Sept Washington Trip Help
 

Well the airline tickets are bought so there is no turning back...my hubby and I will be arriving Sept 21 in Seattle (return flight early AM on the 27). My hubby's only wish during the trip is that he see the ocean. I'm in the beginning stages of planning but before I go any further I want to know if it will be worth our time taking a ferry (we'll have a rental car) to any of the San Juan Islands or to Victoria, B.C. I've read some posts that make it sound like ferry rides with a car could require reservations and/or long waits. What about Vancouver, B.C.? Is the drive up and back doable in a day or 2? Right now my only itinerary is ONP, maybe drive the coast a little, and Vancouver...I can't see us spending any time in Seattle itself only b/c we'd much rather do non-city related things. Any help would be appreciated!

I think you had better look at a map. Seattle is not on the ocean, but on Puget Sound. To drive to the Pacific ocean at Ocean City, would take over 2.5 hours and is about 140 miles. To get to La Push on the Olympic Peninsula, would take close to four hours.

You could also drive to Anacortes, and take the ferry through the San Juan Islands to Vancouver Island, and then through Victoria out to the open ocean on Vancouver Island.

To answer your question about Vancouver, it is about a three hour drive from Seattle. You could then take ferries from there to Vancouver Island and Victoria.

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will enjoy our neck of the woods.

:-)

If you're going out to ONP anyway (which you'd need to do to see the actual Pacific Ocean, as the PP noted), then taking the Coho ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria would make sense. Yes, you need to make reservations, but that's pretty easy.

Then you could either come back to Seattle via the San Juan islands or go over to Vancouver.

I'd go right out to the peninsula assuming your flight arrives early enough in the day, spend 2 nights there, 1 night in Victoria, 2 nights Vancouver then the last night in Seattle since your flight is early on the 26th. But that is a fairly city focused trip with the exception of ONP so you might want to skip Victoria or Vancouver in favor of spending time in the San Juans.

Buffy,
As long as you avoid taking San Juan Island Ferries on Friday thru Sunday, you should be OK. I would check into reservations for the Victoria BC trip. The San Juan Island Ferry Terminal is in Anacortes, about 90 minutes north of Seattle (not allowing for rush hour traffic!). Take the ferry in the morning to avoid some of the crowds. You might also consider renting bikes and leaving your car in the parking lot in Anacortes. Lopez Island is the best island for biking. Once you've ridden up the hill from the ferry terminal the rest of the island is pretty flat. You could do this in one day, but I would check out one of the many B&B's to stay the night. There are a few really good restaurants on Lopez and one great bakery. San Juan and Orcas Islands are spectacular as well, but not for biking. This is a beautiful adventure, no matter which island you visit, and you'll love it!

For coastal scenery, I'd take the Bainbridge ferry and Hood Canal bridge to Port Townsend and Port Angeles, visit Hurricane Ridge in Olympic NP, then take the Coho over to Victoria. After visiting the city, drive north along the Pacific coastal side of Vancouver Island, up to Jordan River or Port Renfrew at the bottom of the Pacific Rim National Park. You're pretty much on open ocean by that point, and it's a lovely drive. Return to Victoria and take the ferry either through the San Juans (Washington ferry) or through the Gulf Islands (the "Canadian San Juans") which in late September can be having lovely autumn or "Indian summer" weather.

Allow a couple of hours at the border returning to the US - it might be less but play it safe.

Thanks so much for all your responses! I really appreciate it. You have all given me some great ideas to think about and good thing I have several months to plan - it might take me awhile to figure out all we want to see in the 5 days we're there!

