We are flying into Seattle/SeaTac early September for 4 days and nights.
Plan is to drive straight to Mt Rainier, spend 2 (or 3) of the nights in Ashford and hike a bit.
Trail recommendations would be appreciated! Skyline looks great along with Reflection Lake. Now deciding what to do on the way back, much to choose from. Seattle, Spa, other side of Mt Rainier, other?

We love nature more then cities but we hate to miss out on anything spectacular.
Appreciate any recommendations for this area.

Thank you!

Reflection isn't really a hike. You just get out of your car walk 1 minutes to the Lake. You can walk around it a bit, of course.

Skyline is the one we were most impressed with.

Narada Falls is a really nice waterfall, that is basically another get out of your car and walk 3 minutes.

The little cafe right before the main entrance to the park is good(I'm blank on the name at the moment)

You might want to drive over to Sunrise area. There are many trail that connect to/with Skyline that could take you in several directions too.

I did a six day backpack trip out of Sunrise Visitor Center, and there are many good day hikes starting there.

Another great day hike is to Summerland, which we did it as a warm up before the backpack. It made this list which might be worth having a look at:
http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/10_to...und-Mt-Rainier

Berkeley Park, where we camped our first night, is also on that list. The wildflowers there were superb in late August.

Many options! Have great trip.

Super! They all look fantastic.
Seems as if we will have little time in and around Seattle.
Although we will still have the full day. Is it too much to take the ferry to Victoria Island for the day or another location?

Thanks!

The ferry to Victoria can be done in a day but it's a LONG one. because I believe the Clipper is about 4 hours each way?

Agree that going to Victoria as day trip seems like a long time sitting on a boat. It's scenic enough, but not the best use of a short time in a wonderful city like Seattle.

For a short ferry ride my wife and I really enjoyed the 30+ minute cruise over to Bainbridge. I think locals pooh-pooh this as a tourist activity, but you get a fantastic view of the Seattle skyline and we really enjoyed dining at the Harbour Public House. Good selection of local beers and ciders and they made a fantastic "martini" from fresh berries. Decent food, fun vibe. Walk from the ferry on paths along the harbor.
http://harbourpub.com/

The Chihuly Museum is pretty cool, IMHO, and is open until 10:00 PM. The garden lit up at night is impressive.
http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

Pike Market, Pioneer Square area, Smith Tower, Underground tour. You won't run out of stuff to do.

Disclaimer: I'm not a local, just visited the city several times in recent years. I think you'll wish you had more time there.

The clipper is 3 hours each way. You would leave Seattle at 7:30 a.m. and then depart Victoria at 6:45 p.m. A non-refundable fare is about $225 for 2 adults ($325 for refundable fare). So yes, you could technically do this - but I do not think it's a very efficient use of time/money on a day trip.

Seattle has more than enough to occupy you for a week let alone a full day. Will you have a car? If so, check out Discovery Park - lots of great trails and one of my favorite spots in the city. Or take a day hike close to Seattle - tons of options. See the falls at Snoqualmie and get a spa treatment at Salish Lodge if you're so inclined. Rent kayaks at Agua Verde and paddle to the Arboretum. If none of those options are appealing, then take a day trip a little closer to Seattle, like Bainbridge Island.

We love nature more then cities...

If you spent two nights at Rainier you could spend the other two in Seattle, but use one of the days to do a wonderful day trip to Whidbey Island and Deception Pass. This would give you a chance to experience something of Puget Sound country.

Here's a map: http://goo.gl/maps/L1eey

The route involves taking a ferry to Whidbey from Mukliteo, accessed via the "Boeing Freeway" past the biggest building in the world. Then it includes Langley, a lovely little waterfront town, then Deception Pass, the gorgeous gap between Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands, best seen (both at beach and bridge levels) during tide changes, when the water roars through the narrow pass. Then you return (by bridge) to the mainland and visit the equally cute waterfront town of La Conner, before returning to Seattle. It's a great day trip, offering a very diverse picture of the region.

You could, in fact, bypass Seattle when you leave Mount Rainier and spend the night in Mukilteo, maybe at the Silver Cloud hotel sitting over the water - http://www.silvercloud.com/mukilteo/ That would save having to deal with Seattle traffic - no parking charges, etc. There are a couple of good restaurants and a great brewpub walkable from the hotel. Then you could hop on the ferry the next morning with no waiting.

Then just return to Seattle after Whidbey, lose the car, and spend the rest of the trip enjoying the city.

Such great options!
Sitting on a ferry doesn't bother us "if" worth it once we arrive...that's the real question.
Yes we will have a car. Next time we hope to drive to Vancouver but we have read that can take forever with customs.

The falls at Snoqualmie are lovely, too bad park is closed. Salish has mixed reviews as we were considering a stay there vs the city. There are a lot of options for sure!
We are more nature then city people...
but we love a great view of anything from anywhere of course. So if views are priority that leaves??

In early September there won't be a lot of water going over Snoqualmie Falls - not much runoff from the mountains. It's still pretty, of course, but there might be more interesting places to spend a night or two.

With the ferries, it's often the journey rather than the destination that justifies taking them. The Bainbridge-Seattle ferry, for example, offers gorgeous views of Seattle and/or the Olympic Mountains, and at sunset it can take your breath away. Winslow, the town on Bainbridge served by the ferry, is pleasant but not a major destination in of itself.

As we fell in love with the Oregon coast last year, it may be hard to compare.

The ferry sounds like a nice option.
The falls may disappoint..

I think the Bainbridge-Seattle ferry at sunset is a great idea.
Definitely looking into this.

We are considering a stay at Salish and drive into Seattle vs pay for parking there and then cab to airport, unless a better recommendation. We can always ditch the car and stay in the city but have less flexibility to see the falls that way perhaps.

Any suggestions for anything in route to Mt Rainier? Or way out?
One person suggested Valley of the Giants?

There is a Valley of the Giants in Oregon, and the Avenue of the Giants in Northern California. Seattle?...never heard of it, and I live in the area.

Grove of the Patriarchs.

It's lovely but it's not really "on the way there." It's on the Sunrise side of the mountain, past (from Seattle) the Paradise area.

We are going to depart via the Sunrise side of the mountain (if that makes sense) on Saturday - have lunch and head towards Snoqualmie falls - is Grove of the Patriarchs out of the way?
Or better to head straight to Seattle?

I am a patriarch (geezer), not a giant. Easy mistake to make.

Any suggestions for anything in route to Mt Rainier?

Unfortunately the best thing about the drive from Seattle to Mt. Rainier is the anticipation of getting there.

HTtY

PS Have you considered including a visit to the Olympic National Park?

Any suggestions for anything in route to Mt Rainier?

Unfortunately the best thing about the drive from Seattle to Mt. Rainier is the anticipation of getting there.

HTtY

PS Have you considered including a visit to the Olympic National Park?

Olympic sounds wonderful as well, just not doable in the same trip but for sure in the future!
It looks heavenly, even better perhaps?
What is the distance from Seattle?
Sounds like need a lot of time there.