After Vancouver Island-Ideas

[Montecfo]

We are in the process of booking our trip to Vancouver Island, starting Tuesday (Flying to Seattle from DC).

We have time at the end of our trip, and are on the fence as to how to spend it. Our last day on Vancouver Island, at this point is Oct 17. I expect we will be back in the US (maybe Everett WA) the night of the 18th.

We do not fly back till the 22nd.

I know there are many folks here that live in or travel to that part of the world. We will just have finished 2 weeks on Vancouver Island, so not sure we will want to do a lot more hiking. We have been quite a few places in Washington State and have also been to San Juan Island (but there are lots of islands). We have pretty much covered Seattle on prior trips. We also went to Whistler on our last trip in 2017.

Should we go to:

1. Vancouver?
2. Oregon Coast ?
3. Other islands?
4. Somewhere else?

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and responses.

 

[RunningBum]

Have you visited the Columbia Gorge? Beautiful waterfalls and views along the river separating Washington and Oregon.

 

[Montecfo]

Thanks RunningBum. Will definitely check that out.

 

[Bamaman]

Take in.Vancouver if at all possible.

 

[tulak]

I’d spend some time in Vancouver.

I’d pass on Everett. An easy, better option in WA is Bellingham. If you have more time, then you could visit San Juan Islands. I’m not sure if the ferry is running from Victoria, but if it is, then that’d be an easy choice.

Another option is the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles. Visit Hurricane Ridge and stay in Port Townsend. Then you could take the ferry to Whidbey Island, go north there and check out Deception Pass. You could also then go to San Juans or head back towards Seattle, depending on how much time you have.

Well, looks like ferries between Canada/US aren’t running. So I’d drive down to Bellingham or San Juan and drive through Whidbey Island and take the ferry from Whidbey to Mukilteo.

 

[Happyras]

We live in Redmond WA. I have lived here all my life in WA. I am sort of biased and would not live anywhere else. However we travel often, last week Europe, next week Caribbean. That said, if you have not driven over Stevens Pass on Hwy 2 from Everett, that would be my choice for you. Leavenworth is a fun town on the other side, Bavarian and Octoberfesting and now has lots of wine tasting rooms and great places to stay. You could then make the loop down to I-90 and back towards Seattle, stop at Cle Elum, nice town Orchard Restaurant, stay at Suncadia Resort, great restaurant/winery, golf. Go up to the one of the forest roads to the top of a hill, 4x4 needed. Come back through Snoqualamie and see the Falls, lunch at the restaurant there, or golf? Lots of hiking, but then you are done with that. Hard to judge for you, but there is so much variety in WA. For me, I like going over to the Pacific side on the peninsula there are nice lodges there, make a loop down to Hood canal and pick up some oysters on the beach, or stop at Dungeness Spit on the north end for a very cool narrow spit of land beach walk.

 

[brett]

Gulf Islands are spectacular. As are the San Juans.

Washington, Oregon, and BC are beautiful. We spent years living in, and traveling throughout the area. Especially the along the coast down to San Diego.

The Oregon coast can sometimes be very foggy in October. Especially in the morning. The big plus though....all the kids, dogs, and trailers are off the road.
If you get a warm day walking the beaches is wonderful.

 

[Montecfo]

Tulak,

Everett is just a place to stay in US. I may not book that night until I have the rest figured out.

The San Juan and Gulf Islands are in the menu. Ferry logistics have made this trip a bit different but I'm just glad we can get there. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[Montecfo]

Happyras,

That sounds like a really fun adventure. There truly is so much to do on PacNW.

 

[rodi]

I’d spend some time in Vancouver.

I’d pass on Everett. An easy, better option in WA is Bellingham. If you have more time, then you could visit San Juan Islands. I’m not sure if the ferry is running from Victoria, but if it is, then that’d be an easy choice.

Another option is the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles. Visit Hurricane Ridge and stay in Port Townsend. Then you could take the ferry to Whidbey Island, go north there and check out Deception Pass. You could also then go to San Juans or head back towards Seattle, depending on how much time you have.

