Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Pt. 1 Port Townsend Olympic Peninsula Report

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Pt. 1 Port Townsend Olympic Peninsula Report

Part 1- Port Townsend Olympic Peninsula Report Just got back from a lovely week in the Olympic Peninsula area of Port Townsend and thought I’d post a trip report. We lucked out on nearly perfect winter weather. Clear blue skies day and night, cold but not miserable weather, and a schedule that wasn’t too hectic to enjoy. We flew into Seattle then immediately headed to the Bainbridge Ferry and hopped over to Bainbridge Island for lunch at the Harbor Public House which I highly recommend for fish and chips, chowder as well as local brews. We then continued our drive up to Port Townsend (about an hour from Bainbridge). Our home base was the Morgan Hill Guest Cottage in upper Port Townsend – a lovely place overlooking the Strait of San Juan de Fuca, the mountains and the harbor. Every morning the sun began glowing in the horizon, then lit up the tops of the snowcapped mountains in wonderful peach and pink hues. It was amazing. We were also entertained briefly each morning by the neighbor’s 4 golden labs who were so happy to see us. The cottage had skylights so we could star gaze every night – with those unusual clear skies we had it was great. Our first full day we spent getting to know the Port Townsend area. We saw a pair of bald eagles land just above our cottage while we had our first cup of coffee on the porch of the cottage.. Then we headed into town for breakfast at the Day Star Cafe. Hearty and quality food there at reasonable prices. We hiked around town and the harbor area, then drove up to Fort Worden (where Officer and a Gentlemen were filmed). There’s a lighthouse at the tip of the park and it’s a beach like area along the water with lots of trees washed ashore and cool rocks (we brought many home, and thanks to a local we also got several very unique polished stones as well). We worked up an appetite hiking. We headed back into the harbor area for lunch at the Landfall restaurant which became a favorite casual place for us. You can watch sea otters catch their meal just out front of the restaurant in the mornings. We hiked a lot more in town, did some shopping, etc. Pretty much wore ourselves out to where we decided to just buy some dinner goods to take home to the cottage with a bottle of wine. The sun sets very early in winter, around 3 pm so it’s hard to stay up late. Next day, well, kind of more of the same – relaxing, hiking, we caught a movie at the wonderfully restored Rose Theatre in town. We had dinner at the Wild Coho in uptown Port Townsend – highly recommended too. Christmas day we drove down the coast and over to the Pacific Ocean side to Ruby Beach and Kaloloch Beach areas. Ruby beach was especially spectacular with only a couple other people anywhere in site. We hiked for an hour or so, collected more rocks – all of which are very flat round from the pounding of the ocean waves. The big rocks here called “sea stacks” make it an especially pretty place. This is all a very remote part of the state. You won’t see a roadside fast food joint. We were headed down to the Lake Quinault Lodge to stay the night and hike in the rain forest. The rain forest was magical mystical and very primitive, almost prehistoric feeling. This was very enjoyable to see. The lodge was comfortable and cozy, but not fancy. Dinner at the lodge was very good, as was breakfast.

Part 2- Port Townsend Olympic Peninsula Report Next day we headed back to Port Townsend, ready for more R&R. The drive was about 3 hours so by the time we made it “home” we were fairly worn out. Last day in Port Townsend we took the ferry over to Whidbey Island. Spent the day touring the central and southern parts and enjoyed a great meal at Café Langley in the town of Langley. Rolling farmland reaching down to rocky, cliff like edges to the water make this area very pleasant and scenic. When we got back to town we had dinner at Khu Larb Thai and it was excellent food as a few people had said here on fodors. I’d highly recommend it, but they were busy and kind of “in the weeds” as far as wait staff goes. We didn’t mind, but some people did. Next day we planned to drive to Seattle to meet some friends we hadn’t seen in years. They drove up from Portland. We stopped again at the Harbor Public House for lunch on Bainbridge Island (couldn’t help ourselves). Then we walked around Winslow (the town on Bainbridge where the ferry is located), shopped a little and killed some time. In Seattle w all stayed at the Inn at Queen Ann, which was recommended on fodors highly, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Very noisy rooms. None of us got much sleep. It was affordable and the neighborhood interesting at least. The trip was highly enjoyable and aside from one note, that the Paper Mill on the edge of Port Townsend can sometimes blow a not so pleasant breeze into town – we lucked out big time as the only day this happened was the day we were headed to Lake Quinault for the night – it could make a big difference in your overall experience however. Also, I would like to add that Port Angeles does not look like a good place to stay at all for “homebase” to the Olympic National Park. It looked like a small refinery town almost with the black smoke coming from the plants on the water. Yuk. We drove through on our way and were kind of taken back since it is kind of “known” as a place to stay for those visiting the park. I don’t want to end on bad notes, but just wanted to give the good and the bad for potential visitors to the area. The best to me? The mystical feeling of the rain forest, Port Townsend’s charm, character and restaurants, Whidbey Islands’ rural serene feeling, and Bainbridge Island’s pub for lunch ;-). We will return during summer some time.

