mhouchin

My husband and I are planning a 3 week trip to the northwest from June 19-- July 7. We fly into Seattle and are going to rent a car upon completion of our stay we will fly out of the Portland airport.
We live in Colorado but want to see this beautiful part of the country. My sister lives in Salem and we want to visit her 1 day at the tail end of our trip. We love to hike but also wish to see the water, viewing places that are different from Colorado. We also love the mountains! Any hidden gems to definitely not miss would be appreciated and great places to stay without breaking the bank.
Any suggestions on what not to miss in Washington as well as Oregon would be appreciated. Length of stay at each location would also be appreciated as we have a lot to do in not much time. Great places to visit and where to get good seafood suggestions would also be appreciated.
Thanks much

garyt22

With three weeks, consider a side trip to Vancouver and region, a few days as part of your Seattle time...

mhouchin

That is a great idea. Any Vancouver suggestions?

Gardyloo

Three weeks is a good long time, but there are a couple of things you should be aware of:

- This has been a VERY snowy winter in the mountains, and some alpine areas (e.g. the visitor centers in Mt. Rainier NP) are still going to have a lot of snow on the ground - several feet as a rule - on areas off the roads and parking lots.

- Hotel prices in Seattle during the summer/cruise season are horrific - up there with New York and London.

- Accommodations in key areas like the national parks, some towns on the Oregon coast etc. are prone to filling up quite early.

And a couple of questions. First, do you have passports and are you willing to travel into Canada?

Second, what's a rough split between city and country? With Portland and Seattle (and especially with Vancouver) you've got three of the most exciting and beautiful cities in North America, and you could easily spend your whole time in those cities, maybe taking day- or overnight trips to the likes of Whistler, Mt. Rainier, the Columbia Gorge, etc.

To start, here's a map showing one of many, many outline plans that you could consider: https://goo.gl/maps/28bYZFZcL272

This starts with a loop of Olympic National Park, featuring all three of the park's amazing zones - alpine scenery at Hurricane Ridge, the amazing Hoh Valley rain forest, and the superb beaches, in this case Ruby Beach near Kalaloch.

You'd then head east to Paradise on Mount Rainier and maybe a visit to the Grove of the Patriarchs (huge trees.) You'd then continue east using the incomparable Stevens Canyon Road to US 12 and down into the Yakima Valley - orchards and vineyards.

Head south through the Yakama Reservation and wonderful "old west" scenery to the Columbia River at Maryhill. Visit the funky and surprising Maryhill Museum (Rodin in the sagebrush) and nearby Stonehenge replica, then head west along the river as the landscape changes dramatically from rocks and sagebrush to dry forest, orchards and finally the "wet" side forests.

Stop at Hood River for tours of the Hood River Valley's orchards and wineries, and to visit Timberline Lodge on the side of Mount Hood. Watch the windsurfers on the Columbia or maybe go white water rafting out of White Salmon, just across the river from Hood River.

Then continue west through the heart of the Columbia Gorge, with its numerous waterfalls and vista points and the fun and free Bonneville hatchery. At I-205 at the Portland airport, head south to Salem to wrap up the trip.

Like I say, though, this is one of umpteen options. You could just as easily head south from Seattle all the way to the redwoods in northwestrn California, then work your way back up the Oregon coast to Portland; or you could head up to Whistler north of Vancouver, then over to Vancouver Island, down to Victoria and back to the mainland - either the Olympic Peninsula, or by winding through the San Juan Islands.

One thing to note is that you're going to pay a small fortune for a one-way car rental. I'd suggest doing some numbers that look at two separate car rentals - one out of Seattle and the other out of Portland, using the train (inexpensive, fairly scenic and frequent) between the two cities. It might end up being cheaper overall.

mhouchin

Thanks for all your ideas, Yes we do have passports and yes to visit Canada. Split times depend on what is available and what people suggest. Probably just a few days in Vancouver someone mentioned a ferry ride? The rest of the time divided up between Washington and Oregon.
I agree on rent a car prices. What train are you speaking of, I would like to look into that.

happytrailstoyou

Highlights in Washington include Mt. Rainier, Olympic National Park, and the San Juan Islands (Orcas is my favorite).

Oregon is pleased with a beautiful coast line and the waterfalls in the Columbia River gorge.

HTtY

mhouchin

correction ferry to Victoria not Vancouver.