Well, looks like ferries between Canada/US aren’t running. So I’d drive down to Bellingham or San Juan and drive through Whidbey Island and take the ferry from Whidbey to Mukilteo.

Excellent advice here. ^^^^


I used to live in Bellingham and still have friends there. Was there earlier this summer. It's a cool town and worth a visit.

If you like drive trips with views... Drive from Bellingham down Chuckanut Drive to Skagit county - then head over to Anacortes, hang a left (south) towards Whidby and check out Deception pass.

Take the ferry from Whidby to Port Townsend... - spend some time there. Very quaint town.

Are you staying in Everett because your flight is in/out of Everett? I know that airport has ramped up flights of late. Everett doesn't really do much for me...

 

[Montecfo]

Rodi,

Everett is just a placeholder. We fly out of SeaTac. Nothing booked for the US leg yet.

Thanks for the great ideas.

 

[tulak]

Rodi,

Everett is just a placeholder. We fly out of SeaTac. Nothing booked for the US leg yet.

Thanks for the great ideas.

I’d go further south, maybe to Edmonds. Or better yet, if you like wine, then Woodinville is worth a visit. I’ve heard nice things about Willows Lodge (never stayed there). It’s walking distance to a bunch of tasting rooms and I’ve heard good things about the adjoining restaurants, The HerbFarm and Barking Frog. These places are in the BTD category.

And if you are in Everett, then you might want to check out the Boeing factory. And the Museum of Flight in Seattle is also worth a visit.

 

[SnowballCamper]

If you want to get away from the crowds, I highly recommend Mt. St. Helens, (if you get lucky and have clear skies). I visited Johnston Ridge Observatory, and got a great talk from a park ranger about the eruption and geologic activity since the eruption. With that information, the drive up the back side (Windy Ridge) was stunning. You'll go from big Fir forest around a corner to almost no trees, because the eruption blew them all down. There are pull outs where you can see Helens, Rainier, Adams, and Hood from a single point. There is a large mass of tree logs still floating in spirit lake, from the eruption decades ago. OTOH the drive from the Johnston Ridge observatory to Windy ridge takes several hours, and you'll need to check road conditions. Good luck.

 

[skyking1]

i see many great suggestions. What matters is, what do you want to do? Running through Seattle/Tacoma by car is not what I consider a good time, so if you are all run-out then do something north. Victoria-Vancouver by ferry is a pretty neat ride on the BC ferries, and would be a highlight of hanging around Vancouver.
Mt. St. Helens is great but it will be a really long day. Same goes for Rainier. If you really want to do those I suggest limiting your time to that area so you are not just run-out. My 2 cents.

 

[DawgMan]

We are in the process of booking our trip to Vancouver Island, starting Tuesday (Flying to Seattle from DC).

Where in Vancouver Island are you staying? For our 30th anniversary (almost 4 years ago), DW and I went and stayed at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge. It was off the chain... bucket list trip. It was glamping at its best, not cheap, but I would highly recommend it. Obviously lots of great fishing, whale watching, and some sights like Tofino to visit.

Enjoy!

 

[Montecfo]

Hi Dawgman,

We are all booked for the VI portion. Victoria 3 days, Port Refrew 2 days, Qualicum Beach 4 days, Tofino 3 days.

Tofino was the toughest booking as it is storm watching season, plus the holiday weekend of Oct 9-11.

We will have to check out Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on another trip.

I do appreciate the idea. We will I am sure understand better where we want to stay ( and hopefully have a longer runway with border open) next trip.

 

[conversationalphrase]

Olympic National Park, Sequim, and Port Angeles are worthwhile.

 

[skyking1]

Olympic National Park, Sequim, and Port Angeles are worthwhile.

yes and not a ton of travel. Take the Black Ball ferry across.

 

[tulak]

yes and not a ton of travel. Take the Black Ball ferry across.

Ferry is closed. Might resume later in the month.

