Still working on itinerary for Aug. So far modified to
Day1: fly into Seattle and trip to Mt. Ranier; stay 3 nights
Day 4 head to Columbia River Gorge via Mt. St. Helens: stay q nights in that area
Day 6 Head to coast Cannon Beach and on up to Olympic Nat. Park. Stay 2 nights at Katuluck ( can't remember spelling)
Day 8 head around to Port Angeles

Now comes the problem. i want to kayak the San Juan Island. And only have 2 nights left. How would be the best to get to San Jaun island and would you recommend staying there one night and then one night back in Seattle since we fly out early in the morning. Or is trying to get to the island just pushing it too much. Thanks for your help. I already cut out Crater lake to do another time. So you see I do value everyone's opinions.

although i LOVE ranier if you really want to kayak, i would cut one night there and add it to go one of the islands.

i'm not at home so i can't give you specifics on how, but you can get the ferry at port angeles (i think) and you can go to friday harbor(?) or to another island and stay that night, kayak the next day, then stay the night and leave the following morning.

it depends on your preference. rainier, is a hiking venue. if you liking hiking more than kayaking. it's an easy call to make.

i only stay over two nights in rainer and got some great hikes in. then i headed to the cascades.

i made my way back to the coast, went to friday harbor for an over night and a whale watch but the weather was so bad no boats went out. so i am due for a trip back too!

Hey Jude,
Have to say that my first thought upon reading your itinerary was, why include Oregon? If you really want to kayak in the San Juans (who wouldn't), give up Oregon. And this coming from someone who lives in Portland. But then I thought, why not one night in Portland, and one night on the Oregon coast. I think it balances things out a little better, even though it means packing your bags another time.

Don't be afraid... take a (not so) bad itinerary, and make it better.

Eeps. Now I'm going to really confuse you! I see a couple of problems. First, the ferry from Port Angeles does not go to the San Juan Islands, but to Victoria. And one day from the Gorge to Canon Beach to the Olympic National Park (Kalaloch) is a lot of driving through places you will want to enjoy.
Possible ideas: I think you can kayak out of Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. Here's a revision that eliminates the San Juans:
Day 4. Columbia R. Gorge via Mt. St. Helens. Stay one night.
Day 5. Drive to Canon Beach via the Gorge Scenic Hwy. Night in Canon Beach.
Day 6 Canon Beach
Day 7 Kalaloch
Day 8 Hurricane Ridge. Night in Port Townsend.
Day 9 Kayak at Port Townsend.
Day 10 Seattle for the night before flight.

But the San Juans are great and they are a nice contrast with the mountains. If you want to go to the San Juans, you need to drive to Anacortes for the ferry. You can get there from the Olympic Peninsula by taking the ferry from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island and go up to Anacortes, or go straight up I-5 to Anacortes. Given wait times on the ferries in August, you will have to time the ferries, and may not want to do two in one day.

So, somethings got to give. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, the Olympic Peninsula and San Juans is one good trip.
Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, the Gorge, Oregon Coast and Olympic Peninsula is another idea. You can mix it up a lot of ways.

Amount of time in a place: I like the idea of 2 full days on Mt. Rainier. (Depending on when your plane gets in, you could make it just 2 nights.) The Gorge is an easy day trip. You can hike to some nice falls and still be on your way, as it is so close to Portland, and the coast just another 1 1/2 hours west. You can eliminate one night in the gorge, I think. I wouldn't spend 2 nights at Kalaloch, either. You can drive there from Portland (or Canon Beach) and visit the Hoh Rain Forest and spend the night at Kalaloch and then be on your way, staying another night at L. Crescent. Then visit Hurricane Ridge and go on to Port Angeles for the night and on from there - ferry to Whidbey Island. Visit Laconner. Stay in Anacortes positioned for the next morning ferry to the San Juans.

Hope this isn't super confusing. These are my ideas of how much time places take. You're doing a great job finding cool places to go, but it's hard to estimate how much time to give them if you haven't been there.

Thanks for the posts. I agree I am trying to do too much. We'll definitely cut out the 2nd night at Katalock and head on to Port Townsend. How long to you think it will take to drive from there to Anocasta and do you have to take the ferry to Whitbey first. Can you drive to Whitbey?

You can drive from the Olympic Peninsula to Anacortes but you wouldn't want to. It would mean going all the way around Puget Sound. It would be ugly! (We're talking I-5 from Olympia up through Seattle and on up. It's a lot better to be waiting in a ferry line....)

The best way is to take the ferry from Port Townsend to Keystone (Whidbey Island) and drive up from there. Here's the current schedule:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/sche...m?route=pt-key

I'd guess there will be more ferries in August.
Here's a great website on distances in Washington:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/communicatio...ge/Default.htm

It says it's 41 miles from Port Townsend to Anacortes. The 35 minute ferry ride is at the beginning of the route, and I doubt they are counting that as mileage.

So, the distance isn't far. The ferry wait could be awhile, though, and then you have to wait for a ferry in Anacortes, too. The ferries are fun and part of the adventure. You just have to figure them in.

You might also consider going via the Coho ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria (a nice visit itself) and either switch your kayak trip to the close by Canadian Gulf Islands or take the Anacortes Ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan. Better than driving to Anacortes I think. I agree with other posters that three nights is long at Mt. Rainier and two nights is plenty at Kalaloch (sounds like clay-lock). Both wonderful places, but you must prioritize! Also, Skamania Lodge in the Columbia Gorge is terrific.