My husband and I will be in Washington July 12-20. We have to spend July 16-19 in Bellingham and the 20th in Seattle to catch an early plane on the 20th. We initially thought we would catch a ferry to Victoria for the week-end and haven't completely given up on the idea, but would also like to look at other suggestions.

I checked with lodging at Lake Quinault Lodge which was full. Other suggestions? We like to be in nature and some hiking. The time before coming will be a stressful time at work, so we want this to be a leisurely few days. Something around Mount Rainier? I'm realizing that lodging is difficult even this far out.

Our plane gets into Sea-Tac at 2:30 on the 16th. We should have our rental car by 3 since we don't check luggage. Could we catch a ferry to Victoria with that time frame?

Plus, we are from Texas and last July when we were in Washington, the temp hit records I believe (during the horrible fires), so we need to stay places with a/c. Luckily, we were on Orcas and had somehow stumbled into a place with a/c, thank goodness!

Any suggestions are welcomed.

I really thought this was going to be a question about where to visit for weed.

Me too, plenty of weed here in Colorado!

Sorry, spell check didn't catch it.

Here's what I'd do.

Get your car and drive an hour or so to Mukilteo, a little waterfront town north of Seattle. Spend the night at the Silver Cloud hotel, which sits right on the water. Have dinner next door at Ivar's, then sit on the driftwood-covered beach next to the cute lighthouse and watch the sun set behind the Olympics.

Next morning, get on the ferry that departs from Mukilteo over to Whidbey Island. Stop for a coffee at picturesque Langley, then drive up to Fort Casey, a state park on the west side of the island, with trails, a nice lighthouse, and cool coastal defense gun batteries. Hike around Fort Casey (or nearby Ebey's Landing) then take an afternoon ferry over to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. Spend the night in Port Townsend or continue an hour to Port Angeles. You can - and should - book this ferry as it's small and doesn't run all that often. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

The next day (Saturday if I'm not mistaken) head up to Hurricane Ridge for more hiking, then back down the hill. You might also check out the lavender fields around Sequim ("skwim") at this time. The annual Lavender Festival starts the following week, but there will probably be fields in bloom by then.

If you have to be in Bellingham on the night of the 15th, so be it; just retrace your steps to Port Townsend, ferry over to Coupeville, and drive to Bellingham via Deception Pass (worth an hour or more for more hiking and sightseeing) and Chuckanut Drive (SR 11.)

If you don't have to be in Bellingham until some time on the 16th, use the Sunday for a day trip as foot passengers on the Coho ferry over to Victoria.

Map - https://goo.gl/maps/RQTBWnr3m6r

If you want a weekend trip that doesn't involve 2-3 ferries, just drive your rental car to Vancouver and come back to Bellingham when you need to be there.Allegiant does fly into Bellingham depending on what you feel about them. Amtrak has train and bus service between Seattle and Vancouver if you didn't want to drive a rental car in Canada. Amtrak does pick up and drop off passengers in Bellingham on the run either way.
My favorite hike in Vancouver is around the seawall in Stanley Park in the west end of the city.
Don't get caught taking weed into Canada.

https://www.captainwhidbey.com/

... would make a great place to kick back and relax. On Whidbey Island in Coupeville so reasonably convenient to your plans.

I, too, thought it a very clever title. How disappointing, especially with that handle.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Gardyloo, that's an impressive plan. Got me to thinking, what do you think about going to Bainbridge Island the first night and then drive to Port Townsend for hiking, then over to Port Angeles for the night, then to Victoria? How long is the ferry ride to Victoria?

suze: Captain Whidbey Inn is a good suggestion. I stayed there about 30 years ago on my first trip to Washington and loved the garden. That is really tempting as we will be in need of relaxing and there looks to be enough to do on Whidbey that 3 days would work.

tom fuller: Vancouver is always a good idea, but we've recently been there 4 times, so am looking for something a different this trip. I agree that Stanley Park is a gem.

