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Seattle and more
roundtrip plane tickets to Seattle in July for 10 days. Where can I go from Seattle and still get back to Seattle to fly home. Have already done Vancouver and Victoria. Have never seen Washington state or Oregon. Some suggestions for an itinerary would be appreciated. Thanks |
We need way more to go on. You can easily spend 10 days in WA and barely scratch the surface. What are are your interests? |
A tour around the Olympic peninsula makes sense. Neah Bay has an interesting Native American museum and good local smoked salmon.
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Oregon Coast
Washington Coast Whidbey Island San Juan Islands North Cascades |
Also tell us a little more about you. Solo traveler? A couple? Kids, and if so, ages?
Do you like to hike? How much do you want to drive each day? Okay with moving hotels each night? Did you already see stuff in/around Seattle? |
If you've already done Vancouver and Victoria, it's time to hit Mt. Rainier and maybe Mt. St. Helens. From there head to the Columbia Gorge crossing the "Bridge of the Gods" at The Dalles.
Your other option would be to take an Amtrak Cascades train south to Portland and rent a car in downtown Portland and head for the Oregon coast. I like the Oregon coast much more than the Washington coast.. |
Thank you. I’ll look into the train. We are two couples traveling together and neither of us have been to Washington or Oregon |
I would not take the train. If you drive you can stop and see Mt St Helens along the way. The Johnston Ridge Observatory is the biggest visitors center and is 50 miles off of I5 and well worth it! There are several other visitors centers each focusing on different aspects, but this one is a must see, especially the short film. I won’t give away the secret but it’s a must see😊 Depending on when in July, the North Cascades may not be a real viable option. |
Ten days in July? Here are some options to investigate; google the places mentioned.
1. North/west: Whidbey and San Juan Islands, Vancouver BC and Whistler 2. West: Olympic National Park, Kitsap Peninsula, possible excursion to Victoria BC from Port Angeles WA 3. South/west: Cape Disappointment and Oregon coast, return via Willamette Valley wine area and Portland 4. South/west 2: Southern Oregon coast, California redwoods, Ashland Shakespeare, Columbia River Gorge. 5. South/east: Mt. St. Helens, Portland, Columbia River Gorge and Hood River Valley, Mount Hood, Columbia Valley wineries (Walla Walla etc.) 6. South/east 2: Mt. Rainier, Yakima Valley vineyards, Leavenworth, Stevens Pass 7. South/east 3: Portland, Columbia River Gorge, Joseph and Wallowa Mountains, Washington Palouse 8. East/north: Stevens Pass, Leavenworth, Lake Chelan and Stehekin, Winthrop, North Cascades Hwy These are all loops, with lengths varying between a few hundred to well over a thousand miles behind the wheel. Some could be combined, e.g. nos. 1 and 2 minus Vancouver. (You'd visit the San Juans, travel from Friday Harbor to Victoria, then across to Olympic National Park, and back to Seattle.) In general, high altitude areas in the Cascades (for example the Paradise area on Mt. Rainier or places like Washington Pass or Artist Point in the north Cascades) are still going to have snow on the ground through most of July, and early in the month at least many trails will have limited accessibility. East of the mountains, in areas like the Yakima or Columbia Valleys, the weather will be heating up - not boiling but significantly sunnier and warmer than the west side. On the coast, accommodation will be entering its summer mode, with several places on the coast, particularly in high demand areas like Cannon Beach requiring multi-night bookings. Weekend crowds in places like the Mt. Rainier visitor centers and a couple of the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge, will be significant, as will waits at the national park entrances. Hotel prices in Seattle are very high throughout the Alaska cruise season; the same goes for Vancouver. Not knowing anything about your interests, I'd be inclined to recommend areas where there's a lot of variety within close driving distance. If this appeals, then I'd look hard at the Portland - Columbia Gorge - Hood River - Mount Hood area, as this combines the river, waterfalls, orchards and vineyards in the Hood River Valley, alpine hikes on Mount Hood, lots of pretty lakes and forests, even a museum full of Rodin and a copy of Stonehenge - all within an hour's drive of one another. I'd also look at the northern part of Olympic National Park, with rocky coast, alpine meadows, mountain views, amazing rain forest, lavender fields and easy access to Victoria - again, all within a couple of hours behind the wheel. But we're just shooting blind, not knowing your interests. |
As Gardyloo and I both mentioned, the North Cascades will still have a lot of snow. The road to Artist Point typically open is July, but as to when just depends on the snowfall. So if even the road is open, expect snow on the trails even much later. I know we have backpacked in that area in mid-late August and still had a lot of snow on the trails, FWIW. It is a fantastic area for hikers, but July is usually just too early for most visitors and/or inexperienced hikers.
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