Washington State in September

[PoorOldCountryBoy]

Any must visit locations for visiting Washington State in September? National Parks will be part of it, and Seattle. Thanks in Advance.

 

[Montecfo]

How long will you be there and what areas are you planning to visit so far?

 

[Markola]

I live there for 5 years in grad school. The North Cascades loop is a beautiful drive. San Juan Islands by ferry are unique. Mt. Ranier, Olympic Peninsula... Yeesh, the whole state is jaw-dropping. You can’t lose.

 

[meierlde]

Beyond the national parks near the coast and the puget sound areas. You could consider the dry falls (the remnant of the greatest floods in the US in the last 15k years as well as seeing Grand Coulee dam. If you go there on US 2 from Wenatchee, you will also cross Moses Coulee which is a large valley carved by the Missoula floods. From Wenatchee you could then go up and drive west on SR 20 thru north Cascades and consider a cruise on Lake Chelan.

 

[JackJester]

What Markola said. Sept is the best time to be in WA. Less crowds, kids back in school, still 70 and sunny, small chance of rain, football season begins, fall leaves start to turn in the cascades, fantastic hiking/backpacking in the cascades (no bugs), salmon start to show up in the Sound, vineyards are starting the harvest (best time to visit wine country), .... Damn! I've said too much.

 

[PawPrint53]

Ferry rides are always on my list when I visit.

 

[Chuckanut]

Mount St. Helens. How often do you get to see a volcano with one side blown away? But you will need to spend one night in that area.

 

[VanWinkle]

What Markola said. Sept is the best time to be in WA. Less crowds, kids back in school, still 70 and sunny, small chance of rain, football season begins, fall leaves start to turn in the cascades, fantastic hiking/backpacking in the cascades (no bugs), salmon start to show up in the Sound, vineyards are starting the harvest (best time to visit wine country), .... Damn! I've said too much.

You forgot to mention the sales at Costco in September!!!

 

[PoorOldCountryBoy]

How long will you be there and what areas are you planning to visit so far?

We're in initial planning stages, but the natural beauty (national parks et al) are the initial focus. Flying in to Seattle, will stay between 7 and 16 days.


Many thanks to all the replies so far - all very good information that we had not thought of yet.

 

[brett]

Cascades loop, Olympic Peninsula, San Juan Isalnds (Washington State Ferry system is great), Astoria, Columbia River Valley route.

Take an extra few days. Head south to Route 1 on the Oregon Coast. Lincoln City, Newport, etc. IF...the weather is decent.

Our favorite state. Wonderful, friendly people.

 

[RunningBum]

I was there last June, this thread makes me want to go back!

My itinerary was:
2 nights in Port Angeles, exploring town and Olympic National Park

1 night Snoqualmie for a marathon, also saw the falls. Would love to see more of the mountains and get to the other side. Wenatchee strikes me as Bend without the hype.

3 nights Bellingham, exploring town + day whale watching cruise around San Juans.

Final day in Seattle before red eye flight--space needle, Chihuly garden and glass, POP culture museum.

Only scratched the surface. I'd been to Vancouver and Victoria before or else I would've gotten there too.

 

[grasshopper]

Hey, you may be in the evergreen state for the 5 days of summer

 

[braumeister]

Hey, you may be in the evergreen state for the 5 days of summer

Long ago, I had some good friends who moved out there and invited me to visit. When I had been there a day or so, I made some comment about the overcast skies and frequent rain showers, and was told "No, no, you can't say that. What you're supposed to say is "Gee, everything is so green!".

Fast forward about five years, and they had moved again to Sacramento, California, and again invited me to visit. Same deal -- I made some comment about the dry, sun-baked landscape, and was told "No, no, you can't say that. What you're supposed to say is "Gee, everything is golden!"

Eventually, I learned not to comment about someone else's climate.

 

[RunningBum]

Long ago, I had some good friends who moved out there and invited me to visit. When I had been there a day or so, I made some comment about the overcast skies and frequent rain showers, and was told "No, no, you can't say that. What you're supposed to say is "Gee, everything is so green!".

Fast forward about five years, and they had moved again to Sacramento, California, and again invited me to visit. Same deal -- I made some comment about the dry, sun-baked landscape, and was told "No, no, you can't say that. What you're supposed to say is "Gee, everything is golden!"

Eventually, I learned not to comment about someone else's climate.

LOL, I went skiing in Whitefish, MT once. Mentioned the fog (as bad as I've seen anywhere). "No, it's not fog, it's low clouds!" Uh, ok, real low clouds. Like, standing on top of the mountain, I thought I was sliding backwards once because of the "low clouds" between me and my skis, and I got dizzy and felt. My son confirmed that I wasn't moving at all.

