My husband and I (early 50s)are flying in to Seattle next June 30th (Wednesday). We'd like to stay that night in Seattle, rent a car and go to the Olympic National Park, stay two nights in that area, then back down to Seattle for one night and catching a cruise ship on the 4th of July. We did visit Seattle last summer but didn't get out of the city.
How do I rent/return a car from a downtown hotel? Where should we stay (nothing too rustic) so that we can take some walking trails in the park and also get to a whale watching or wildlife tour?
As you can tell, I'm clueless, so I'm starting to plan way in advance. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Regarding the car, most of the major agencies have downtown branches, so you could just arrange to pickup and/or leave the car there on the day you sail, or the night before, if you want to avoid hotel parking charges. Most hotels charge something like $20 a night, so cabs to and from various places become competitive.

As far as Olympic NP goes, it's a very big place, so you'll need to decide what you want to see most. Since you're going off to SE Alaska on the 4th, I'd probably suggest you'll see plenty of whales on the cruise, or through a cruise excursion, so that would mean doing something in Olympic NP that you won't see on the cruise.

So my recommendation would be that you head out to the Pacific coastal strip of the park, and visit the amazing rocky beaches and one or two of the rainforest valleys that are accessible from that side of the peninsula. Hoh and Quinault valleys offer the best rainforest viewing, and most people feel Ruby and Rialto beaches are the most scenic.

I recommend going to the ocean beaches because on the inside passage to/from Alaska you won't see that much open ocean coastal scenery (unless your ship returns on the outside of Vancouver Island, in which case you'll be part of the open ocean scenery).

And in June/July the rainforest valleys are not only scenic, but you'll still probably encounter numerous elk around Hoh at least - critters enough for anyone.

On the way to or from the coast, you can travel via the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula, and around Dungeness and Sequim ("Skwim") at that time you ought to hit the lavender fields in mid-season; buy a bunch or two to decorate and scent your cabin on the boat.

Have a look at the Quinault Lodge for coastal accommodations. Rustic but comfy and historic, and beautifully situated for a day or two of coastal touring. Book accommodations as soon as you can, because holiday periods quickly soak up all the capacity out there.

I agree with most of Gardyloo's suggestions, however, I would stay at Lake Crescent Lodge--which is where Laura Bush stayed last summer. It is beautifully and very centrally located and it's restaurant serves the best food in the region. From the lodge there is a beautiful walk to a waterfall and much else. Check it out.

I agreee with the previous posters...you'll have to choose what you'd like to see because Olympic is HUGE. But you have many excellent choices from which to choose!

DO try to stay at Lake Crescent Lodge if you can. Its lovely, and fairly close to Hurricane Ridge, one of the must-sees of Olympic NP.

If possible, a trip to Hoh Rainforest would be a priority -- totally unique in America and worth the drive, altho it would take up much of your time.

We took a whale-watching cruise out of Port Townsend, a lovely Victorian-esque town. If you can't stay at Crescent Lodge, try Harborside Inn. Its directly across the bay with nice views from each balcony.

We split out time between the Harborside Inn, Lake Crescent Lodge, and then Best Western Lighthouse Inn (oceanfront) in Ocean Shores, Washington, after exploring Hoh Rainforest.

Happy travels!

The rain forests are beautiful, but I wouldn't want you to miss the mountains, either. I would seriously consider a visit to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. The views are stellar. Hurricane Ridge is 5200 ft, and you look north to Port Angeles, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and even Canada. South are the rugged snow capped peaks of the park.

The drive itself is beautiful and there are a variety of trails with different degrees of difficulty. Easy trails can be found with magnificent views.

There is indeed a lot to see, and you don't have much time. You could probably stay at the Lake Crescent Lodge in the forest, and visit Hurricane Ridge with relative ease. The Hoh Rain Forest is farther.

One more thing. If you decide to stay on the coast, I suggest Ocean Crest in Moclips. It's a tranquil place with views of the ocean and a good restaurant, and it's a 20-30 minute drive to Ocean Shores if you want to go to a movie or shop for groceries.

Sorry, i hate to disagree, but i would never stay at the Ocean Crest. We actually stayed there, but only one night of the two reserved - checking out early to move to the Best Western Lighthouse Inn in Ocean Shores for the second night.

While it is oceanfront too, the room was very old, dated and musty. And its peaceful alright.....its downright desolate...reminded us of a ghost town!(Unless thats what you're looking for!!??) The pool is across the street, and actually a city pool, or part of a club.

We could not find a place to eat in Moclips other than the very expensive one at Ocean Crest (which didn't smell very good....) so we drove to Ocean Shores and liked the atmosphere there MUCH better.

However, Ocean Crest did have the most incredible wooden staircase going down to the beach. That was cool.

Ocean Shores is just south of Moclips offering much more, several restaurants, a variety of shopping and many motels.

We went horseback riding on the super-wide beach in Ocean Shores too, one of our best rides ever. You can do this right outside the door of the oceanfront Best Western.

Kalaloch Lodge is a good place to stay on the coast, with a forest of driftwood on the beach. It's not as far as Moclips,closer to the Hoh Rain Forest. Still, I'd suggest you limit driving and just take in L. Crescent and Hurricane Ridge in your short time.
My two cents worth...

I agree with the advise you've been given so far and would add a few other possible sites--Olympic Game Farm in Sequim (make sure to bring some treats for the animals--they'll come right up to your car and eat from your hand) and the hike to Marymere Falls. We stayed at Quinalt Lodge and the location is good to see the Ho Rainforest, but I don't recommend the restuarant (but you don't have a lot of choices around there--go for the scenery, not the food.) However, the entire area is awesome and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.

Thanks so much everyone! With a lot of help from fellow fodorites the trip is starting to take shape. We're going to stay both nights in Port Townsend at the Sea Loft, try to see the rainforest, Crescent Lake and Hurricane Ridge, and spend some time in town. The beaches look great, but you're all right - probably can't do everything in three days. I had no idea that hotel rooms sold out a year in advance. Thanks again!