# Seattle & Vancouver planning help please



## debraxh (May 2, 2008)

My DH doesn't have as much vacation time as DD & I, so the two of us are trying to plan a not too expensive 4-5 night vacation for late June. She's 14 years old and not into the more typical girly things yet, like shopping and boys (thank goodness!). DH suggested we think about Seattle and/or Vancouver and I love the idea  

I did a quick airfare search and it looks like ~$200 from SF bay area to Seattle which is OK.  I also did a quick hotels.com search and see lots of choices in the $150-200/night range, which is also OK.  Although I could rent a car, I would prefer to utilize public transportation and/or ferries (if it's not the same thing).

We love to explore nature, and like easy hikes and bicycle rides, but aren't into extreme sports. We also like to explore city activities, but aren't as experienced at that. The two of us had a great time in NYC a couple of years ago, so have proven that we can enjoy our time together...I didn't use a preset or time based itinerary, but I created a list of things we wanted to see and grouped them together by area, and we were on the go most of the time.  This worked out well, because without direction or a plan she would have probably been happy sitting in the hotel playing Nintendo or on the computer all day  

Does Seattle and/or Vancouver sound like a good fit for us, and if so, any recommendations on what area we should stay in? If feasible, I only need to confirm the flights ASAP and I could make a cancellable hotel reservation just in case.  I still have enough time to plan more of the sightseeing details and such.

I admit I haven't done much research yet since this all came about in the last day or so.  Any help is greatly appreciated!


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## tompalm (May 2, 2008)

Seattle is good, but Vancouver is great.  It is a very friendly city and there is a lot to do.  Also, I highly recommend doing a side trip to Victoria and spend one or two nights there.  The ferry ride is a lot of fun going over and very scenic.  

In Vancouver, go to Stanley Park, take the Sea Bus to the north shore, shop the water front and then get a bus transfer up to Grouse Mountain and take the lift to the top.   In Victoria, go see Parliament, the museum, and shop around the water front.  Watch the sea planes come and go and land right in front of you.  Take a tour of the harbor on the small sea bus.  

If you don't want to take the Ferry over to Victoria, drive up to Whistler for the day or spend one night.  It is a three hour drive, but there is a lot to do in the area and it would be better to spend the night.  Whistler is like a Swiss ski village and nice to walk around all the shops.  Also, there are a lot of bicycle and hiking trails in the area.  Also, you can take the tram to the top of the mountain.

You can't go wrong with Vancouver.


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## rachel1998 (May 2, 2008)

We were in Seattle last September. We stayed at this Best Western a couple of blocks from the Space Needle. We did not have a car. We walked everywhere. We walked to Pike's Market. It was a pleasant 20 minutes or so walk. Going to Vancouver is another story. After we finished our time in Seattle we were picked up by other people and we went to Vancouver. Getting back across the border was a 21/2 hour wait. The border crossing was backed up for miles. Take that into consideration if you decide to go there.


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## eal (May 2, 2008)

If you are flying into Vancouver from the US you will require a passport to get back into the US.  

I love Vancouver but getting back to the US from Canada by car is quite the ordeal.  You need proof of citizenship (birth certificate) and one other photo id right now, and the deadline for requiring a passport is hovering somewhere between summer 2008 and summer 2009.  

Line-ups are also unpredictable; at times you can sail right through and at other times you may find yourself in long line-ups.

For such a short trip Seattle might be the better choice.  (Apologies to BC Tourism...)


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## mtwingcpa (May 2, 2008)

You might try this link for travel ideas related to the Seattle/Vancouver area:

http://www.clippervacations.com/

I agree with others that the border crossing situation has really taken the "fun" out of some of this. Maybe it is easier if you are part of an organized tour or on public transportation??? I don't know for sure.


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## tashamen (May 2, 2008)

I agree with tompalm - go for Vancouver.  Though I've been there several times there is always something new, and there will be tons of things to do with your daughter.  I wouldn't recommend both Seattle and Vancouver on the same trip, partly because of the border crossing, but also because each city has enough to offer on its own.

Edited to add:  I'm assuming that if you go to Vancouver you'd fly in and out of Vancouver and not Seattle.  If that's the plan then I wouldn't recommend Vancouver.  Though two weeks ago I flew into Vancouver and out of Seattle, and took two buses in between (stopping in Bellingham for a few days in between) and the border crossing on the bus was not too bad at all.


