Seattle to Vancouver
 

I am starting to plan my trip to the Northwest, and am looking for some general opinions. I was wondering how to split my time between Seattle-Vancouver. I will have a car,be gone for 10-14 days and will be mostly interested in natural sites as I am planning on doing some day hikes, (have heard Mt St Helens and Victoria are good)but would also like some time in the cities. What are the must-see sites in each city?(Historical sites, museuems etc) Any good scenic driving hints? This will be my last stop before going home(England)so I really want it to be perfect. Thanks for your help

I'd check out Port Townsend and the Olympic penninsula as well as the San Juan Islands in Washington state. Vancouver is a wonderful city- I much prefer it to Seattle (although I'm sure there are many that disagree). The sunshine coast north of Vancouver and the west coast of Vancouver Island- as well as Salt Spring Island, are lovely. I think Victoria is higly overated in it's quest to be like England - and why would you want to do that? Stick with the natural beauty of the area. How about Whistler- the mountains are fantastic and the drive spectacular!

I also much prefer Vancouver to Seattle. In Vancouver you'll no doubt visit Stanley Park and Granville Island (you can take a little ferry to Granville and avoid the driving hassles). For wonderful scenery, drive across the Lion's Gate bridge into West Vancouver and/or take the upper levels highway. I like to stay near Stanley Park so I can be right there for a nice walk in the morning. Try to get a room with a view of the water or mountains since Vancouver has such a spectacular setting.<BR><BR>If you followed the above advice to visit Port Townsend (I would try the Ann Starrett Mansion if I was going to stay there) you could hike the Dungeness Recreational Area nearby in Sequim and take the Coho from Port Angeles to Victoria. <BR><BR>However this might not be a good idea if you are travelling in July or August. US to Canada ferries aren't frequent and line-ups can be horrendous.<BR><BR>The Royal BC Museum in Victoria is worth a visit. If you like natural sites you could skip Butchart's Gardens. Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park is somewhat similar and it's free. For wild west coast scenery, it's a five hour or so drive up to Tofino/Long Beach. You don't have to drive all the way back through Victoria to get a ferry to the mainland though. You can cross at Nanaimo, although I think the trip isn't as scenic.<BR><BR>There are so many places to visit in Washington and BC that it's really hard to tell what you'd like best.

On balance, I'd probably suggest skipping Victoria and Vancouver Island, not because they're not interesting and varied places, but because with limited time you need to set priorities, and IMO there are better ways to spend a couple of days than joining the throngs of Canadians and Americans trooping to Victoria to have a (rather small and quite kitschy) taste of "olde England." <BR><BR>Vancouver and Seattle are world-class cities which happen to be located in the middle of some of the most beautiful country in the world. The combination of mountains, sea, culture, ethnic diversity, food... is really quite extraordinary. With 10-14 days. I'd recommend around 3 or 4 days in each city, counting excursions (Olympic Peninsula or Mt. Rainier or Mt St. Helens from Seattle, Gulf Islands or Sunshine Coast or Whistler from Vancouver), but I'd especially suggest taking a roundabout way to travel between the cities. Cross the Cascade Mountains and travel through eastern Washington and the BC Okanagan country (or vice versa) to see the relatively less-explored and absolutely fabulous country on the "dry" side of the mountains. Apple orchards, sagebrush, Indian reservations, the Columbia River and Grand Coulee Dam...an amazing change from the green and damp west side of the mountains. Good old west stuff - you'll want to return.

The beauty of John's route is that you avoid all the ferry trips and possible line-ups that go with them. <BR><BR>May I suggest, if you go through Hope, BC, a quick stop at the Othello Tunnels. Only a 5 or 10 minute drive out of town and a short walk in (a flashlight might be handy), it is a compact view of amazing engineering and awesome scenery.<BR><BR>If I was omitting Vancouver Island, I would make sure to take that drive along the Howe Sound out of Vancouver.<BR>