I like Gardyloo's suggestion but I must add, I wouldn't skip Vancouver. I'd take Vancouver over Victoria any day and I'm Canadian. It does depend on what you want to do but Vancouver to me, is one of the nicest cities on the West Coast, offering pretty much everything from beach, mountains, excellent dining, shopping and culture. The parks alone are worth a visit. Visiting the San Juan's is a nice thing to do and I think by Sept. 21 you'll be fine with ferries. The drive to the border is fast and negotiating through to Vancouver is what takes time. Yes, three hours is right and easy to do in a morning. I've gone up and back to Seattle in a day but I don't love to do it that way. Sound or Pacific Ocean, you'll like it, it's all beautiful.

lenlu, thanks for the advice! I watched a program on Vancouver on the Travel Channel the other day and was blown away -- I was thinking I would take it over Victoria any day. Would you recommend driving there or taking a ferry? Is one faster over the other?

If you're going to the Peninsula, IMO it makes sense to make a circle via Victoria as has been suggested, rather than coming back to I-5 and going up that route then returning the same way from Vancouver.

I personally prefer to the ocean beaches on the Peninsula to the ones up from Sooke on Van Island but both sets are beautiful. The ones on the peninsula have a wilder, more rugged feeling to me.

NWWanderer - so is this doable or am I completely insane....arrive Seattle Sunday am, somehow make our way to Pt. Angeles (either drive through Tacoma/Olympia as someone posted it takes the same amount of time as using the ferries to Pt. Townsend) & use Monday/Tuesday to explore ONP and the coast, Wednesday take ferry from Pt. Angeles to Victoria. I'm not hugely interested in the city of Victoria, but using it as a stepping stone to get to Vancouver. Try to arrive Vancouver Wednesday or Thursday and spend the rest of my time there until driving back to Seattle late Friday. We have an early flight out of Seattle Saturday morning so as long as I make it back to Seattle Friday night to stay in a hotel near the airport, I should be good. Any changes you would make?

I'm bumping my post up -- any thoughts on my last post/plan for my trip in September? I'm on the fence now about spending any time traveling to Victoria or Vancouver because of time constraints. I might be better off just sticking to ONP and maybe making a day trip to Mt. Rainier too? I have to keep reminding myself that Washington isn't going anywhere and I can always visit again in the future. haha Thanks everyone!

Sorry, I was out of town and didn't see your last post so I'm glad you bumped it up.

So you'd have Sun/Mon/Tues nights out on the Peninsula? I think that's a nice amount of time out there. Then Wed AM take the ferry to Victoria and on to Vancouver (with a stop at Butchart Gardens on the way to the Vancouver ferry if you like), with Wed and Thursday nights there and back to Seattle Friday evening. I think that works.

Of course, you could substitute Mt Rainier for Vancouver--it just really depends on what you're looking for.

We're definitely play-it-by-ear people, so I'm having trouble sticking to a reservation if I make one for us and the car on a ferry. What happens if you don't show and have a reservation? Anyone know? Also, I'm assuming we won't have any problem finding lodging spur of the moment in any areas, will we? I figured late September was off season?

I think given your time, and to avoid the reservations, fassles, and cost of the ferries, I’d skip Victoria and Vancouver Island.

One itinerary you might consider:

Day 1: drive from Seattle down I-5 to Olympia, thence across to the beaches at SW of Olympics to the ocean beaches (Ocean Shores area is low sandy peninsula, pretty built up, more akin to mid-Atlantic coast beaches – or north of that, nearer Moclips, are nice beaches with forested headlands, but not as much choices to stay at … our favorite is Ocean Crest just south of Moclips)

Day 2: Drive along west side of Olympics to Port Angeles, stopping along the west side for some side trips into the rainforest

Day 3: Drive from Port Angeles to nearby Hurricane Ridge (Alpine terrain in the Olympics), walk a few hours, back to the highway and continue east to Port Townsend – a delightful Victorian town. On the way, stop by Dungeness Spit for some more time at the beach

Dave 4: Take ferry from Port Townsend to Keystone on Whidby Island, then drive via Deception Pass thence to I-5 and north to Vancouver BC.
Warning: the Port Townsend to Keystone ferry requires reservations. See website:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

Days 5: Vancouver

Day 6 Vancouver in the morning, then depending how late you want to leave, drive Vancouver to Seattle via I5 (3 hrs driving time, 1 to 2 hrs at border) or by leaving early - take roads along edge of Puget Sound instead of freeway.

