My 9-day Washington State Itinerary
My 9-day Washington State Itinerary
This trip was taken in June 2023.
Day 1: Around Seattle
We woke up in Seattle, having traveled the day before on a direct flight from Boston.
We decided to take a full day to settle down and explore the city. Seattle is the largest city in the state of Washington, as well as the largest city in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), and in our opinion, worth exploring for the day.
We stayed at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel, which has great views of the city (including the Space Needle - albeit far away) and the bay area.
We started our day with Starbucks Coffee and headed out to hunt for a breakfast place. That is when we came across Skalka, a Georgian breakfast place that offers traditional khachapuri with a twist! After breakfast, we continued our walk a few minutes down to the bay, where we explored the famous piers, and hopped on The Seattle Great Wheel at Pier 57. The Wheel offers stunning views of the piers, the city and Mount Rainier -on a good day, and the experience costs $18 USD p/adult. You can reserve your tickets in advance, or buy in person.
We then headed to Seattle's famous Pike Place Market, a nine-acre historic district bustling with every type of vendors. You will find homemade crafts, food, flowers and art. Make sure you visit the Fish Market to watch the "fish fly", and grab a drink and some snacks before heading out. The famous "gum wall" is also close by.
Continuing with the touristy sights, we headed to Amazon Headquarters to see the Spheres. Given that is was a holiday weekend we were not able to tour the inside, but even just seeing the outside structure is worth the walk. They are usually open to the public every first and third Saturday of the month, and you have to make reservations prior to your arrival. Reservations are posted 15 days prior, starting at 10 am PST, and released every 15 minutes through 5 PM PST.
Then, we continued our walk uptown, to see the area where the Space Needle, The Chihuly Garden and Glass, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and the International Fountain are. Except for the gardens around the fountain, all other activities require reservations and tickets. You can decide which attraction to visit, or you can buy a Seattle CityPASS which is valid for 9 days and offers entry to the Space Needle and the Aquarium, plus three more attractions of your choice (you can decide between the Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, MoPOP, Woodland Park Zoo and The Chihuly Gardens), or the Seattle C3 Pass (valid for 3 attractions of your choice)
Given our limited time, we decided to get tickets for the Space Needle only. You can also walk outside the Chihuly Garden where you will see some of the sculptures or grab a drink at the bar. Tickets for the Space Needle sell out quickly, and we were able to get some for late in the afternoon. While we waited, we hopped on an electric scooter to drive around uptown, which is always a fun way to get to know a city!
After spending a few hours taking in the view of the city from the Space Needle observatory, we headed to Kerry Park for sunset. Kerry Park really offers some of the best sunset views of the city. Some people like to enjoy the sunset from the Space Needle, but we wanted to have a sunset view that included the most iconic structure of Seattle, as well as Mount Rainier. It was then time for dinner, and calling it a night!
End of day 1.
Day 2: The San Juan Islands
We explored multiple ways to get to the San Juan Islands. The cheapest -but lengthiest one- includes driving to the port at Anacortes and then taking a ferry. I feel this would be a better alternative for those seeking to stay overnight, given that the travel time is too long for a day trip visit. The drive from Seattle to Anacortes is said to be beautiful, but takes between 2-3 hours each way. If you plan on staying overnight, and decide to take a ferry, I recommend you check the San Juan Islands visitors bureau website for schedules and information. Also, from my research, it is highly recommended to have a car reservation if you are planning on boarding the ferry with your vehicle.
There is an alternative ferry route that departs from Port Townsend, which is located ~1 hr away from Port Angeles. This is a good option if you are wrapping up your trip on the Olympic Peninsula and wish to add a day in the islands.
Now, our plan involved flying into the San Juan Islands. Specifically to Friday Harbor. For this, we made a package reservation with Friday Harbor Seaplanes. Our main reason to go to San Juan Islands was to get on a wildlife boat tour, specifically to see orcas. Friday Harbor offers a package option "Fly 2 Whales" to book a seaplane flight plus a boat tour with Western Prince Whale Watching Adventures.
We departed around 9:30 AM from Renton (~30 min Uber ride from the hotel) on a seaplane that offered the most stunning views of the city, Mount Rainier and the Islands. The flight lasts ~ 1 hr and lands at Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. The wildlife boat tour doesn't depart until 3 PM, so you have time to explore the island. You can do this on foot, by renting a moped, or hopping on the Friday Harbor Jolly Trolley.
