My family is flying to Seattle in July on a Friday..The only reservation we have so far is one nite at Paradise INn(Mt.Rainier)on a the following wednesday..I would like to see as much as the state as possible in one week....any suggestions for seeing it all?!? Is it possible to fly to Seattle and drive to Lake Quinault for one or two nites ..drive to Pt. Angeles and take ferry to Victoria for one nite then come back down to Seattle on the way to Rainier?!? Then spend the last few days in Seattle!! What do you think??

At this stage the main concern I'd have with going straight out to the coast would be the lack of accommodations, given it would be a weekend. They are few on the ground, and aside from a few higher-end places, run the gamut from plain to bleh, but all fill up rapidly.

Getting from Seattle to Victoria and back is a major pain in the summer, particularly if you plan on taking a car. The ferries are all full, the lines long, and you end up at various ferry terminals cooling your heels waiting because in the case of the Port Angeles run, they don't take reservations. If you want to go to Victoria from PA, I'd strongly suggest not taking the car, but take the high speed passenger ferry instead. Spend the day wandering around the quaint, take a bus to Butchart Gardens if you must, then take the last ferry back to PA where your car, and affordable accommodation, will be waiting. If that's an agreeable plan, then reverse your route - head first to PA, then Victoria, then go west/south around the Pacific side of the Olympic Peninsula to the Hoh and Quinault rain forests, eventually looping back east/north toward Seattle and/or Mt. Rainier.

If you take this approach, and if you could move your night in Paradise (I know, ha ha) you might be able to go straight from the Olympic coast to Rainier, then end up with a solid few days in the Seattle area, from which other excursions can be made.

The point is to try to be at the most heavily visited areas on days other than weekends, so that your choices for accommodations and elbow room are maximized.

As an aside, I really would like to suggest that you consider getting at least some exposure to the east side of the Cascades, and to the Columbia Gorge if at all possible. Accomplishing that would mean a pretty go-go itinerary, and would minimize time in Seattle and maybe eliminate Victoria. Don't know if that appeals...

Thanks for your input! I may be changing the plans and heading to the coast -- waiting for everyone to wake up "out there"...i'm thinking of Lake Quinault for nite 1 & 2 then back to Seattle to meet up with our other daughter and day trips from there until we go to Mt. Rainier...then back to Seattle for fun in the city!! What do you think ??

Paradise is so special and changing your reservation at the lodge may be impossible at this point, so IMO you'd be best off planning around it. I'd save Victoria for another trip and go to Lake Quinault and see the Ho Rainforest the first part of the trip, then spend some time in Seattle after Mt. Rainer.

I would like to give you some suggestions, but I am confused by your message. You say you want to see as much of Washington as you can in a week, but you include a night in Victoria and overlook many of the highlights of Washington such as Mt. St. Helens, the Columbia River Gorge, and the North Cascades Highway. You say you are traveling with your family. How old are the children? What are your interests? Are you totally committed to spending Wednesday at Paradise Lodge, that complicates things a lot. If you like cities, perhaps you should also go to Vancouver. It is impossible to see most of Washington in a week. Please clarify.

Thanks for the input!
I made our reservations as follows: Nites 1 & 2 at Lake Quinault Lodge, Nites 3,4 & 5 in Seattle (day trips to various spots--I could use advice on this leg), Nite 6 at Paradise Inn(this is set in STONE, Nite 7 & 8 in Seattle to see the city...My girls are 15 & 17...we decided to bag the trip to Victoria this time....
As far as interests...we want to see the rainforest, hopefully go whale watching, eat great meals and hopefully not get on each other's nerves

Last year in the first week of August we spent 3 nights on the Olympic Penn., 2 nights in Victoria and 3 nights in Seattle (which included our day at Mt. Ranier). I didn't feel too rushed, but believe me, it takes some time to get around. The drive out to the Olympic Penn. takes a long time, and getting around out there does, too. Mostly 2 lane wind-y roads, often following logging trucks. And there's no way to rush the ferrys!

I wouldn't pass up the opportunity for a trip around the Cascade Loop. Absolutely gorgeous - some nice smaller towns. We spent the first night in a very small town called Index and did some day trips out of there, finsihed up the Cascade Loop in Victoria (our least favorite pace), ferry to PA in a B&B there and loved it... Yes, we also fit Mt Rainier in also ! Ran out of time so didn't get to spend any time in Seattle ! We were there 10 days. Lake Quinault is great - had a great dinner at the lodge. DO NOT pass up the people on the side of the road selling fresh cherries ! The Ranier are yellow and absolutely incredible ! The people in WA are so incredibly friendly wherever you go. It is a beautiful state. If you do a search on the Cascade Loop you can get the particulars... You would see a large portion of the state from Seattle to the mountains to the arid area of Chelan (great apple country) and then back through to Vancouver or Seattle. Have fun !

Having visited once to beautiful Washington state I would suggest visiting Olympic National Park including Hurricane Ridge, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helen's and the Pacific coast, which is a wonder to tour and relax. And you are fortunate in that you picked July as your month to visit Washington. It is generally dry and physically invigorating at that time of the year in Washington.

Just a few added comments...IMO the food at Paradise Lodge is decent to good, but at Lake Quinault it is awful, and the service is slow, it's crowded and overpriced for what it is. However, I'm not sure there are many other choices in that area...anyone know of others?

And yes, Index is a delightful area, but it's only about an hour from Seattle (depending on traffic), so you can do it as a day trip. Make sure to check out exit 39--right off the freeway, where you can do a short hike down to incredible waterfalls. Also, if your daughters are rock climbers (like mine) they'll love Index Town Wall. In Seattle, they'll probably want to check out EMP. Even though it's expensive, it's worth a visit.

Where do we go for whale watching?? ANy other ideas for day trips out of Seattle? lite to moderate hiking...we love waterfalls and just driving around to see new places!
Also, nice restaurants for our family(15 & 17 yr old girls)in Seattle...

You have gotten some great advise. Since you like hiking and waterfalls, there is a nice easy hike jut off Hwy 2 in Gold Bar...it is Wallace Falls. You can do a loop or and out and back...basicallt there are 2 trails that meet up. Anyway, it is only about 5 miles round trip and 1200 ft elevation gain. Very pretty and you can go to the middle falls and have lunch and then head up to the upper falls.

There are numerous other hikes right off both Hwy 2 and Hwy 90. A good website for hiking in the PNW is www.hikersnw.net. Index is right off Hwy 2 but I would not stay there...we lived about 30 minutes away and just cannot recommend that for you. Too many other great places to stay.