Vancouver is one of my favorite cities – here’s a collage:
A tremendous number of options in the city, in the mountains, and on the beaches. Mountains with true wilderness are on North Shore within ½ hr. of downtown.
For sure: rent bikes and ride the seawall from downtown around Stanley Park and around the entirety of False Creek to Granville Island – lots of stops and sightseeing … a great and full day … leave lots of time for Granville Island … en route there is a tremendous variety incl. views, nice beaches, parks, busy shopping and residential areas, its great .. then take bike on mini-ferry back across False Creek (5 minute trip) to downtown.
Lots of walks possible in Stanley Park
Go to North Shore: lots of ½ day hikes (get a guide book to show you); 3 examples:
drive or city bus to top of Seymour … lots of subalpine hikes while overlooking Vancouver;
drive or bus to Lighthouse Park in West Vancoucer … natural area on the shore of Burrard Inlet, nice hikes, nice views;
Drive or bus to West Vancouver and hike the Capilano Canyon from the waters edge to Capilano dam (about 2,000 ft elev. gain)
Being young and active don’t bother with over-rated tourist traps of Grouse Mtn or Capillano Canyon Suspension Bridge. In North Vancouver Lynn Canyon Park has lots of hiking and a similar suspension bridge – for free.
Vancouver is a very cosmoplolitan city … lots of cuisine from all over the world including especially Chinese and East Indian.

<i>My hubby's only wish during the trip is that he see the ocean.</i>

The closest town on the Pacific is Ocean Shores--118 miles and 2 1/2 hours from SeaTac airport.

Do you want hotel suggestions?

You want to go to Victoria and Vancouver but you would rather do non-city related things. Please explain.

Yeah, I think I've scrapped the Victoria/Vancouver plans and I'm just going to stick with ONP and possibly Mt. Rainer. I don't want to pack too much into this vacation that we don't actually get to relax. I'm assuming 3-4 days in ONP is not too much? This is my very tentative itinerary: Arrive Sunday, drive to Mt. Rainer, find a place to stay nearby, get up Monday and visit Mt. Rainer, drive to ONP Monday afternoon/evening and spend the rest of the trip in ONP (or surrounding area) and arrive back near SeaTac Friday night, as our flight leaves very early Saturday morning. I have not done too much research on ONP but what I have done, there is a lot we can see, plus my hubby will see the ocean. :)

I presume you've looked at other posts re the area too ... lots of ideas .. don't want to reinvent the wheel

Only one caution: When you are in Port Angeles, look to the South to see if Hurricane Ridge is socked in, before you commit to the drive. We have lived in the area (Anacortes)for more than 20 years, and have never been able to make it up there. Every damned time we take a trip to the Olympic Peninsula, the top of Mt. Olympus is covered in clouds.

:-(

elgebewa - yes, I've been reading all the posts on the forums and have been taking notes. :) What I'm looking for right now from people who live in the area or who have visited is more of a timeline suggestion - how long I'll need in each area. Also wondering if I can 'wing it' when I get there as far as hotel accommodations, rather than making them in advance.

nukesafe - thank you so much for your suggestion...so no to Hurricane Ridge if it's cloudy?!

nukesafe, I live on the Olympic Peninsula and have been up to Hurricane Ridge many times. Cloud cover in the lowlands does not necessarily mean that Hurricane Ridge will be socked in. There is a ranger station just south of town (PA)on the Hurricane Ridge road that has a a webcam; they can tell you what conditions are like at the top.

Buffy:
late Sept is the most likly to have good weather here, so good choice.
Re time and details: see my responses to the thread &quot;Road Trip Directions for Oregon &amp; Washington&quot;.

You have plenty of time if you are concentrating only on the OPN and Rainier.