We walked around, had lunch at Friday's Crabhouse right by the bay, and then enjoyed ice-cream at Friday Harbor Ice-Cream Company, which offers 72 different flavors and only accepts cash. Other activities include visiting the Lime Kiln State Park for whale watching from the cost, visiting the Lavender and Alpaca farms, or renting a kayak. Kayaking tours are also very popular in the islands, with half day (3 hr) and full day (6 hr, recommended to increase your chances to see orcas) options. They also offer nighttime bioluminescence kayaking tours. We had initially contacted Sea Quest Kayak Tours, but decided on a boat tour instead, since we had the highest chances of encountering orcas.
Three PM came around, and we were finally able to board the Western Explorer II speedboat. The tour lasts 3 hr, and they provide you with binoculars and insulated cruiser suits. Despite going in the beginning of summer, it gets very windy and cold out in the ocean! We encountered orcas (killer whales), a humpback whale, harbor seals, a bald eagle and stellar sea lions.
Immediately after the tour was over, we headed to the pier to wait for our seaplane ride back to Seattle. The views were as spectacular on our way back, with the sun lowering on the horizon. Overall, this was a fantastic experience that I highly recommend adding to your itinerary.
End of Day 2.
Day 3: Heading to Olympic National Park and the Pacific Coast
Early wake up call in Seattle! Grabbed coffee and an Uber to the airport so we could pick up our car. I don't think having a car in Seattle is necessary prior to this day. Parking lots are very expensive (even at the hotel) and you can get everywhere walking, using a scooter and taking a few Ubers.
Once we were all set, with bags loaded in the car, we started heading out of Seattle towards the Olympic Peninsula. There are a few stops on the way, for both breakfast and activities. We drove 1 hr towards Silverdale, where we stopped at REI (of course) and had a quick breakfast. You can also continue driving all the way to Sequim, where there are more breakfast options and you can find some famous lavender fields, or make it all the way to Port Angeles (~3.5 hr from Seattle). We then stopped at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles, stretched our legs, and decided our course for the day.
When planning your trip to Olympic National Park, you will realize that everything is spread pretty far apart. Driving to different sections of the park will take you anywhere from 1-3 hours, and driving the scenic loop around the park takes a total of 8 hours. For this reason, it is recommended to split your lodging between the town of Forks (yes, that vampire town of Forks ) and Port Angeles. From Forks, you will have easier access to the Pacific Coast, Hoh Rainforest and relatively easier access to the Sol Duc area. From Port Angeles, you will have easier access to the Lake Crescent and Hurricane Ridge areas.
We decided to begin our stay in Forks for two nights, so after visiting the Olympic NP Port Angeles VIS, followed by grocery shopping and a quick stop at Lake Crescent, we continued our 1 hr drive towards our beautiful AirBnb at Forks, with access to a stream on its backyard, a fireplace and hot tub (10/10 recommend!)
After dropping luggage and food, we headed towards the Pacific Coast, stopping first at Rialto Beach and La Push First Beach, and then driving 1 hr further south towards the stunning Ruby beach. When visiting the beaches, make sure to check out the tide chart and carry a topographic map, specially if you will be hiking or checking out the tidal pools. You definitely do not want to get trapped during a high tide, since many visitors have lost their lives this way over the years.
We finished the day visiting the Kalaloch Tree of Life, a huge Sitka Spruce hanging by a root, over a huge gap in the cliff.
The drive back to the AirBnb was ~ 45 min. Made some food, hopped in the hot tub and called it a night!
End of Day 3.
Day 4: Hoh Rainforest and Cape Flattery
Here, you will be able to enjoy the Hall of Mosses trail (0.8 mi), the Spruce Nature Trail (1.4 mi) and the Hoh River Trail (18.5 mi, but has multiple river access and you can turn around at any time). After enjoying some time at the first two trails, we proceeded to the river trail and stopped at the First River Access (0.9 mi) where we had breakfast and enjoyed a view of the Hoh River.
When we left, by 9 AM, the line of cars to get into that small area of the park was insanely long. At least 1-1.5 hr of wait time. Definitely going early was the best decision we could have made.
