Seattle and........
 

In late June we will be flying out to a wedding in Alaska, since we have been to Alaska several times we are looking into flying into Seattle for the remainder of our vacation as we haven't been there yet(and we love coffee!). The plan is to fly into Seattle Sunday night, spend 2 days in Seattle and 2 days elsewhere(or vice versa) before flying back east on Friday. Looking at Olympic NP, Mt.Rainier NP, San Juan Islands, or Vancouver. Are there any we should immediately rule out because of transit time or not being able to explore the area properly? We are an active couple in our 30's with no kids, we love hiking,kayaking, photography, walking in general and great food.Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

2 days in Victoria

Considering your interests, I'd suggest ONP or MRNP, both are great for hiking.

~Liz

Here are some possibilities: Mt. Rainier as a day-trip from Seattle, spend two nights at Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park, drive the Cascade Loop (Highways 2, 97, and 20) spending a night in Winthrop, Kayak: http://www.aguaverde.com/

HTTY

2 days is very short. All the places you mention take at least a couple hours to get to. Since you're spending 2 days in Seattle (urban), I probably wouldn't pick Vancouver for the interests you list, but any of the other locations work.

I ruled out Victoria as I went to England earlier last year, though I would love to go to the Northern part of the island sometime. With regards to the NP, is one significantly easier to get to than the other? I like the idea of the variety of ecosystems at ONP but was wondering if I would have enough time there.

Late June isn't a good season for Rainier yet. Most trails will still be melting out and the Sunrise area, which is truly spectacular, doesn't open until mid-July. At Olympic you will also still find snow on alpine trails but will have lowland trails, rainforest, and beaches accessible. The San Juan Islands would also be great. The San Juans have great food and kayaking, some walks and short hikes, and better lodging choices, while the Olympics have great hiking in a variety of environments and rustic national park lodges.

I'd go for ONP or the San Juans. The San Juans will take longer to get to than ONP due to the ferries (about 2-2.5 hours from Seattle to Port Angeles, vs at least 4 hours from Seattle to one of the islands, possibly more due to ferry wait time). That is unless you decide to fly to the San Juans, which isn't a bad idea with just 2 days--Kenmore Air has float plane service from downtown Seattle.

Any way you could make it an open-jaw, fly into Portland, explore the Columbia Gorge, stop at Mt. St. Helens, then drop the car before flying up north?

Based on suggestions here and another forum I think we will focus on the Olympic Peninsula. Gardyloo- Portland and the surrounding area definitely interests us but with our time constrains and flight availability/price from ANC the Seattle area looks to be our best bet.