Hi,
We will be in the Pacific Northwest in mid January and want to know about people's favorite "must-sees". We like natural beauty and can traverse moderate trails/hikes, etc. We also like cultural and historic sites. Some of the sites that we are considering are Mount Saint Helens, rain forrest west of Seattle, Bald Eagle preserve in British Columbia, and the Columbia River Gorge. We plan to stay near the coast as it will be Winter when we visit. Thanks, Tim

Did you mean Brackendale Park in BC? Just curious - did you want to go that far out of your way, are you visiting Vancouver anyway, or is there no similar eagle viewing place in Washington?

The big eagle viewing area in Washington State is the Skagit Valley, a couple of hours north of Seattle. Major quantities of eagles in Dec-Feb gobbling salmon. Look here: http://www.skagiteagle.org/

I live in the foothills of the Olympic mountains and would suggest the following route. Start with a float trip down the Skagit as well as visiting the eagle viewing areas on the highways near there. Hurricane Ridge at the head of the Olympics would be my next stop. Then move down the coast after viewing the Hoh rain Forest

Thanks all for the great local imput. I will give your comments serious consideration. Tim

How much time do you have? Have you been to the Pacific NW before? I would say enjoying a winter break at Stephanie's Inn by Cannon Beach would be a wonderful part of a Pacific NW trip, as would a few days in Port Townsend, but if you only have a week, you probably couldn't fit all of those in.

I can only encourage you to see the Oregon Coast, Mt. St. Helens and the Columbia River Gorge - I don't know about the others you mentioned. All three are wonderful for different reasons. The weather in January can be very damp and even cold in some places. You will definately need very good rain gear layered over a sweatshirt. On a good hike you could take your sweatshirt off but leave the rain gear.

Starting at Mt. St. Helens there is lots to see and learn, however, I am not sure if the road is open all year to the end. The first visitor center is worth a stop and it is just off the freeway but you probably won't see the mountain. Check their website to see if the roads are maintained.

The Gorge is lovely, very lush and damp. Lots of trails and waterfalls. Great hiking area. It can be very cold - and windy too, things may even be frozen. The Bonneville dam is an interesting stop for a few minutes too.

The coast is probably my favorite of the three at that time of the year. Of course I like it because I can go for a walk and get drenched and cold which only makes the hot chocolate and fireplace seem even better. Do stay in a place where you can see the ocean from inside and watch the storms.

Two more suggestions - Mt. Rainier. You could stay at one of the lodges there. I have heard great things about the mountain views and lodge(s). Also you could rent snowshoes. They are really fairly easy to adjust to and can get you on the trails you can't hike, lots of sports stores will rent them in the winter.

I wish you could come at a different time of year. January is probably the worst weather-wise and lots of what you might want to see would be under snow or very cold, but no less beautiful.

Enjoy!!

Another vote for Mt Rainier. I think the lodge is closed in winter, and so are some roads, but it should be on their website.