We went back to our AirBnB for a quick nap and lunch, and then proceeded to drive 1.5 hr towards our second destination of the day.
Cape Flattery is famous for being the most northwesterly place of the contiguous United States. Make sure you stop in the town of Neah Bay prior to driving the last section of the road. You will need to buy a $20 Makah Recreation Pass to access the location where the trail is. The Cape Flattery Trail is 0.75 mi long (one way), extremely well maintained and mostly flat. It offers four viewing platforms along its boardwalk, from which you can see Tatoosh Island, the stunning rugged coast and the Pacific Ocean all the way to Canada.
End of Day 4.
Day 5: Lake Crescent and Sol Duc Falls
This is our first day of real hiking per se. We woke up, packed our bags, and drove to the southeast side of Lake Crescent (Storm King Ranger Station parking lot), so we could hike up to Mount Storm King. Once on the trail, we took a detour to see the popular Merymere falls before the crowds arrived (worth it! it looked packed on our way down) which added ~ 1 mile to the overall hiking miles. Merymere Falls and Mount Storm King share the same trailhead.
To start you hike up Mount Storm King, look for a large boulder with a small sign propped against it. That is where your climb starts. You will gain 2076 ft of elevation over 2 miles -one way. That is a steep climb, in case you were not sure. There are a few viewpoints along the way and at 1.3 miles you will arrive at the end of the maintained trail. I absolutely recommend continuing up, but keep in mind it becomes rough and the hike culminates in a climber's trail where you will need the assistance of ropes. I recommend having your own set of gloves for the hike, but even if you don't, there are discarded gloves by the beginning of the ropes section.
Once you are finished with the ropes section, there is one more short rock scramble all the way to the top. The views you get from the rocky outcropping overlooking Lake Crescent are absolutely spectacular and worth the grueling hike.
After enjoying the views for a bit, and hiking all the way down, we decided to stop at Lake Crescent, change into our bathing suits and jump in the crystal clear lake to cool down. It was the perfect way to loosen up the muscles. There is a pier for you to chill on, and a small shaded "beach" as well. There are a lot of activities you can enjoy at Lake Crescent. From fishing and boating, to kayaking, SUP or simply swimming in its very cold waters. You can rent kayaks and SUP at the Lake Crescent Lodge on a first come first serve basis, or at the tiny Fairholme General Store nearby.
After spending a couple of hours at the lake, we headed to Port Angeles to drop off our luggage at the Emerald Valley Inn, and grab a snack at The Blackbird Coffeehouse (great quiche!). After changing out of damp clothes, we started our ~1 hr drive to the Sol Duc area. We first stoped at the Salmon Cascades, and then headed to the popular Sol Duc Falls, where we hiked the easy 1.6 mi trail down to the falls overlook. The parking lot usually fills very quickly, but since we went much later in the day, there was plenty parking available.
We then headed to the historical Lake Crescent Lodge to grab dinner (we ordered to go and ate at the lobby overlooking the lake, since reservations for dinner need to be made in advance) and then enjoyed a stunning sunset over the lake.
End of Day 5.
Day 6: Hurricane Ridge and heading over to Mount Rainer National Park
Hurricane Ridge is the most easily accessed mountain area in Olympic National Park. The 17 mile drive up to the top of the area at 5,242 ft, takes ~ 45 minutes and offers some of the most spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains. The Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center was a landmark of the Olympic National Park, which was regretfully destroyed by a fire on May 7th, 2023. Currently, there are restrictions on the volume of cars and people allowed to visit Hurricane Ridge with a limit of 345 vehicles that are allowed to access per day. The first 175 vehicles can enter without waiting, but the next 170 vehicles will experience wait times due to parking lot capacity (reported at 1.5-2 hr of max wait times). You need a National Park Pass or a valid park ticket to enter this area. Go early if possible.
If you are unable to access the road with your personal vehicle, the Clallam Transit Shuttle is a good alternative. The shuttle departs from Port Angeles and will take you up to Hurricane Ridge. No reservations are needed.
Once you arrive to Hurricane Ridge, walk around the area and maybe take a short hike. We walked a few miles into the Hurricane Hill Nature Trail (mainly paved, easy trail). The wildflowers are stunning, and you will likely be able to see some wildlife as well as the Olympic Mountain Range from different viewpoints.