Gardyloo

Well, here's a "northern" loop from Seattle - https://goo.gl/maps/yAy9aCD37v82 - that would include Vancouver, Whistler, the ferry to Vancouver Island and Victoria, across to Olympic National Park and back to Seattle via the Bainbridge Island ferry.

I'd then drop the car and take the train - http://www.amtrakcascades.com/ - to Portland, where I'd get a second car to use in exploring the Columbia Gorge and possibly a day or two out at the coast near the mouth of the Columbia River, then return to Salem and Portland via the Willamette Valley wine country around McMinnville, like this - https://goo.gl/maps/m7yAS85GMyN2

tomfuller

Be aware that July 1 is Canada Day. It will be a madhouse in Vancouver and most Canadian cities. Big anniversary (150 years!)
You can take the train or bus from Seattle to Vancouver and walk in Vancouver. Stanley Park is great.
There are fireworks on the water in the Portland area on July 4.
The car for Washington and another car for Oregon is a good idea.
Two brand new Amtrak locomotives with State of Washington marking were delivered to Seattle this week by the Empire Builder.

mhouchin

I like the northern loop from Seattle. Should you exchange dollars before entering Canada? Do you take your car on the ferries? We don't have ferries here in Colorado. This Northern loop, how many days do you think it would take to then get back to Seattle? Perhaps a week?
I definitely agree about the two rental cars. After dropping the rental car off at the airport in Seattle, would you then taxi to catch Amtrak? I'm just trying to figure the logistics of how that would work.
Once we Amtrak to Portland and rent a car, what would your outline plan be of that area leaving from Portland? Again needing to spend overnight in Salem to visit sister. Please and thank you.

janisj

>>Should you exchange dollars before entering Canada?

Patty

Yes, they're car ferries and there's some beautiful scenery on the sailings themselves. The San Juan Islands are lovely as well (I'm also particularly fond of Orcas) but I don't know if you'd have time to incorporate that into the northern loop.

tomfuller

After landing at SEA take the light rail to downtown Seattle.
If you are spending a night in Seattle, just rent a car downtown. http://www.visitseattle.org/visitor-...etting-around/
The Amtrak King Street station is just north of Century Link Stadium where the Seahawks play. The buses to Vancouver and the Cascades trains leave from King St. station.

sludick

One option while you're in the Vancouver are is to take a couple of days to drive up the Sunshine Coast. You'll have 3 ferry rides up, 3 back, unless you make a loop and cross over to Vancouver Island instead of retracing your route up.

Check the BC Ferries website for some options on ferries. This link takes you there to the Sunshine Coast page:

https://www.bcferriesvacations.com/sunshine-coast

Some more Sunshine Coast info:
http://www.sunshinecoastcanada.com/

sludick

are = area. Sorry.

tomfuller

The #507 Amtrak Cascades leaves Seattle at 2PM and gets to Salem a little after 7PM if your sister could pick you up.
Renting a car in Salem is a possibility.
Also in the McMinnville area is the Evergreen Aviation and space museum if you wanted to see the "Spruce Goose" and some other neat stuff.

Gardyloo

This Northern loop, how many days do you think it would take to then get back to Seattle? Perhaps a week?

Well, not knowing how you approach things - high speed v. smell the roses, etc., I'd only be guessing. Here's an imaginary timetable that would cover the bases. You could shorten the time in Vancouver, possibly skip the Whistler outing and use that extra day somewhere else, and so on.

Regarding the San Juans or other islands, they're lovely but really require a minimum investment of a couple of days, so you'd have to juggle your time. I'd note that the ferry from Tsawwassen (south of Vancouver) to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island near Victoria passes through the BC Gulf Islands; the boat ride is very scenic.

19-Jun Seattle
20-Jun Seattle
21-Jun To Vancouver via Whidbey Island
22-Jun Vancouver
23-Jun Vancouver (Whistler day trip?)
24-Jun Vancouver
25-Jun To Victoria via Tsawwassen ferry
26-Jun Victoria
27-Jun To Port Angeles via Coho ferry
28-Jun Olympic NP
29-Jun Olympic NP
30-Jun AM to Seattle via Bainbridge ferry, PM train to Portland
1-Jul Columbia Gorge
2-Jul Columbia Gorge
3-Jul To coast
4-Jul Coast
5-Jul To Salem
6-Jul Salem
7-Jul To Portland, home

mhouchin

So we are pretty active people is this loop mostly driving or are there places to stop and hike and explore? Suggestions?