Depending how much time you spend on Rainier you may or may not get to the coast, but plenty of motels near Olympia where you won't need reservations. (If I were there, I'd spend 2 nights,and a full day at Rainier, but that's because I like hiking the Alpine areas.) At the most, you'd probably only have time to get to Ocean Beach (many good places there you wouldn't need reservations except on holidays). At any rate, I'd stay only near Olympia or Ocean Shores or near Moclips ... not inbetweeen. At Ocean Crest near Moclips I'd try to get reservations if wanted there, place we like, but expensive.

There aren't a whole lot of good motels between Aberdeen and Port Angeles. Going north on US 101 from Aberdeen: I don't know of any near Humptulips I'd stay at.
Next north: Lake Quinault Lodge .. national park type place on lake (far from Ocean) ... national park type place, OK I guess, use reservations ... Google their website.
Next north is back on coast: Queets. dunno... I'm not aware of nice place. From Queets to Ruby Beach 101 is along a spectacularly beautiful coast.
Next north: Kalaloch is fairly nice, national park place, expensive for what you get, 2 star, need reservations. Google their website
Next north: Ruby Beach: dunno ... maybe, but I'm not aware of nice place to stay.
Then US 101 heads back inland.
Next north: Forks ... logging town struggling to survive. A few motels, some I wouldn't stay at, others I would ... no reservations needed
Out on the ocean west of Forks is La Push ... beautiful area, but don't know if there is a decent motel.
Clallan Bay and Neah Bay, near the tip of the peninsula. Beautiful country .. I've hiked and camped, but no nothing about the nondescript cluster of inexpensive motels .. though so many go there to fish there must be something ... dunno
Next north, headed east, Lake Crescent Lodge ... good 3 star national park londge, need reservations.
Next: Port Angeles .. big town, lots of motels, don't need reservations.
The whole trip between Aberdeen and Port Angeles is easily driven in a day ... but you'd want to spend more time depending onm your interests.
Beaches
Rain forest (The Queets and Hoh Valleys are both great fore that.
Sol Duc Hotsprings was always nice when I was backcountry hiking in ONP.
Next East: Sequim ... warmest sunniest spot in Western Washigton (even though its not far to the rain forests to the SW) Lots of good motels. Retiree mecca. Dungenous Spit nearby is worth stopping at ... sandy and marine life.
Port Townsend is to the NE ... popular bed and breakfast and weekend place.

I've lived in Seattle 20+ yrs, have been to the Olympics a lot, but strangely, never stayed between north of Moclips or south of Port Angeles except for camping. So others may have better info.

Rereading my 3rd paragraph above, beginning &quot;Depending how much time&quot; ... and ending &quot;...like, but expensive&quot; I think I should clarify.

That whole paragraph relates to your thought re staying overnight near Rainier, then the next day driving up aqnd seeing it, then racing to the coast.

Buffy

By now you have probably made your plans but if you are still ?? I will share another recommendation. My husband and I have just returned from an 8 night 7 day trip to ONP. We are fit and active(but by no means jocks) seniors who have visited several NPs and of all this one has stolen our hearts forever. In fact I can't wait to do it again.

We flew to Seattle, collected the rental car, and drove straight to Port Angeles for the week. We rented a house and this worked very well. We took day trips from PA via Victoria Express(passenger only) to San Juan Is and to Victoria (Buchart Gardens specifically). This broke up the week very comfortably. If i were to be in the area only 5 days I would skip San Juan Is entirely but keep Victoria.

If you are not an outdoors person you this may not appeal to you, however, because our greatest pleasure was getting out into the Park using their Easy Day Hikes guide which is available online as well as the Falcon guide available in the Visitors Center. We did commit to some driving in order to do what we wanted to do but if you divide it up you won't be too tired and you will get to see/do a lot.