We then headed down the road for some amazing breakfast at the Fairmount Diner and, since we were already packed, started heading towards the second National Park of the trip - Mount Rainier. The drive from Port Angeles to Ashford takes a little over 3 hr. When we planned our stay at Olympic National park we also took into consideration the drive times towards Mount Rainier. If you decide to stay first in Port Angeles and finish your stay at Forks, keep in mind that the drive from Forks to Ashford takes 4.5 hr.
When visiting Mount Rainier, there are many areas of the park you can stay at and explore. The main popular areas are Paradise (south side) and Sunrise (northeast side). Other areas -which we did not have time to visit- include Longmire, Carbon River & Mowich, and Ohanapecosh. We decided to stay in the mountain community of Ashford located ~6 miles outside the Nisqually Entrance of the park (entrance to Paradise area).
The Paradise area offers many popular trails with stunning views of Mount Rainier, abundant flower meadows, waterfalls, glacier views and wildlife. Even if you are not hiking, the views from the winding road up to the visitor center are absolutely worth the trip. Paradise is one of the snowiest places on Earth, and receives ~ 643 inches of snow per year. We visited early in July, and the trails in higher elevation were still "not formally open" (meaning you were allowed to use the trails at your own risk) and there were still many patches of snow!
Mount Rainier is the 6th tallest mountain in the contiguous USA at 14,410 ft high. It is also the highest point in the Cascade Range and the highest point in Washington State. This mountain is an active volcano (although has not erupted in 1,000 years) and has 25 major glaciers. The mountain is also "shy" and will be covered by clouds a good amount of time. You will have better chances of viewing the mountain during the summer months, but there is no guarantee. There are many websites that track the mountain, like Is Mount Rainier Out? or Is The Mountain Out? and could be of help when planning day/weekend trips to the area.
We made our way to the Paradise Visitor Center, stopping at many overlooks along the way. The mountain was completely uncovered and we had some of the most incredible views of the trip. After talking to a lovely ranger at the Visitor Center, we decided to take a short hike to wrap up the afternoon. The Nisqually Vista Trail is perfect for non-hikers and families, or even those who don't have much time available at the park but would still like to enjoy different views of Mount Rainier, the Nisqually River and the Nisqually Glacier. The trail is an easy 1.2 miles, fully paved and accessible to wheelchairs and strollers.
We then headed to our AirBnb in Ashford, relaxed in the hot tub while grilling our dinner, and called it a night!
End of Day 6.
Day 7: Up close and personal with Mount Rainier
Woke up and headed straight to Paradise after a quick breakfast at the AriBnb. Our first stop was Reflection Lake for a beautiful morning view of Mount Rainier. There is a small parking area that fills up quickly and a very small trail to the left, where you can get closer to the lake and have much better photos of Mt. Rainier's reflection. There is a loop trail you can take, if you wish to spend the morning there.
We then headed to the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center area, where you start the popular Skyline Trail Loop. This is a spectacular ~6 mile loop trail filled with views of subalpine meadows, wildflowers, waterfalls, glaciers and wildlife (specially marmots). There are a few different trail options to get to Panorama Point. For a milder hike, the rangers recommended us hiking counter-clock wise and taking Skyline Trail all the way to Panorama Point. You will first stop at Edith Creek and admire the beautiful Myrtle Falls and the subalpine meadows of Alta Vista.
We kept hiking until we reached the junction at Pebble Creek where the summit-bound climbers start their trek up to Camp Muir. We stayed at the junction for a long while, simply enjoying the scenery and grabbing a quick lunch.
We then continued our hike towards Panorama Point which, just shy of 7,000 ft high, provides stunning views of the Paradise valley, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and even Mount Hood on a good day. There is also a pit toilet here which can be used during the summer moths.
After completing the loop and making our way back to the visitor center, we celebrated with their delicious yogurt ice-cream and headed over to the historical Paradise Inn right across the parking lot. This Inn is probably one of the most sought-out lodgings in the area, given its proximity to the trails. It has only 121 rooms and no modern amenities (no TV, wifi, telephones) and reservations do fill up extremely quickly, even 6-12 months in advance.