Winter Traveler, I'm glad you enjoyed your trip--hadn't you posted earlier looking for suggestions? You brought back many fond memories of PT, especially lazy meals at the Landfall aka the Landfill on cold days (hope they had the woodburning stove fired up). Did you shop in Earthenworks gallery? Did you get to the coffee shop by the Rose Theatre--I think they have the best coffee in town. Looking forward to hearing more about your PT experience. BTilke (Brussels, ex PTer)

I've been to Port Townsend as well, and it sounds like you made the most of it. 2 things I would add (strictly my own opinion) in case anyone is considering a trip there... 1. Pt. Townsend is a fantastic home base, a relaxed town, but the beauty of this area is best realized by doing several day trips within 1-2 hours of the town. 2. I notice you didn't go to Hurricane Ridge, maybe because of the winter weather or maybe because you've been there before, but Hurricane Ridge is the single most spectacular place to take in the Olympic Mountain Range. The views are unmatched by anything in Colorado or Wyoming.

I did get many suggestions here and thanks to you BTilke, and others for sharing great info. I know it's been many months and I never replied. I do hope I've made up for it a bit on some other topics but must admit PT hit a special chord with me and it will be hard to top. We did get to the Rose Theatre for the movie "Amelie" which was fun. The coffee shop next door was closed most of that Christmas week though and I'm afraid we missed it. There are more places to explore but I think I may be back to PT before long.

Wow... glad this came up again. I'm planning a five day run through the ONP area starting on the coast west of Portland OR and ending up with one night in Victoria BC before my retrun to Seattle. I had been planning on Port Angeles as a base and will be sure to rethink after reading this post.

Definitely choose Port Townsend over Port Angeles (IMO). Port Townsend is just more scenic and plesant. Port A. seemed too industrial to me. It's an easy drive and worth it. Would love to hear your thoughts about Portland coast as we've yet to visit there but plan to next year.

Wait a minute - I've got to weigh in favorably for Port Angeles. Yes, it is more of a working town than Port Townsend, but it also has much to recommend it and it isn't really fair to compare the two because they are so different geographically and in all respects. Port Angeles is a great home base if you're interested in going to the rain forest, Lake Crescent, the ocean (i.e. Kalaloch, LaPush, Rialto Beach, Neah Bay), Hurricane Ridge, or Victoria. It is more than an hour closer to all of these places than Port Townsend. If you stay at the Red Lion Hotel downtown, you can just walk to the ferry to Victoria and avoid the long lines (and extra cost) of taking your car over with you. There are also several fine B&B's that have lovely waterviews and are just east of town (Colette's, BJ's Garden, Domaine Madelaine). The Olympic Cellars winery on the way into town has very nice wine. There are several fine restaurants here too - C'est Si Bon(french), Bushwhacker (fresh seafood), Bella Italia, First Street Haven (breakfast & lunch), and The Chestnut Cottage (breakfast & lunch). There is a nice trail on the waterfront for walking, rollerblading, or biking. Hurricane Ridge is just up the road approx. 30 minutes from downtown and there are several concerts and festivals planned in the next few weeks. Don't forget Sequim - there are approx. 8 different lavender farms where they grow lavender and produce many different lavender products. They are fun places to visit and great places to shop. The Dungeness Spit is a great place to hike and you can kayak safely in either Port Townsend, Port Angeles, or Sequim. I'm glad you had a nice time in Port Townsend - especially in the winter, but I think you really missed out by not eating at some of their finer restaurants - Osamu Ocean Grill (outstanding sushi), Silverwater Cafe, and Public House Restaurant. I would never go to the Daystar or Landfall. The city has much more to offer.

It's probably true that Port Angeles may be a better home base if you're going to Hurricane Ridge and Victoria, etc. Our plan however was to really kick back and enjoy the town where we were staying - grocery stores, fish markets, restaurants, people, and the view. Port Angeles may have been better if I hadn't seen PT first. It's just that I am very sensitive to smells and the industry is a turnoff to me (though I realize it's part of life). Great thing about travel is that we all have different tastes in places to go and things to try. I will look up the other restaurants in PT and try them next time. I agree, the Landfall was not a gourmet experience but the rustic charm was what we liked about it. Not to mention a great vegetable sandwich. The Daystar was actually a good experience for us on both occassions for breakfast. The Public House just didn't "sound" right for us but maybe we should have tried it. Wasn't it the rather large place on the water near the edge of town? Thanks again for everyone giving some wonderful advice! Next trip up that way will include the Oregon coast.