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## Bwolf (May 2, 2008)

HMMMmmm.  As Americans going to visit Seattle a week from today, we are taking our passports in case we travel to Vancouver.  We assumed the passports and a photo ID would get us back into States.  Should we also take along copies of our birth certificates?


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## T_R_Oglodyte (May 2, 2008)

*The Cheapskate's Guide to Seattle area sightseeing.*

Here are some cheap Seattle area activities off the top of my head.  I'm assuming that you will be staying in a Seattle area hotel and will not have a rental car.  So all of this is accessible via public transportation.


Rent bikes and ride the Burke-Gilman Trail
Pike Place Market
Museum of Flight
Woodland Park Zoo
Seattle Aquarium
Ferry ride to Bainbridge Island
Discovery Park
Pioneer Square and Seattle Underground tour
Hiking at Cougar Mountain Regional Park

Again, that list is just off the top of my head. If Spent some more time thinking I could come up some others.

Re accommodations.  Consider staying in downtown Bellevue.  Might be cheaper and there is convenient and frequent bus service from downtown Bellevue to downtown Seattle.

My favorite cheap eats in downtown Seattle/Pioneer Square:

Bakeman's Restaurant.  Real turkey sandwiches.
Mae Phim Thai.
any Blue Water taco and burrito joint
Chuck's Hole in the Wall barbecue
Salumi's
All of these places cater to the downtown office worker crowd.  Inexpensive, fast, and no pretensions.  Many of these are lunch only.

*****

If you do get a rental car, your options expand a bit. If you decide to do so, repost and I'll add some ideas for good local trips for which a car would help.  I will say, thuough, that if you do have a rental car the #1 top, must do activity is a day trip to Mt. St. Helens.

I love Vancouver. I think it is the nicest city to visit on the West Coast of North America - better than San Francisco.  When it's not raining, the Vancouver blows away every other city.  But on a four or five day vacation flying in and out of SeaTac I don't think it's worth losing most of two days of vacation in transit.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (May 2, 2008)

Bwolf said:


> HMMMmmm.  As Americans going to visit Seattle a week from today, we are taking our passports in case we travel to Vancouver.  We assumed the passports and a photo ID would get us back into States.  Should we also take along copies of our birth certificates?



Your passport *is* photo ID, proof of birthplace, and proof of citizenship.  It is all that is needed.  No other ID and no birth certificate.


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## Bwolf (May 2, 2008)

That is logical Steve, but we are dealing with bureaucrats.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (May 2, 2008)

Bwolf said:


> That is logical Steve, but we are dealing with bureaucrats.



I usually cross several times each year - the last time being about four weeks ago - and passport is all I've ever needed.


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## Bill4728 (May 2, 2008)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I usually cross several times each year - the last time being about four weeks ago - and passport is all I've ever needed.


I also cross several times a year and a passport and a couple of questions is all we have ever been asked. Less than a minute.  

If we get thru in less than a minute, I wonder what causes the backups??


PS If your flying to Seattle, stay and enjoy our great city.  Both Seatlle and Vancouver are great, but the trip between the two can take some time. Therefore I'd fly into which ever city I was planning to visit.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (May 2, 2008)

Since you specifically mentioned bicycling, here is a link the King County bicycle trail maps web page.


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## debraxh (May 2, 2008)

Thanks for all the great information so far.  I'll check out all the suggestions and we'll digest it over the weekend and make a decision where to go.  It does seem like it might be too much to fit both cities into a short trip.  However, we have the time so if we can come up with the money, we could always extend it a few days.

We went to Whistler from SeaTac several years ago, and I remember the traffic was miserable and we nearly missed our return flight. The main problem with flying into Vancouver is that my daughter doesn't have a passport and we may not be able to get one in time.  If we cross the border by land or water, her birth certificate is acceptable (although that makes no sense to me).  Also flights are >$100/pp more expensive.

I saw on the link posted by mtwingcpa that Amtrak takes about 4 hrs and is as low as $50/pp RT.  That might be fun and with no auto border crossing!  We could always just do one of the day trips instead as well.

Thanks again, and I'm sure I'll have more questions later


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## Luanne (May 2, 2008)

We'll be flying into SEA/TAC and driving to Vancouver on our summer vacation.  So, I sure hope the border crossing isn't horrible.  We opted to do that because of the difference in the cost of flights.  We'll stay in Vancouver for two nights, then on to Whister.  On the way back our plan is to drive from Whistler back to Seattle, and spend a couple of nights there before flying home.


