mrwhitsie

We're landing in Seattle and would love suggestions or links for great road trips. We love to hit the road and stop where quaint and cool things make us brake. We'll probably do a seaplane to San Juan Island for 2 days but were looking for suggestions on other road trip itineraries. We love wineries, breweries, farm stands, national parks and hiking, eclectic and quirky shops and beautiful scenery along the way. anyone care to share a great itinerary for a Friday to a Friday...2 days preferably carved out for San Juan Island.

some more info
1. We fly in/out of Seattle
2. We can visit Canada, we'll have our passports
3. We don't need to drive if a seaplane is involved, and transit is available, we're game.

Kathie

You can certainly do a seaplane trip to San Juan Island, but I'd recommend taking the ferry from Anacortes instead - you get all of the great scenery from the ferry. Or, you could take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria - great scenery and Victoria is a lovely city with lots to see and do.

Gardyloo

How long do you have overall, and when is this happening?

mrwhitsie

We are going the 2nd week of this May. 7 days. Friday to Friday. Thanks!

Gardyloo

You have a lot of options, but mid-May tends to rule out anything in the mountains as there still will be a ton of snow at altitude - Mount Rainier, Hurricane Ridge etc.

Here are some "big" alternatives that you could use or play "mix and match," depending on your preferences:

Whidbey Island + Olympic Peninsula. Whidbey Island, reached by ferry from Mukilteo or Port Townsend, or by road via Deception Pass, is a beautiful island with two lovely little waterfront towns in Langley and Coupeville and two great state parks in Fort Casey and Deception Pass. Take the ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend, a picturesque Victorian town on the Olympic Peninsula, then visit some of Olympic National Park's highlights, including Hurricane Ridge (road will be clear, snow on the ground) or the Hoh Valley rainforest (awesome in the spring) or the spectacular beaches out by La Push. (Watch out for vampires.) Return to Seattle via the Bainbridge Island ferry. While you're on the peninsula, do a day trip by ferry to Victoria from Port Angeles. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/Q8zGY7EmY252

If you're set on a floatplane trip, I'd recommend Kenmore Air to Victoria instead of the San Juans - more to see (you really need a car in the San Juans) and more frequent schedule. Do it as a day trip or overnight, no car needed.

Or (and this would actually be my first pick) go on a big loop over the Cascades to Yakima, down through the vineyards and cowboy country to the Columbia River at Maryhill (see the museum and Stonehenge) then west to the Columbia Gorge. In the spring the waterfalls along the gorge walls are at their best; the orchards and vineyards in the Hood River Valley will be lush, you can drive up to the snow at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, and enjoy the lovely little town of Hood River with its breweries and wineries. This is a great 3- or 4-day itinerary in the spring, so you could combine a Whidbey loop (without the Olympic NP extension) with this. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/jm2FSFJsBpK2

mrwhitsie

Hi there Gardyloo!! Thank you so very much for this awesome trip suggestion! I love the Whidby Island trip suggestion as last we just did Hood River/Portland and really loved it. We were really set on whale watching in a smaller boat (http://sanjuanislandwhalewatch.com/) so that's the whole reason for San Juan Island. If you know of a similar place we can do whale watching with a smaller group, we would love to hear your suggestions. We were planning on getting mopeds or a car from Suzy's in San Juan Island if we did go there. Again, I am very appreciative of your insight!! This is just great!!

Gardyloo

Well if whale watching is the reason for the San Juans, let me suggest you look at another operation, this one out of Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula, http://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/ . One of their options is an all-day outing that stops for a couple of hours in Friday Harbor, enough time to get a meal and walk around the town. This would really simplify your itinerary. After all, it's the same whales that all the groups chase, whether you're leaving out of Friday Harbor, Port Townsend, or Victoria.

I can't emphasize enough, however, how wonderful ONP is during the spring, especially the rain forest valleys. While there's no guarantee, it's not uncommon to encounter Roosevelt elk in the Hoh visitor center area, or along some of the local trails, such as the Hall of Mosses. Over the course of the winter, the animals eat a lot of the undergrowth, leaving eerie vistas - the ground covered in moss, the trees vanishing into the mist above, but with surprisingly good visibility owing to the absence of a lot of brush. Then when you encounter the enormous elk it's like something out of Jurassic Park. It's really something.

Combined with (hopefully) early wildflowers on Hurricane Ridge and one of the beaches (like Ruby Beach near the funky Kalaloch Lodge) - you've got a terrific few days.

mrwhitsie

again, many thanks for your insight...
Here's a great draft schedule thanks to everyone's input...
we will have a car
Day 1-2 Seattle
Day 3-4 flight out to San Juan Island with whale watching, mopeds
Day 4-6 Olympic Peninsula and Whidby Island
Day 7 Seattle flight out

mrwhitsie

Thanks everyone...We'll be going the 2nd week of May..Now we just need to figure out...where to stay in ONP. We were thinking one night in Port Townsend and 1 night in La Push/Forks area...also should we do the loop through Olympia or come back to Port Townsend to go back to Seattle? Thanks!