 

[EastWest Gal]

My sister has lived near the foot of Mt. Rainier since 1982. September is a wonderful time to go. Olympic peninsula is spectacular. Bainbridge island for wine tasting. If you have an extra day, Take the ferry to Victoria and check out Buchart Gardens.

 

[O2Bfree]

Another vote for the Olympic peninsula. If you visit Port Angeles on a clear or partly cloudy day, take the drive up to Hurricane Ridge, which is only about 17 miles away. Spectacular views and a nice visitors' center. Webcams can help you decide if it could be clear enough to enjoy the views.

 

[RetireAge50]

The Olympic peninsula is about the most boring place on earth. Also rain is continuous here in western Washington. Might want to check out Hawaii instead.
[emoji51]

 

[Montecfo]

We have made two trips to the Pacific NW. Both times the highlight was Victoria BC. First time we were there 3 days. The more recent trip we spent a week on Vancouver Island and then a few days in Whistler before spending a few days in Seattle area. Just a very charming, beautiful and fun little harbor town. Very walkable and clean.

 

[DrRoy]

Cascades loop, Olympic Peninsula, San Juan Isalnds (Washington State Ferry system is great), Astoria, Columbia River Valley route.

Take an extra few days. Head south to Route 1 on the Oregon Coast. Lincoln City, Newport, etc. IF...the weather is decent.

Oregon has lots to do and is worthy of a trip on its own. Don't miss Crater Lake if you go there.

I also plan to visit Washington at some point. I normally like to go a little off season, but I want to be there with the best chance of minimizing rainy weather. I have been told that July or August would be best for that.

 

[PoorOldCountryBoy]

We have made two trips to the Pacific NW. Both times the highlight was Victoria BC. First time we were there 3 days. The more recent trip we spent a week on Vancouver Island and then a few days in Whistler before spending a few days in Seattle area. Just a very charming, beautiful and fun little harbor town. Very walkable and clean.

Thanks to everyone for your great ideas - keep then coming. Yes, I've heard about the rain! An old work acquaintance from Sequim has given me the expert tip about staying in the rain shadow (i.e. stay near Sequim when on the Olympic Peninsula).

For the purposes of this trip, it's going to be Washington State. If we have time possibly Oregon (the Oregon coast and Crater Lake), but it looks like there is much to do in Washington State. Maybe 16 days vs 7....

DW and I have stopped in Vancouver during a cruise 20+ years ago - nice place, definitely worth the visit. We are staying in the U.S. for this trip. We used to make a lot of trips to Canada, Bermuda and other spots that used to only need your U.S. driver's license to go. Ever since a passport has been required we've just not bothered with the annoyance. We will eventually plan 5 years of foreign travel, probably starting with a lot of time travelling Canada. Lots of places to see there!

 

[O2Bfree]

I also plan to visit Washington at some point. I normally like to go a little off season, but I want to be there with the best chance of minimizing rainy weather. I have been told that July or August would be best for that.

Yes, summer in the PNW starts on July 5th.

 

[Bir48die]

Did I not read correctly or did anyone not mention Leavenworth? If you're anywhere near Chelan or Wenatchee this is a must. If you're in SE Washington there is outstanding wine country in Walla Walla and up into Yakima.

 

[shortstop14]

I also plan to visit Washington at some point. I normally like to go a little off season, but I want to be there with the best chance of minimizing rainy weather. I have been told that July or August would be best for that.

September is also a good month to go - the rains usually don't start until mid-October. But I like it in May, even though there will be rainy days. It's not usually a hard rain, more light showers.

Olympic Peninsula (Olympic National Park, Hoh Rain Forest), downtown Seattle, ferry trips out to the San Juan Islands, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, and the Columbia Gorge are the biggest draws. Also the North Cascades, Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier. But the high desert east side is also worth a visit - Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Wenatchee Valley.

 

[brett]

We did many road trips in Washington and Oregon right after Labor Day weekend.

Great weather. Kids, dogs, and trailers are off the road. No prob getting hotels.

It's a great state!

 

[Janet H]

WA is a big state and most folks forget that 2/3 of the state is arid. East of the cascades there is beautiful rolling land and spectacular views. Central and eastern WA have vast wineries and many tours. September is crush season!

You will need more than 5 days to do the whole state so I would focus on one section.
WA is about 400 miles wide and 250 miles N/S. Lots of driving.