norena

We would like to fly in and out of Seattle and spend about 10 days with a rental car visiting scenic spots like Mt. Rainier and Olympic NP during the last week of September or early October. Would all the main scenic roads still be open from Seattle to Mt. Rainier and around Olympic NP?

We also would appreciate any advice as to how much we can hope to see in this area in the 10 days and any other nearby scenic areas you feel we may have time to include.

Any information as to what routes we should use to best see the main spots and not waste time would also be of great help.

Thank you for any help and information you can provide.

Michelle

Late Sept. would be a great time to visit! All the main roads will still be open since we don't really get any heavy snowfall till around Thanksgiving.
You should plan at least 3-4 days for the Olympic NF and surrounding areas. Definately see Port Townsend, Port Ludlow, and Sequim. They are beautiful towns to stay in. Mt. Rainier can be driven to in a couple of hours from Seattle so you can do a day trip and check it out. Also you should plan on a couple of days (or one of heavy driving) to go to Mt. St. Helenes and see our volcano!

D.B.

10 days is plenty of time for the Seattle area. I usually say that when it comes to weather, you can hang it up by Labor Day -- however, I was wrong last year (must have been that El Nino/Nina thingy). The point is, be prepared for either rain or shine, and cool or warm (most likely cool and overcast).

All the roads should be open, unless by some chance there is a great amount of rain that would cause some land-slides. It is highly unlikely in your time frame, and would happen later in winter.

There is plenty of info here about things to do and see around Seattle, just type "Seattle" in the search box.

D.A. Bail

We visited Seattle last September, and the weather was beautiful. We rented a mustang convertible, drove through the mountains to a Bavarian village called Leavenworth. Beautiful with flowers, fun shops and great places to stay. Try the Enzian Inn there. Leavenwoth, WA has a great web site to view hotels and shops.

sheri

Hmm, I've lived in Seattle for 13 years and September into early October is almost ALWAYS nice weather--it's my favorite time of year, actually. That's not to say that it doesn't rain then, but usually we have nice Indian summer weather.

I would suggest including the San Juans as well on a 10-day trip--3/4 in Seattle (with a day trip or overnight to Mt. Rainier), 3 in the San Juans and 3 on the Olympic Peninsula.