bainbridge Island/Seattle ferry. Note that Bainbridge Island is connected to the Olympic Peninsula by a bridge on it's western side. Hopefully this is clear. As I said, take a look at a map and you'll see what I mean.

Ken

PS - You will probably want to spend the night in Forks (or perhaps in Kalaloch if you can get reservations there) as this area is about the mid-point of your trip. Forks is not really a very pretty place, but unfortunately one of the downsides of this area being such a wilderness is that there are not a lot of places to stay.

However - You say you have 1.5 days out there, but not clear how that relates to your return flight in Seattle. Do you have a full day to head out there to see the sights and have to be back in Seattle at noon on the 2nd day? If this is tha case, you really have only 1 day as it will take quite a bit of time to get back to Seattle from out there. If your flight does not leave Seattle until the evening you'll have plenty of time and Fork will be the best place to spend the night. If it leaves in mid-afternoon, you'll want to be bit closer to Seattle to start (ie spend the night in Port Angeles).

Ken

Thanks Ken. I get the picture, albeit a mental picture of the topography. I am still not very clear as to the drive times, maybe you can help me assess that better. Also, to help you advise me of where best to overnight, here's our tentative plan:

May 27 Thu : Land in SEA around 6 PM. Overnight stay near downtown.

May 28 Fri : Boeing everett plant tour, Museum of flight, etc. Overnight again in SEA.

May 29 Sat : Drive early morning to Rainier. Spend all day and overnight there [Paradise is one area that has recd most recommendations. Any other suggs ?].

May 30 Sun : Drive early morning to Olympic Park along route suggested by you. Here's where i'm not clear as to how long it will take approx to get to say the Queets or Hoh area. Depending on that, maybe you can also help me figure out realistically how much we can cover that day. As you said, main area of interest are the rainforest sections. Not sure what exactly there is to see along the coastal section and whether a stop at the beaches is something out of the ordinary - if not i don't mind just cruising along. But i will do some reading up. Overnight somewhere on the way.

May 31 Mon : Our flight out of SEATAC is only around 4.30 PM, and we would've spend 2 nights in SEA by then, so not abso necessary to return to Seattle downtown, but if time permits, don't mind hanging out there. So prefer taking the shortest route back to SEA from Olympic peninsula, ferry ride not necessary, since it's just 30 mins i think the overhead in getting on/off the ferry may not be worth it.

Any thoughts/ideas/alternatives ?

Thanks a ton.

I didn't read the other responses, but my advice is to go first to Mt. St. Helens, then to Mt. Rainier, and to return to Seattle from Mt. Rainier via Chinook Pass, Yakima, and Snoqualmie Pass. I think this is a better plan than the stress of trying to squeeze in the Olympic National Park.

thanks, but i'm quite keen on squeezing in Olympic ; St. Helens seems easily accessible from portland and i might do that area as a separate holiday.

I would actually avoid the metro area on the drive from Mt. Rainier to the coast by taking US Hwy 12 all the way - on the map it looks a little roundabout, but the absence of traffic on a holiday weekend will more than compensate. Allow 2.5 hours to the coast, then another couple of hours north on 101 to the rainforest areas. After Rainier, Hurricane Ridge will be more mountain scenery, hence IMO skippable, while the coast and rain forest valleys will be altogether new environments.

It's essential that you book accommodations right now, as these are very popular destinations over Memorial Day. Frankly, I'd expect lodging difficulty on the coast already - you might look at the Ocean Shores area as a fallback overnight location; near Rainier look at the Crystal Mt. resort areas, also there are various motels etc. along US 12. Nothing much with any style, but there ought to be availablity and it won't be too expensive. Also look into booking the Boeing plant tour ahead.

OK. I entered this route in Mapquest to give you a rough idea of what you need to do and how long it will take.

Step1: Mt Rainier (Paradise) to Kalaloch: http://www.mapquest.com/directions/m...028b1-cdbcf368

Total driving time estimated to be a bit over 5 hours.

This puts you on the coast in the general area of the 2 main rainforest valleys (the Queets & the Hoh). You can spend the rest of the day exploring the valleys & the coast (Ruby Beach is pretty cool with miles and miles of storm-tossed logs (BIG logs) lining the beach - it's quite a sight!). Fork is not too far north of there. Kalaloch would be a better place to stay but is usually booked pretty solid. Reservations anywhere out there would be recommended as there is not much in the way of accommodations. Make them NOW!

EARLY the next day, head north on this route (Kalaoch to Winslow - where you catch the ferry to Seattle): http://www.mapquest.com/directions/m...028b1-cdbcf368

It says it takes 4 hours, I would figure 5 (not including stops) since the drive around Lack Crescent can be slow (you will NOT have time to go up to Hurricane Ridge). At Winslow you need to catch the Bainbridge Island/Seattle ferry (schedules are here: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/).

Ferry run takes around 35 minutes, but keep in mind that depending on when you arrive you may have up to a half-hour wait or so for the next ferry.

From there you head south either on I-5 or highway 99 to the airport - figure half an hour or so - UNLESS you hit bad traffic - listen to the traffic stations as you approach Winslow to get an idea of what the Seattle traffic is doing (am 710 or am 1000 are good choices). Remember that you will need to get to the airport at least 90 minutes early.

It's a pretty rushed trip and I wouldn't recommend trying to squeeze that much into that short a time normally, but in May, with the very longgggg days, it's doable. The second day is mostly just driving and no sight-seeing (though the drive along Lake Crescent is nice - as is the ferry ride).

Have fun, remember to leave EARLY on both days (especially Monday) - your schedule is VERY tight.

Ken