My wife and I are planning a 10-day trip to the Pacific Northwest (flying into Seattle). We plan to spend three of the days in either Olympic National Park or in Tofino (on Vancouver Island). Does anyone have comments about which would be more memorable? We already plan to spend a day in Victoria, so the ferry time is built into our schedule. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

There's no clear choice here. They are both beautiful. If it were me the decision would depend mostly on this: Which trip would result in less time in the car? You can figure out how long it takes to drive (if that is your mode of transportation) to Tofino from Victoria. Where in Olympic National Park were you planning on going? There are rain forests, the beach, and the mountains to choose from. The Mountaineers publishes good guide books describing in detail hikes in Olympic Nsational Park. Suggest you get a copy of that from your local independent book store and that would help a lot in learning more about the attractions of Olympic N.P. There are similar guidebooks for Van. Isl., but I'm not sure of the publisher.

It's around a 4-hour drive from Tofino to Victoria, much of it not that spectacular. If you want to hit the Vancouver Island west coast and just stay put, Tofino is probably a good choice. If you want a more active touring itinerary, then the Olympic Peninsula may have more to offer. A crucial question is what time of year are you coming? A second question is how are you getting from the mainland to the island in the first place? From mainland BC (Vancouver?) or from the US via the San Juans or some such?

I have not been to Vancouver Island but hear it is beautiful and sea kayaking is a must if possible. I have been to Olympic National Park and went backpacking (3 to 5 days) along the Hoh River trail to the base of Mount Olympus, which was beautiful and took you through a rain forest and up alpine zone to the base of the Glacier. We also went on a hike to La Push which is probably about two miles and takes you to a beautiful beach where you can view sea stacks, and true wilderness. Here you have your option of either a day hike or camping on the beach for a night. There is a visitor's center in Forks and they are more than helpful.

If it helps at all, here's a great site on Vancouver Island - www.vancouverisland.com
They have lots of great information on Tofino.

Thanks for the replies. We will be traveling in mid-September (yes, we have been able to find a few rooms left in both areas!). Will be bringing car by ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo or Swartz Bay, depending. Sea kayaking tempts us greatly, but so does the variety of Olympic NP.