We then drove down the road to the Narada Falls overlook. Narada falls is the largest waterfall accessible by car in the park. You can also take the 0.2 mile steep hike down to the base of the falls. You will find the signs to the hike right next to the parking area. After enjoying the view, we exited the park and headed for some lunch at Wild Berry Restaurant, where we ordered traditional Sherpa-Himalayan dishes from Tibet and Nepal, and met the owner Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa who holds the world record of the fastest Everest Ascent. The pork momo (Himalayan style dumplings) were incredible! and highly recommend ordering a piece of marionberry pie as well. We then headed to our Airbnb to rest and enjoy the hot tub.
End of Day 7.
Day 8: More scenic views of Mount Rainier
We got some recommendations from the locals on hikes we could take that offered different views of Mount Rainier. Hikes up to fire lookouts are extremely popular in Washington. There are a few fire lookouts surrounding the Mount Rainier area, and we ultimately decided to hike up to High Rock. The High Rock Lookout Trail is a moderately challenging hike located in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, right outside the national park. The trail is a well maintained 3.2 miles out-and-back hike. The cabin atop the lookout is currently undergoing repairs, and all that remains is the platform where is used to stand. Still, the views from this lookout are absolutely spectacular.
Not only can you enjoy incredible views of Mount Rainier, but you also get a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape, including Mt . Adams, Mt. St. Helens and the Tatoosh Range. We spent a little over an hour enjoying the view and having breakfast.
The most difficult part of the hike is getting to the trailhead. There are two different routes you can take up to the rudimentary parking area at the trailhead, and we took the wrong one. Make sure you take NF52 and NF84 to NF8440 road (highlighted in blue), and do not take NF85 route to NF8440. The latter route is completely filled with potholes and borders a cliff and my legs were shaking by the time we made it to the trailhead. We somehow made it to the trail, and went down the NF8440 and NF84 road which was much better maintained.
We then took a break for lunch at the AirBnb and headed over for our second hike of the day. The Bench and Snow Lakes Trail is a very popular 2.2 mi trail near the paradise area. I was honestly not too impressed with this hike. The views were not the best, although the wildflowers at the beginning of the hike were stunning.
If I could redo this afternoon, I would have probably headed over to Tipsoo Lake for sunset views (we weren't able to make it here, so I am also unable to compare properly). There are so many other hikes to do in and around Mount Rainier, but overall we were very pleased with our picks! We got a great variety of hikes in, and absolutely believe we'll be back for more Washington hikes.
End of Day 8.
Day 9: Sunrise, Snoqualmie and heading back to Boston
After packing up our luggage, we headed over the opposite side of the park to the Visitor Center at Sunrise. The drive from Ashford to the Sunrise Visitor Center takes almost 2 hours and there is usually traffic to get into the park at this station, so plan accordingly. Sunrise, at 6,400 ft, is the highest point that can be reached by vehicle at Mount Rainier. Due to the amount of snow it gets, the area is usually only open from early July to early September. We did not have time to hike around Sunrise, but were happy to explore the Visitor Center, the Sunrise Day Lodge and gift shop, and the overlooks close by.
If you have enough time, you can probably squeeze in a short hike in the area (Tipsoo Lake, Naches Peak Loop Trail or Emmons Vista overlooks are all good and short options), and if we had stayed a night in Sunrise, we would have probably hiked the Mount Fremont Lookout Trail.
We then started our drive back to Seattle, stopping at the very famous Snoqualmie Falls. The drive from Sunrise to Snoqualmie is just shy of 2 hr long. Snoqualmie Falls is a 270 foot waterfall, and appeared in the very popular TV show "Twin Peaks". The parking area is free, and so is the entrance to the upper and lower viewpoints. The upper viewpoint is paved and boarded, whereas to access the lower viewpoint you have to hike 1.4 miles from the main parking area and upper viewing point. If you do not wish to hike, you can also park at the lower lot.
From Snoqualmie we drove the last 40 minutes to Seattle, specifically to have one last meal at Skalka Restaurant. From there, we headed to REI to make some time prior to returning our vehicle at the car rental and checking in our bags at the airport. We scheduled a red eye flight on our return, so we had time to shower at the Delta Lounge, grab dinner and finally head home!
End of Day 9 and End of the trip!
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