Two PNW trips

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I asked about the East Coast, now it is time for the West.

We are going to Seattle and Olympic National Park at the very end of May / beginning of June. We are seeing my family in Seattle and doing ONP just the 3 or 4 of us. Right now we are planning to stay in Alki Beach, Port Angeles, Forks, and Pacific Beach. We are planning to stay 13 nights. Any suggestions for how long we might want to stay at each? Any must see/do things in each area?

Mr. Groundhog and I might do the Oregon Coast for 7-10 days afterwards. I was leaning towards Newport/Yachats. Is 7-10 days too long to stay on the coast? Any favorite areas around the mid coast? We’ve done Canon Beach before. We’d fly in and out of Portland. We’ve done Multnomah Falls area before but are open to exploring other close by areas. Mr. Groundhog likes hiking, and I like looking for sea glass, lighthouses, wildlife, and photography.

Thanks!

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We went to Oregon last summer. I loved Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, hiking at Cape Lookout, driving the coast, and visiting wineries in Willamette. We also had a great lunch at the Schooner in Netarts Bay

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We loved Yachats. We drove from Seaside (also love but very different from Yachats) down the coast and made lots of stops. I think we did it in one day but two or even three would be better. We stayed in Yachats for a few days. Depoe Bay is really cool for seeing whales close to the shore. All the lighthouses are interesting. The Tillamook cheese factory is a fun stop.

We’ve also visited the Olympic peninsula twice, and also and Port Angeles. We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast on the coast east of Port Angeles but it’s been many years. All the regions of Olympic National Park are beautiful. That whole area and the Oregon coast is beautiful, rural, remote. You’ll spend a lot of time in the car.

Funny story-while traveling north on hwy 101 on the Olympic peninsula, our GPS had a glitch and told us we had only two billion miles (and change) to go until we reached our destination. It’s remote, but not that remote!

Also took the ferry from Port Angeles over to Victoria! B.C. And took a whale watching tour which was supposed to be a three hour tour and wasn’t! The boat had mechanical problems and we almost missed the ferry back to that marvelous B&B.

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Does this mean you are postponing the Maine NH trip?

So much to do in the PNW. Easy to spend a couple of weeks there…or more.

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I think we might do that at the end of July now. We are picking up D25 from Brown and might go look at some Maine LACs and see the sights then

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Got it. That is the peak of the tourist season. If you plan to go this July to ME, NH, you probably need to get an itinerary set, and make lodging reservations. And you will NOT want to stay at the place in North Conway I recommended upstream, because it will be challenging to turn onto the main road from there. In fact…driving though N Conway in the summers is a challenge.

But this actually belongs on your other thread.

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I personally think Newport isn’t that interesting. I do love Oregon Dunes though. I also love the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

It’s much more dramatic and wild up by Tillamook Bay, the charming village of Oceanside, and Netarts. Cape Mears has amazing views and you can go up in the lighthouse. There is lovely hiking all around there. There’s the world famous Tillamook cheese factory which is packed and fun, if you like cheese.

You can take an excursion to Bay Ocean on the north side of Cape Mears. The beach is long, unspoiled and beautiful. Once upon a time, it was a bustling and thriving seaside resort known as the Atlantic City of the West. There apparently are still a few foundations to be spotted here and there, but it was all swept away by the ocean. Bayocean: The lost resort town that Oregon forgot - OPB

There are also beautiful and accessible river beaches along the Kilchis and Wilson Rivers. The drive on Kilchis River Road is lovely There is nothing more beautiful than an Oregon river. The Wilson River has the prettiest beaches. If you head back that way to Portland, you can stop for amazing pie in the lovely wisteria covered arbor at Alice’s Country House. I need to go back to Oregon soon.

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I like the Heceta Head lighthouse just north of Florence, Oregon. Very picturesque. There’s a small beach with a river running into it. The hike up to the lighthouse is about a mile. In the summer, the lighthouse keeper’s home is a bed and breakfast. I haven’t stayed there so I can’t recommend anything but the fantastic views.

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We stayed in a very interesting “glamping” resort in Forks, but looks like it is permanently closed. We also stayed in Port Angeles which was fine.

Don’t miss the Hoh rainforest in the Park.

Taking the ferry to the San Juan Islands is great. We also spent some time at Lake Crescent and did an ocean kayak trip out of Port Angeles. However, that was in August when it was hot and sunny so not sure how late May will be for those activities.