 

[Montecfo]

yes and not a ton of travel. Take the Black Ball ferry across.

Those ferries are not running as the marine border between Canada and US is closed. We had to overland to Canada then BC Ferries to VI.

Nice weather in Victoria though.Seaplane taxis in.

 

[skyking1]

Ferry is closed. Might resume later in the month.

That's a bummer.

 

[Dog]

We are in the process of booking our trip to Vancouver Island, starting Tuesday (Flying to Seattle from DC).



We have time at the end of our trip, and are on the fence as to how to spend it. Our last day on Vancouver Island, at this point is Oct 17. I expect we will be back in the US (maybe Everett WA) the night of the 18th.



We do not fly back till the 22nd.



I know there are many folks here that live in or travel to that part of the world. We will just have finished 2 weeks on Vancouver Island, so not sure we will want to do a lot more hiking. We have been quite a few places in Washington State and have also been to San Juan Island (but there are lots of islands). We have pretty much covered Seattle on prior trips. We also went to Whistler on our last trip in 2017.



Should we go to:



1. Vancouver?

2. Oregon Coast ?

3. Other islands?

4. Somewhere else?



I appreciate everyone's thoughts and responses.

For variety, I would consider Eastern Washington as a contrast to Vancouver Island. Consider driving Hwy 20 over the North Cascades and check out Winthrop/Mazama. Beautiful drive and views. Maybe loop around to return via Stevens Pass and take in Lake Chelan (Campbells Resort) and Leavenworth (Sleeping Lady Resort on the River).Or there is always I-90 to check our Cle-Elum/Roslyn/Suncadia and Snoqualmie Falls. There may be some fresh snow in the mountains. Maybe consider including Walla Walla if you enjoy wineries.
You may want to stay at Mukilteo (Silver Cloud), rather than Everett or head to Kirkland (Woodmark Hotel). If you decide to stay in Everett, consider a stay on the waterfront (Hotel Indigo).

 

[yakers]

An adventure approach, I’m a kayaker, check out Tofino on Vancouver island and the San Juan islands

 

[oiseux]

For variety, I would consider Eastern Washington as a contrast to Vancouver Island. Consider driving Hwy 20 over the North Cascades and check out Winthrop/Mazama. Beautiful drive and views. Maybe loop around to return via Stevens Pass and take in Lake Chelan (Campbells Resort) and Leavenworth (Sleeping Lady Resort on the River).Or there is always I-90 to check our Cle-Elum/Roslyn/Suncadia and Snoqualmie Falls. There may be some fresh snow in the mountains. Maybe consider including Walla Walla if you enjoy wineries.
You may want to stay at Mukilteo (Silver Cloud), rather than Everett or head to Kirkland (Woodmark Hotel). If you decide to stay in Everett, consider a stay on the waterfront (Hotel Indigo).

Although things may be set, I second the recommendation for the "Cascade Loop", although there is a chance for snow in the week ahead at the higher elevations. I grew up in WA and worked two summers in the North Cascades NP/Ross Lake NRA (and my sister still lives in the islands). Drive Highway 20 and allocate time to stop at the various overlooks (Diablo - you can also drive down to the dam and drive/walk across, there is a narrow keyhole canyon below) and the big one, Washington Pass (0.3 mile loop for the best views). It may be late in the season for it, but the fall colors are really nice. There are some hikes still open, as well as some nature loops (Ladder Creek Falls) and lower elevation strolls. Winthrop is a western-themed town on the dry side (Sun Mountain Lodge). You can then loop back via the Bavarian-themed Leavenworth.

If you are flying out of SeaTac in the morning, I suggest the last night somewhere south of Seattle. The traffic can be bad. If you stay in Everett sometimes the 405 route is far better (speedier)

 

[Montecfo]

Nothing set for the US leg. we fly late on the 22nd.

Thanks for all the great ideas. Enjoying the fabulous west coast of VI.

BTW, we were the only vehicle crossing into Canada the other day when we entered. Americans scarce up here.