When to visit Olympic National Park & Seattle?
 

I am contemplating a visit to ONP and Seattle this summer. I am pretty sure that the area is quite busy with visitors, families with kids etc during the summer vacation months. Since we are pretty flexible in terms of when we go, I'm thinking of visiting right after Labor Day?

This year's Labor Day is Sept 7, so I'm talking about 2nd/3rd week of September. What do you experts think? I am also assuming that not only it'll be fewer tourists, hopefully the lodgings will be cheaper too or is this wishful thinking?

When does public school start in Washington in the Fall?

I need to go to the library to take out some guidebooks and start reading, but I don't think I'm ready to book until mid-late May. Will it be too late then? I read some posts recently that NPs aren't as booked up as years before, probably due to the economy...

I don't know the more detailed answers to your question, but September is typically a glorious month weather-wise in the Seattle area. Often the best of the year!

Mid-September is a great time to go. But while the kids will be back in school, September has long been "discovered" as a good time to visit the area, so while it will be less crowded than July and August, off-season rates don't usually start until mid-October or even later. But of course who knows what will happen this year due to the economy--you may well find some deals.

As for booking now vs. mid-May, I don't think it will make a difference. Lk Crescent Lodge may well already be full (it tends to book up a year or more in advance) but it's worth checking for availability and there are quite a few other lodging options besides the national park lodges.

Thanks for your replies. I looked at Lake Crescent Lodge's website but of course they don't post availability calendar, so I can't tell whether they're full in mid-Sept or not.

I know I'm getting WAY ahead of myself, but based on the posts I've read here (well, I did do a search), it's best to stay at 2 different locations while visiting ONP? I'm tentatively thinking 4 days in ONP and 3 days in Seattle, but everything is flexible.

I also am thinking of asking my parents to join us, so there'll be 4 adults. If we can stay put in one location for ONP (outside of the park, I guess), it may be more economical if we can rent an apt via VRBO for 4 nights. I know it can result in some long driving days if we stay in say Port Angeles, but the benefit would be
1) no moving locations for 4 nights
2) more space and room but cheaper for 4 of us
3) easier to prepare packed lunches and we can save $ by cooking dinners

Just wondering the logistics right now...

YK - my Mom and stepdad lived in Seattle for years - they are taking my daughter there at the end of June- July for a week. They rented a LOVELY place on a lake...let me see if I can find it. My stepdad is a HUGE hiker - I have the email that shows the place ....I will dig it up.

Hi yk---you were such a help with my husband and daughter's college trip to Boston. I hope I can be of some help to you with my hometown.

September is my favorite month for hiking and enjoying the outdoors here. The weather is generally very good, with less rain than the summer months; warm days and cool nights.

Back-to-school dates vary this year from August 31 (Bellevue School District) to September 9 (Seattle School District). People will still be out enjoying nature on the weekends, but mid-week you should have an easier time finding good accomodations near ONP.

Right after Labor Day is a great time to go. The weather should be very good and the ferry lines much reduced. We stayed at the Lake Crescent Lodge in ONP. I read an entire book just sitting by that lake.

Hi, I want to thank you all for your feedback. I will need to do more research and discuss with my parents. If we do decide to go, I'm sure I'll be back with (a lot) more questions!