cindy1nyc

My sister and I are flying into Seattle late Sept 3 and flying out Sept 12. We'd like to explore Seattle at the end of our trip, and get into some nature Sept 4 - 9. We're at a loss whether to explore the San Juan Islands (SJ & Orcas would be our picks) or skip those and take the Clipper to Vancouver Island/Victoria ... or to skip the Islands altogether and explore Olympic National Park and the rainforest. If we go to San Juan Islands we're unsure whether to rent a car -- everything I've read about the long ferry lines is offputting. Are we better off taking the Clipper from Seattle and renting a car on SJI? Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated!

Fodorite018

Any of those options would be great. It just depends on your preference really. I would not let the ferry put you off though. You will be here after the bulk of summer travelers are gone, so it won't be as bad. Even in the summer though, the lines are not always horrible.

Yes, if you take the Clipper you can do VI/V without a car.

My personal preference, having been to each of these areas, and some many times, is ONP. That is a perfect time for it, and I just love the variety of the park and how spread out it is. I love to hike though, so that is what we usually do.

cindy1nyc

thanks much, mms! This is my first time posting here. Do you think it's possible for us to do ONP and SJI in 5 days? Somehow squeeze in a whale watch? Will we need to rent a car, will we be limited without one? I live in nyc and am used to doing everything via public transportation, but I don't want to hamstring us.

Fodorite018

I would not do either of those places without a car. In ONP, you NEED a car. On the islands, some people do go over without a car, but it really limits what you can do and see. With only 5 days though, that is really pushing it for seeing both. As much as I love ONP, if you want to do both areas I would do 3 days on SJI and then 2 at ONP. I would opt for Port Angeles. It is not an exciting town itself, but it is the gateway for Hurricane Ridge, which is a must see, and then not that far of a drive over to Lake Crescent area. If you do SJI, there are whale watch tours over there, but we have never done one, so can't give personal suggestions. We have seen whales just from where we were, but that is sheer luck.

sassy_cat

Don't split your time as you'll 'waste' time getting between the two places.

ONP is spectacular. We spent 3 nights there last summer and really wished we'd had more time just one or two more nights would have been great.

The beaches are beautiful, hike to waterfalls in the rainforest and we also really enjoyed chilling out and kayaking at Lake Crescent (try to stay at the cottages at the lodge there).

Here's a link to the thread I started last year with our brief trip report towards the end.

sassy_cat

ahh forgot the link lol

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-july-2013.cfm

cindy1nyc

thanks sassy cat for the reply and the link. I read about your trip and am wondering if you would recommend staying at one lodge (Crescent Lake) for 3 nights, or splitting it up the way you did. My sister and I want to see Hurricane Ridge, Crescent Lake, a beach and some rainforest.

sludick

Just a comment - perhaps unhelpful for your trip - about those long ferry lines. For the most part, the postings here are for those who are traveling between Vancouver Island and the mainland, often with a plane to catch. Those ferries are naturally limited, and you need to plan.

The Seattle area has an extensive public transportation system that includes ferries. The distances are short, and you just drive right on. If you miss one, there will be usually another along very shortly.

Just something to keep in mind, IMO.

cindy1nyc

Thanks sludick for that info.

We're rethinking our trip -- after reading mms and sassycat's replies we decided to skip the San Jauans and visit only ONP, then relax for 3-4 days in Seattle. But I don't know when we'll next get out this way again, so perhaps we should spend just 2 days in Seattle and somehow get to anacortes and then SJi for a night or two.

Question: we have 8 full days (10 days but our first day we arrive late night and our last day we fly out early morn). What would be the best itinerary for seeing the highlights of ONP (hurricane ridge, ruby beach, hoh) and visiting San Juan island and still experiencing a little of Seattle? Atfter reading comments above we planned drive to ONP our first morning via ferry to Bainbridge and spend 4 nights in ONP, then return to Seattle for 4 nights and explore, with maybe a day trip without car via the Clipper to SJI. But them I read that the ferry ride from Anacortes to SJI is beautiful. We are confused and overwhelmed with the choices, we know we can't do it all in 8 days, but we want to maximize our time without driving ourselves crazy or driving too much. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!!

sassy_cat

Hi Cindy1,

We chose to split our stay in ONP because we prefer to do less driving and didn't want to back track. We were very happy with all 3 places we stayed.
We would have enjoyed staying at Lake Crescent Lodge for 1 more night if we'd had extra time though.
One more point... we also chose our lodging based on what was available! Several places required 2 night stays (peak summer) and many we looked at weren't available at all. We were lucky to get a room at Lake Crescent.