Our trip included Mt. Rainier so we only did two days in Olympic NP, stayed in Forks for one night and then a couple in Port Angeles, before heading to Seattle.

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Why not take the ferry to Victoria if you have not been.The museum there is spectacular. Drive north and catch ferries to see Salt Spring Island which is part of the Gulf island above the San Juans. In Oregon we like Newport, Florence, and Pacific City. Astoria is fun too.

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Are you really staying at Alki? Any reason why not a more central Seattle location? Alki is nice for walking, but there’s not much there.

If you haven’t checked, the trip advisor forum for the Olympic national park is fairly active.

We live part-time on the Hood Canal on the Olympic Peninsula, so I have a few biases.

Forks - fine for a few hours if you’re a twilight fan.

The beaches are gorgeous. Ruby Beach has a new parking lot, from what I understand, making it easier.
Lake Quinault lodge is popular.
A trip up to Hurricane Ridge is great if the weather is good.

If you are driving around, Left Bank Pastry in Olympia is good.

Hama Hama Oysters north of Hoodsport is open every day. They serve food a d drink at their outdoor oyster saloon, or you can get food, including fresh oysters, crab cakes, etc. to go.

If you’re taking the Edmonds Ferry Thursday - Sunday, stop at Butcher & Baker Provisions in Port Gamble. Eat-in or to go, excellent pastries, cakes, sandwiches (the fried chicken one is my favorite), entrees, beer and wine.

There’s a good bakery in Sequim and some nice shops. Probably too early for lavender.

You need to go to Anacortes to get the ferry to the San Juans.

We camp in our 5th wheel on the Oregon coast. Manzanita is a favorite town. There are lots of parks to stop at on your way south.
If we aren’t camping on the coast, we’re inland in the Oregon wine country.

I think this is enough from me :joy:

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This! :slight_smile: If you like nature, I recommend driving to Mt Rainier National Park. It is a nice day trip out of the city. If you like wine, there are plenty of winery tasting rooms in Woodinville.

I think @zeebamom covered the Olympic peninsula well. Hoh Rainforest is not to be missed, too.

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We are staying in Alki because my sister lives in West Seattle. My whole family is trying to stay close by. Is Forks more convenient to Hoh than Port Angeles?

Manzanita is my favorite! We stayed there several years ago and I keep saying we are going to move there. I’m sad to heard that Bread and Ocean closed.

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After posting on the Trip Advisor forum I think we are switching from 3 nights in Pacific Beach to 3 nights on Whidbey Island near Deception Pass. You mentioned taking a ferry to San Juan, any other things you recommend on or near Whidbey? Thanks.

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Whidbey Island is a nice choice. There are some breweries, a distillery, a couple of wineries with tasting rooms on the island. We love visiting Fort Casey state park.

https://www.parks.wa.gov/505/Fort-Casey

At the south end of the island, Langley is a charming town with good food and neat little shops. Fabulous views pretty much guaranteed everywhere.

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One of my favorite restaurants is in Alki. Il Nido is known for its pasta dishes. The last time I was there (before the pandemic) the reservations were a month out. EDIT: Good news, reservations at the restaurant are only 5 days out.
If you are in town over the Memorial Day weekend, check out the Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center.

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Our very tentative itinerary for ONP. It sounds like the Hurricane Ridge road will be closed. Do we want to find a way to go to Shi Shi Beach? Should we make time to go kayaking?

Also, what do you recommend seeing/doing on Whidbey Island and is it worth taking a day trip to San Juan Island? We have 2 full days there.

5/31

Drive from Alki to Port Angeles
Lake Cushman
Murhut Falls

6/1

Lake Crescent
Marymere Falls
Mount Storm King?
Other hikes or sights you recommend?

6/2

Port Townsend Glass Beach
Low Tide 9:28 am
Madison Falls

6/3

Drive from Port Angeles to Forks
Cape Flattery
Second Beach low tide 6:48 pm

6/4

Hoh Rainforest
Hall of Mosses
Rialto Beach 7:34pm low tide

6/5

Ruby Beach
Kalaloch Beach / Tree of Life
Could we squeeze in Lake Quinault/Quinault Rainforest?

6/6

Drive from Forks to Whidbey Island
Sol Duc Falls

I haven’t planned out the Oregon part yet but we are staying in Yachats and then Oceanside