I plan to travel with my family (5 children, ages 13 through 19) to Washington from June 17th to 24th. We plan to spend about 3 days seeing Olympic Nat'l Park and the peninsula.

First question: should we stay in Port Angeles or Forks?

After leaving ONP, I am trying to decide between two options: (i) head south to the Columbia River Gorge, go whitewater rafting, and come back north through Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Ranier, or (ii) head north to the San Juan Islands, and then east to North Cascades Nat'l Park for scenery and rafting. I like the idea of the islands, but I don't know if ferry wait times will be a problem in June. If I head north, I was also giving some thought to visiting Victoria and Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, but I don't know if there is enough there to entertain my teenagers.

I welcome any suggestions. Thanks!

- Ed from Philadelphia

Getting from the Olympic Peninsula to the San Juans is actually something of a pain. You need to take the ferry from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island, then drive up the island to Fidalgo Island, then catch the San Juan Island ferry from Anacortes. It's tough to do all that in less than 3 or 4 hours, never mind the summer waits for the San Juans ferry.

My recommendations for people who want to see both the Olympics and Mt. Rainier and/or the Columbia Gorge is go south on 101 to US 12, then east on US 12 to Rainier, then continue over White Pass to Yakima. From Yakima head south on US 97 to the river, then west through the Gorge. If you want to return to Seattle, then you can hit Mt. St. Helens on the northbound drive up I-5. It turns the trip into a big loop, and by crossing the Cascades, you get to see something of the beautiful old west country (sagebrush, the Yakama reservation, etc.) on the east side. Plus you'll see Mt. Adams, which is otherwise rather hidden from most visitors.

For rafting, there are a number of places to put in in the Gorge area - White Salmon is something of a center. Plus (if you didn't know or if this interests your kids) Hood River (on the Oregon side at the east end of the Gorge) is the windsurfing capital of the cosmos.

The other "big" alternative would be to head to Victoria from the Olympic Peninsula, then cross over to Vancouver and head up to Whistler, where there are many distractions for your family, in some gorgeous country. Whistler also has the advantage of dozens of condos or houses to rent, which might suit your big party. http://www.tourismwhistler.com/

Either trip could be great, though my personal preference would be the islands and North Cascades. Just avoid heading to the islands on a Friday, or coming back to the mainland on a Sunday. Just bring a book and a picnic lunch (there is a beach) and plan on getting there a couple hours in advance. Especially if whale watching is on your agenda, the islands in June will be great. I don't think the drive from the Olympic Peninsula is a pain-it's a very fun, scenic drive.

I think the North Cascades are the prettiest mountains in the NW. One problem you will have with all our mountains-Rainer, Olympics, etc-in June is that there will still be snow, and not all facilities, roads and trails will be open. But, if you head over the NC Hwy to the Methow Valley and the towns of Winthrop/Twisp/Mazama, this is a warmer, drier area that opens a bit earlier than the rest of the Cascades. The area is also a mecca for outdoor activities like hiking, mt. biking, horseback riding and river rafting. Since you are interested in white water rafting, I'd recommend doing the Methow River in this area. Since weather in western Wa. CAN be cool in June, I would definitely at least choose a river that is east of the Cascades. Getting wet on a glacier-fed river when it is cool and cloudy can be miserable. The Methow is just an all around fun river to raft, also.

But, Rainier and St. Helens are terrific too, so whatever you pick I'm sure will be great. Victoria WILL be boring for teenagers (heck, it's still boring for me and I'm in my mid-30s).

Are there any accomodations in Forks? I would choose to stay in Port Angeles.

Bob Gardner

If you've never been to the Oregon Coast, another alternative would be to do ONP counter-clockwise and from there spend time in Cannon Beach and Hood River, and pop into Mt. Saint Helens OR Mt. Rainier on the way back to Seattle. (My choice is Mt. Rainier.)

If you would like to see the San Juans as a day trip, you could catch the Puget Sound Express from Port Townsend. Port Townsend itself is worth seeing and usually has lots of summer activities.
http://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/framereservations.html

Actually, you could also take the Express to Friday Harbor one way, spend the night (or however many you want) and come back another afternoon. However, this is a passengers only boat, so you'd be leaving your car back in PT.

In answer to your question about Port Angeles or Forks you will have alot better luck finding a place in Port Angeles and it is much closer to the park.Here are 2 websites to help with your planning, www.experiencewashington.com and www.washingtontourist.com I hope you enjoy your trip to our awesome state and have a great time, Kim

Thanks for your helpful comments. Does anyone have an opinion about how long to spend in the San Juan Islands, if I decide to go that way? I saw some suggestions for day trips - I was thinking about spending one night in Friday Harbor, or maybe in Anacortes (which would limit me to one day on the island). I would like to experience the island and maybe take in some whale watching - can this be done on a day trip?

I'd spend at least two days on the island. One day would be mostly taken up by whale watching. If you are staying on San Juan Island, both sections of San Juan Island National Historical Park are wonderful to visit (www.nps.gov/sajh). The American Camp section has a fantastic beach while at British Camp, I'd recommend a walk up Mt. Young (it's actually just a hill). Lime Kiln Point State Park is a worthwhile stop, too. Kayaking around the islands is fantastic and you can take short guided tours (this is a great way to whale watch).
If you had time to visit another island, Orcas Island's Moran State Park is a wonderful place. You can drive or hike to the top of the mountain for an amazing view. There are some neat hikes to waterfalls and lakes in the park as well.

Accomodations for travellers in Forks seem to be at opposite ends of the quality/charm spectrum, with not much in the middle. There are a couple B&B's in the area (where we typically stay) that are both comfortable and reasonably inexpensive. Not surprisingly, they tend to get booked up quickly, and well in advance of the 'good weather' season.

Motels in Forks proper seem to me to be pretty dreary and a bit run-down.

But the biggest problem with Forks, my opinion, is that visitors have way too few choices when it comes to a decent place to eat. There's a Chinese restaurant that is a bit ordinary, but tolerable. And a Tex-Mex place with a basic menu -- but a very good salsa 'n' chips appetizer. Aside from that, it's all pretty fast-foodish in Forks.

If it makes sense for the rest of your itinerary, I'd recommend staying in Port Angeles.

Fritzrl