Hi,

Just wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction. I'm driving from Seattle and would like to get around to the west side of Olympic National Park and hook up with the 101 for a drive down the coast. But I'm not sure the best way to cross Puget Sound. Can I take a car on a ferry or do I have to head south to Tacoma and then back north on the highway?

thanks for any responses.

Ryan

Ryan - Take the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and then follow the directions to connect with the 101. The trip up from Tacoma isn't all that interesting and will take you longer. The ferry ride (with car) to Bainbridge gives you a geat view of the Seattle area. Enjoy!

We did this car-on-the-ferry trip and it was fun. Be sure to get out of your car and go up on deck to enjoy the ride. When we got to Port Angeles, we got a hotel for two nights and took another, people-only ferry to Victoria, B.C. You can also take your car to Victoria, but the people-only ferry was a bit cheaper, and we didn't need the car for a day in Victoria. Consider doing that if you have time. We took a city bus to the famous Butchart Gardens--fabulous! Tour busea and vans are also available, but the city bus was cheaper and quite fast.

Back on the peninsula, be sure to drive up to see Hurricane (?) Ridge in Olympic National Park. Further around toward the coast, shortly before crossing a little bridge that led to a longer bridge over the Columbia River, we stayed in an old-fashioned motel (big open square, one story, lots of parking the middle), and we ate at a restaurant across the street from the motel (dark wood, simple fare) that had the BEST PIE I have ever eaten! The waitress said an old guy comes down from the woods with a bucket of wild berries every week or so (in season--we were there in August), and they buy the bucket of berries and have scrumptious pies for several days. Maybe someone who has eaten this pie, or who lives nearby, can be a little more specific.

I recently made the trip to the Olympic Peninsula from Seattle and found that driving from Seattle to the Washington Ferries dock in Edmonds and taking the car ferry from Edmonds to Kingston worked well. From Kingston you can very easily get to Hwy 101 and follow it all the way around the peninsula.

Ryan, Hope on a ferry. The experience is great and it very easy. Washington State DOT has a great website for schedules and fares. Stay away from the Tacoma Narrows bridge as it gets very congested.

The Bainbridge would be the best, unless you wanted to see Bremerton for a reason. To drive to Edmonds can take an hour in traffic sometimes. The Ferry terminal is very close to downtown and is well marked.

URL For Ferry system is
www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

They have a map and you can use that to see what will work for your trip. West side of the Olympics is great.

I so disagree with some of the others. A few years ago, in reading a brochure for a premier bike-tour company, I noticed that they toured the park counter-clockwise, driving via Olympia and stopping first at Quinalt Lake. This is ideal because it saves the best for last including Hurricane Ridge and the ferry ride. The Best Western in Port Angeles is descent and has a good breakfast at small extra charge.

I agree with the previous poster - go counter clockwise. You will be going against most of the traffic. Not sure how long you have to visit but some of the interesting things to visit include Lake Quinault, the Hoh Rain Forest, any of the beaches (I think Beach #4 is the most scenic but I could be wrong) Lake Crescent is beautiful as is Marymere Falls (about a 20 min hike off the main road.)

Regardless of the way you go, you'll have a great time. The Olympic Pennisula is truly one of the hidden gems of America.

Have a great trip!

John in Miami

Can someone give me an estimate of total drive/gaze time for either route, clockwise or counterclockwise?

I'd make the effort and drive to Cape Flattery. The road runs out about 5 miles from it and so it's ddirt track then a walk through the woods but well worth it. See it before the waves wash it all away.

From Port Angeles take the 113 and 112. You can connect back with the 101 further South on the way to Forks.

Clockwise, figure around 3 hours from Seattle to Quinault via Olympia; another 2 1/2 around to Port Angeles, then 1 1/2 plus ferry back to Seattle, say 8 all in, not counting any stops. Counterclockwise (or "anticlockwise" if you're a pending Scottish emigree) would be, I guess, about the same.

The posters who suggested the clockwise route are correct; get the freeway bits out of the way first.

You can also take the Bremerton ferry from Seattle to... Bremerton, then down SR3 to the junction with 101, if you want to snub Tacoma and Olympia entirely. The Bremerton ferry ride is considerably prettier than the Bainbridge one IMO, but longer and not much of a time saver.