Good luck--wbnc

wbnc - so happy you posted regarding your recent trip. As of right now, I have lodging reservations but as far as what to do on what day, that's all up in the air and I think hubby and I will just play it by ear once we get there. Lodging is as follows: 1st night in Pt Angeles (Best Western), 2nd/3rd nights at the Lake Crescent Lodge, 4th night at Lake Quinault Lodge, 5th night in Ocean Shores, and our last night near SeaTac (flight leaves very early the next morning). Since you were based out of Pt. Angeles - what kind of day trips did you take and what day hikes did you do? If you plan on posting a trip report (here or anywhere else), would you please let me know? As far as Victoria goes, I think I've decided against it, as we just don't have enough time and I'd rather spend 5 days in ONP going at a leisurely pace than trying to pack too much into our short trip. Thanks again!

Buffy

You have done a good job with so few days to work with and I hope you will have a great time. We want to return for a reprise before too many more years elapse and next time we will go in Sept. so--please post how it all went.

To answer your questions. You should certainly visit the PA Visitor's Center en route up to Hurricane Ridge and see the intro film on the Park. Hurricane Ridge has some nice easy loop hikes that are very accessible from their Visitor's Center. We didn't take any because in June all were still snowed out but this won't be the case in Sept. The PA Visitor's center will provide handouts and descriptions for each hike.

2 other easy yet beautiful hikes are from the Crescent Lake Lodge area. Marymere Falls is one and Sol Duc Falls farther W on 101 is another. Both can be done in one morning (if you start early). Either is a beautiful hike and Marymere is the shorter. It can be reached starting from the Lodge if you prefer to limit yourself to only one.

Since your husband's only wish is to see the ocean you definitely mustn't miss the coastal beaches--which to us were the most beautiful of all the areas we visited. Since you are going on to Lake Quinault Lodge you can stop off at Ruby Beach and explore as much of that as you feel like. Another place we wouldn't have missed is further NW--Cape Flattery and the Makah Museum--but this will involve a little more driving than you may want to do. However it was the highlight of our trip and we wouldn't have missed it for anything. It is a nice boardwalk trail down to the overlooks that are awesome in their beauty and will take &quot;seeing the ocean&quot; to a whole different plane! :)

We found PA to be a diner's disappointment but 2 places that we liked were Tendy's Chinese and The Crab House. Another that was recommended (but we didn't try)was Bella Italia . Crescent lake Lodge has delicious food.

Good luck!

Thank you wbnc for replying! Thank for the suggestion of Cape Flattery. I will be reading more about it (I googled it) as it's the first I've heard of it!

My husband and I are also planning a trip to Seattle - September 27th through October 4th. Can anyone give me an idea on what kind of weather we should expect during that time? Has the rainy season started yet?
thanks!

Daytime temps in the 50s and 60s, probably--decent early fall weather as a rule. The rains don't usually start in earnest until mid-October but there are always exceptions to that ;-). Come prepared and you'll be fine.

Thanks for the quick response Wanderer! I love cool weather - sounds perfect!

also just did a trip to Seattle and the OP. we only had 2 nights in Port Angeles and it was not enough. i think with the number of nights you have planned you will be able to see what you want to see. Take one day and make the drive to the coast, we didn't' have time but i'm already thinking about a return trip someday.
When we drove up to Hurricane Ridge the cloud cover was so thick at times you couldn't even see past the car, but when we got to the top it was clear. it's just breathtaking. Like another poster said stop at the PA visitors center, they have good information there.
had a very nice lunch at Lake Crescent Lodge on July 4. I think you will enjoy the stay there.
we also did the hike to Marymere Falls.It's a fairly easy hike and one you can walk to right from the lodge.
I found the weather changed a lot from moment to moment last week. i do not know if this is typical or not, so i would bring layers.
I think you will have a wonderful trip it's such a beautiful part of the country.

joeyi - thanks for your mini trip report! We are definitely going to do a little bit of everything, including the coast. That is a must do since my hubby and I are big fans of the ocean (being from the Midwest and never seeing it!)

i've started a trip report if you're interested in it. i haven't gotten to the ONP part yet but i did post a photo link and you could see some of the park.
We saw the most beautiful wild flowers up there.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35142269

LOVE your pics! Thanks again for your trip report!

bm