We were also limited by time and chose to prioritise ONP so only spent one night in Seattle.
I would love to go back and see more of Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls, Mt. Rainier, etc but I'm glad we got to spend 4 full days in ONP..

I'd suggest not trying to do too much but if you want to see it all then I guess you could spend less time in Seattle, 1 or 2 nights instead of 4?
But I don't think you'd be disappointed if you stick to 4 days ONP and 4 days Seattle.

suze

Because you say you want to 'get into nature' i would pick either the San Juans or ONP instead of Victoria (which is very fun on the Clipper but more of an urban experience).

shorty1

When we went to Olympic NP, we also visited Victoria because they have Butchart Gardens. It is really beautiful. Here is the web site: http://www.butchartgardens.com/gardens. I have hiked in many NP, and Olympic NP is one of my favorites. I loved the fact that there are 3 different ecosystems.

azezza

Hi. We are planning a related itinerary and wanted a piece of advice. It is related so I am positing it here even if it is a question, not a reply - hope that is ok. We arrive in Seattle on August 23 and leave from there on August 30. We will probably spend a day in Seattle and then wanted to do something outdoors, hiking etc. We are definitely doing Olympic, but have 3 kids age 3, 11 and 13 so were thinking of going whale watching too. We want the hiking part to be relaxing though so don't want to rush it by planning too many things. So the questions are: (a) What is the best way to do whale watching in a short time? From Anacortes without spending a night on the SJ Islands? Or the day trip for Seattle (Clipper)? (b) Is whale watching worth it (some one here suggested late in summer it may be disappointing)? In that case we may as well stick to just doing ONP. Thanks!

Gardyloo

Is whale watching worth it (some one here suggested late in summer it may be disappointing)? In that case we may as well stick to just doing ONP. Thanks!

Why not combine ONP and the peninsula with some local whale watching? You could ask one of the operations in Port Townsend or Port Angeles how things are going, how rough it is, etc., before pulling the trigger. It might make your visit to the peninsula more efficient and cheaper.

Port Angeles - http://pawhalewatch.com/
Port Townsend - http://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/

azezza

Thank you Gardyloo! Indeed that is a good suggestion, I was not aware there were whale watching tours from Port Angeles. A friend of a friend has also suggested taking the ferry from PA to Victoria and whale watch from there possibly spending the night. What do you think of that? I guess my indecision is related to whether the San Juan Islands are worth all the hassle of getting there (drive+ferry). If we go whale watching from PA or Victoria are we missing something we should not be missing by skipping the Islands? I have never been to this part of the world and probably never will again! The other factor in my decision was reading somewhere that in late August whales may not be visible everywhere. If kids go whale watching and don't see any it would be a big disappointment.

Gardyloo

If you have enough time (and don't forget passports) you certainly could go whale chasing out of Victoria. There are a number of well regarded whale watching outfits there, such as the Prince of Whales - http://princeofwhales.com/

It's a matter of time management. Victoria's Inner Harbour is very picturesque, and many of the attractions - provincial capital buildings, Empress Hotel, the wonderful Royal BC Museum... are all walkable from where the PA ferry lands. On the other hand, during the summer downtown Victoria is absolutely inundated with visitors; it really does (to me anyway) sometimes feel like you've stumbled into a branch of Disneyland. It's a good (if a bit pricey) day trip, and also it can feel a little exotic to go from (rather dowdy) PA to "Olde England" (as if) Victoria in 90 min. on the Coho.

But a day in Victoria means one less day for the Olympic Peninsula, and if that's okay, go for it. I don't know how much better or worse the whale watching experience will be compared to PA or Port Townsend - they're probably the same whales, there aren't that many.

As for staying overnight there, it's certainly an option, but in that case taking the car might be worth considering in order to manage luggage, etc. and not having to stay at pricey lodgings in the harbor area. If it was me I'd probably just plan on a long day in Victoria, coming back to PA on the last boat of the day. https://www.cohoferry.com/