That could work too. Accommodation on Bainbridge is limited, so look for something fairly soon. I haven't stayed, but have heard good things about the Clearwater casino/resort just over the Agate Pass bridge from Bainbridge - Poulsbo Hotel & Resort Near Seattle ? Clearwater Resort | Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort . There are also a couple of motels and a few B&Bs or Airbnb places on Bainbridge. Look at the Harbour Pub or Doc's Grill at Eagle Harbor for pupus/drinks/dinner. If you're into gardens, the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge is fab.

I would probably shoot for PA the next night and save Port Townsend for the day you move to Bellingham via Whidbey; there would be less backtracking. If you stay in PA the day trip to Victoria will be much easier. The ferry from PA to Victoria takes 90 minutes - https://www.cohoferry.com/ .

Now that assumes you don't want to go to Bellingham via Canada instead of via Whidbey, i.e. PA > Victoria > (BC ferry to) Tsawwassen > border > Bellingham. That would be a significantly longer trip and much more expensive due to car charges on both the Coho and the BC boat, plus potentially lengthy border delays returning to the US.

I like Whidbey because I think it's very beautiful, calm and relaxing, but a LOT easier to get to than most of the other options people pick (ONP, San Juans, etc.)

Thanks for such a quick response. I've done the ferry trip from Tsawwassen a few years ago and it did seem long, so think I'll pass on that one. I'll start looking around on Bainbridge and see what's available. You are just a wealth of information. I've saved numerous maps that you've done for the time when we are living in Bellingham and have more time to do longer trips.

Yeah, a friend and I did Orcas last year. I had been there several times years and years ago. It seemed a lot further this last time. Plus, we were there last summer during the heat and smoke which was a bit uncomfortable and heartbreaking knowing what was going on all around us.

Thanks for all the suggestions. We've decided to take this trip a little slower since we'll be working up to the hour we leave!

After landing at Sea-Tac on Thursday, we will drive to Mukilteo and spend the 1st night at the Silver Cloud Hotel and explore that area. The next day, we will take the ferry to Whidbey Island. I've booked the Boatyard Inn in Langley for 3 nights. Then on Monday, we head to Bellingham for 3 nights and then the final night, we will spend in Seattle. We are thinking about staying at Hotel Ballard since we've never explored that neighborhood of Seattle. It looks like an easy trip to the airport if we stay off I5 for most of the route.

I think that's a terrific plan.

What time is your flight from Seattle? Traffic from Ballard can be a little icky in the morning. Use SR 99 rather than I-5.

Perfect!

Don't be afraid of using I-5. Most of the time it is by far the fastest way to the airport.

Our flight leaves at 9:23 am. I figured that if we left Ballard around 7:15, we would have plenty of time to get to the airport and turn in our rental car. Does that seem OK? Yes, we were planning on taking SR 99. We're not afraid of I-5, but it does seem a little more dicey....1 accident and we miss our flight! We were in Bellingham a couple of weeks ago and while driving back to Seattle, there was an accident on the other side and I don't know where the traffic finally ended!

No, not okay at all. July 20 is a cruise day at the peak of the cruise season, and the security lines at Seatac can be epic. Thousands of cruise passengers, who will all have disembarked at 7:30, will be lining up trying to make their flights. If your flight departs at 9:23 you need to give it the full two hours at the airport; add the car refuel and return, plus the shuttle from the car rental center to the terminal, plus Friday morning traffic, and honestly I'd be on the road no later than 6:30, maybe earlier. You might even consider scrubbing the last night in Ballard and stay near the airport to keep Friday morning from turning into a grueling affair.

Nope, that's not anywhere near enough time!

You need to be at SeaTac by 7:20 imo for a 9:20 flight (or 8:00am at the latest & only if you are not risk-adverse).

I'd leave Ballard at 6:00am myself. Arriving SeaTac area around 6:30-6:45, return of rental car allowing 1/2 hour, shuttle over to airport... so now it's about 7:15-7:30.

I think I’d stay out at the airport. I’d return your car, check into the hotel, and take transit to Ballard for the evening. It won’t be difficult, it’ll give you time to explore Ballard, and it’ll set you up for success in the morning.

but in any case always check google maps before setting out. Usually, I5 is better than 99 time wise.