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Winter trip to Washington - need advice please!

Winter trip to Washington - need advice please!

Old Dec 30th, 2004, 10:29 PM
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Winter trip to Washington - need advice please!

We will be flying into Seattle for about ten or eleven days in mid February. My husband would like to go snowmobiling someplace. We both love beautiful scenery, oceans, mountains, etc and interesting small towns. We are on a budget and will probably use Priceline for hotel rooms when possible. I have been in Seattle for several days in the past. He is not a big city person so I doubt that we will spend much time there.

Would love some recommendations for a relatively relaxed trip - with a snowmobiling location included. I would like to drive to coast to see rain forests - is there much to do on Olympic peninsula? Any special small towns? Would appreciate your thoughts on visiting San Juan islands in Feb.

I have read a few posts - Whistler sounds wonderful - would you recommend driving up there?

Sorry for this sort of disjointed message - it is 2 am here! Thanks
Pam
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Old Dec 31st, 2004, 06:53 PM
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I don't know why this post does not show up when I do a search of posts about Washington. Then I realized I did not have the word "Washington" in body of post. Does that make a difference?
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Old Dec 31st, 2004, 08:01 PM
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We're short of snow here in the Pacific NW so far, but maybe by February it will catch up. Canada is 25% cheaper than US, so if price is a consideration, check out Whistler, etc. Great website for rentals: www.vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner) You'll find dozens of places in Whistler, etc. If you can live without the snow thing, Vancouver Island is excellent. Spent Christmas in Sooke Harbor - many parks and unbelievable hikes and beaches. Moderate weather, but likely will be rainy. Still, you'd be close to Victoria - great museums, restaurants, etc. in case the weather gets too ratty.

Olympic peninsula is fantastic. Winter is actually the best time to see the Hoh Rain Forest (only temperate rain forest out here). Beaches are wild an wonderful.
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Old Dec 31st, 2004, 11:59 PM
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To get your post to come up when someone searches for "Washington" you need to highlight "Washington" when you are doing your original posting. There's a menu right above the message space that allows you to make that selection. If you don't get a lot of responses, you might try reposting in that way. I think a lot of us scan for questions about the areas with which we are familiar by state.

Wish I could help you. Mid February could have some okay weather, as it often starts to clear a bit by then, but you might find it really socked in. It would be nice to have flexibility to dash up to the mountains. Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic peninsula is really stellar, with views over the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria on a clear day. So, if you're spending a few days on the OP, you can dash up there if the weather clears.
Port Townsend is a lovely town on the NE corner of the OP. There are lots of old Victorian houses there and a picturesque downtown area. Also kayaking is possible, weather permitting (We kayaked in sprinkles in Alaska and it was great).

San Juan Islands would be nice, too. Friday Harbor is a great little town on SJ Island. There are some interesting historic sites on the island (read up on the "Pig War" on the internet).

Victoria is great and has good indoor things to do. I think you'd have to go through Victoria to get to the SJ's from the OP that time of year.

Vancouver is awesome. It's a big city, but your husband might discover a new appreciation for big cities in Vancouver. Whistler is up the road from there.

You could go from the OP (2 days - Pt. Townsend, Lake Crescent) to Victoria (2 days) to Saltspring Island (instead of the SJ's - 1 day). Then Vancouver (2 days) and up to Whistler (2 days). Then back to Seattle.

Happy New Year! And have a great trip!
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 01:19 AM
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I agree with the above post. Port Townsend and Lake Crescent are beautiful and are definatly worth visiting. You could also go to Port Angeles and take a ferry to Victoria, British Columbia.
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Old Jan 1st, 2005, 03:30 PM
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For winter recreation e.g. snowmobiling, I think you'll have to drive a bit. Not many people do it on the western side of the Cascades, and I don't think you can do it in the Olympics (which are mostly National Park) at all, but perhaps you could find a guide/rental service near Leavenworth or Winthrop/Methow Valley in the eastern Cascades. These towns are quite touristed but are in beautiful settings, and they have websites that should be helpful.

The ocean and the islands will be COLD-dress warm. But, you should be able to find some great off season deals.
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Old Jan 14th, 2005, 08:58 PM
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With the snowmobiling/coast thing you are probably talking about going opposite directions!! Both are beautiful but time consuming and that will make it a not very relaxed trip--to try to do the coast and also get to Leavenworth and/or Winthrop area for snowmobiling. You may need to focus on one or the other--would you rather do the rainforest/coast/(possibly)San Juan Islands or head to the mountains for snowfun? If you do have a full 10-11 days it's doable as long as you don't mind some long pretty drives! Let us know how your plans ar going.
I DO want to say if there was "no budget" check out Mountain Home Lodge by Leavenworth, talk about a romantic escape in the snow--we're heading there for our third annual early Valentine escape in a few weeks Have done everything except their snowmobile trip but the ppl who did it were absolutely THRILLED, they lucked out with the weather and had an incredible view.
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Old Jan 15th, 2005, 09:25 AM
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Thanks for all your replies. I did talk to someone from a state of Washington tourist info office about snowmobiling. She suggested Mount Baker area - would appreciate any of your ideas about that. We have now made reservations. We will get to Seattle on a Saturday Feb 12. Thought we would spend that night and Sunday in the city and then possibly head out for a day of snowmobiling on Monday. After that will drive to Olympic peninsula and spend four or five days there. I think we will skip San Juan Islands

Are there any wineries in the western part of the state or would we be trying to cram in too much. We will be leaving Seattle on Tues Feb 22

Any suggestions of places to stay would be appreciated on Olympic Peninsula and for snowmobiling. Will probably spend at least one night in Port Townsend area and then drive around the peninsula. I have been Quinault before and would like to stay around there for night I think.

Thanks so much

Pam
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Old Jan 15th, 2005, 09:34 AM
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When we lived in the area, everyone went to the Leavenworth area for snowmobiling. That is, if they were going on a tour. If people had their own then Baker was a popular area.

I agree with the Mountain Home Lodge suggestion. There is also snowmobiling through the Mountain Spring Lodge, which is outside Leavenworth by about 15 minutes.
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Old Jan 15th, 2005, 09:35 AM
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Pam...Leavenworth would be a shorter drive than up to Mt. Baker, so if you are planning on a day trip for snowmobiling then I would stick with the Leavenworth area.
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Old Jan 17th, 2005, 11:51 AM
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I think you need to talk to rental places/guide services first and then make your decision. We have very low snow levels this year and there are many places that snowmobiling is either dangerous or non-existant because of this (see, for example, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...wmobile17.html) .
But, snow levels vary considerably around the state, so call outfitters and ask what conditions are like before making your decision.
There are some small wineries in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville-you should be able to find info online.

Like I said earlier, I doubt there is any snowmobiling allowed in the Olmpics. You should call Olympic National Forest HQ, for if there are any commercial outfitters, they would know.
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Old Jan 17th, 2005, 07:28 PM
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Love the Mt.Baker area--we go up there xctry skiing BUT I agree with the other posters that for a organized tourist experienced snowmobile outing Leavenworth area is THE place--very strange that the visitor's bureau pointed you to Baker!! You are talking Valentine's Day time frame and Leavenworth is quite the popular getaway so you may want to check for snowmobile/lodging info right now IF you decide on that direction, we would never do it as a day trip, at least in winter--it can be a long drive depending on weather, but some do.
Port Townsend is also a popular destination for weekends/Val's Day so you may want to check out your lodging options soon for that too.
Have fun researching your trip!
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