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## debraxh (May 2, 2008)

Luanne said:


> We'll be flying into SEA/TAC and driving to Vancouver on our summer vacation.  So, I sure hope the border crossing isn't horrible.  We opted to do that because of the difference in the cost of flights.  We'll stay in Vancouver for two nights, then on to Whister.  On the way back our plan is to drive from Whistler back to Seattle, and spend a couple of nights there before flying home.



As long as you don't have to be somewhere at a certain time returning to Seattle, it will just be boring    We were extremely stressed because we were afraid we'd miss our flight.  In addition to the border crossing, there was an accident on the highway which caused an additional delay.  Sounds like with your plan, you'll be fine.


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## Luanne (May 2, 2008)

debraxh said:


> As long as you don't have to be somewhere at a certain time returning to Seattle, it will just be boring    We were extremely stressed because we were afraid we'd miss our flight.  In addition to the border crossing, there was an accident on the highway which caused an additional delay.  Sounds like with your plan, you'll be fine.



Yeah, we tried to plan it so that we wouldn't be pressed for time.  Originally we were going to stay in Seattle and then fly home from there.  Now we've added a couple of nights in Olympia (college visit), and will still fly out of SEA/TAC. So, a little longer drive, but still shouldn't be too bad since we're not crossing the border.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (May 2, 2008)

The border crossing at Lynden/Aldergrove very seldom has any significant delay, and is just about as easy for getting into downtown Vancouver as are the I-5 Blaine crossings (Peace Arch and the Truck Crossing).  After you cross into Canada, you get on the Trans-Canada Highway, which is a freeway that takes you into Vancouver.  Much of the way it also has a carpool lane.

Take the Vancouver exits, just before the Second Crossing Bridge and drive surface streets to downtown.  Or exit in North Vancouver and cross Lions Gate bridge into Stanley Park.


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## Luanne (May 2, 2008)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> The border crossing at Lynden/Aldergrove very seldom has any significant delay, and is just about as easy for getting into downtown Vancouver as are the I-5 Blaine crossings (Peace Arch and the Truck Crossing).  After you cross into Canada, you get on the Trans-Canada Highway, which is a freeway that takes you into Vancouver.  Much of the way it also has a carpool lane.
> 
> Take the Vancouver exits, just before the Second Crossing Bridge and drive surface streets to downtown.  Or exit in North Vancouver and cross Lions Gate bridge into Stanley Park.



Thanks for the info.


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## aptiva (May 2, 2008)

We did the same trip last May. 
Planned  it all with Clipper Vacations. I highly recommend them.
You can plan every detail with them from hotels to tours etc.. Call for their brochure & check their web.
We flew into Seattle, stayed downtown. Took a fun day trip to Victoria & back on the ferry.
Then took a train over to Vancouver- staying downtown. With no car rental, we used the  on/off tour bus with a 2-3 day pass.
Memorable vacation all planned by Clipper (except for our flight) without a hitch.
Flew back to Toronto from Vancouver.


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## ricoba (May 2, 2008)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> The border crossing at Lynden/Aldergrove very seldom has any significant delay, and is just about as easy for getting into downtown Vancouver as are the I-5 Blaine crossings (Peace Arch and the Truck Crossing).  After you cross into Canada, you get on the Trans-Canada Highway, which is a freeway that takes you into Vancouver.  Much of the way it also has a carpool lane.
> 
> Take the Vancouver exits, just before the Second Crossing Bridge and drive surface streets to downtown.  Or exit in North Vancouver and cross Lions Gate bridge into Stanley Park.



An even less hectic crossing is Sumas/Matsqui(Abbotsford).  

It's a bit slower to get to than Lynden, but it's a pretty drive through rural Whatcom County.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (May 2, 2008)

ricoba said:


> An even less hectic crossing is Sumas/Matsqui(Abbotsford).
> 
> It's a bit slower to get to than Lynden, but it's a pretty drive through rural Whatcom County.



That route is a minimum one-half hour added drive as compared with Lynden/Aldergrove.  Would have to be a huge backup at Aldergrove to warrant going through Sumas for the purpose of saving time.  Sumas is also not a 24-hr crossing point.


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## ownsherown (May 2, 2008)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Your passport *is* photo ID, proof of birthplace, and proof of citizenship.  It is all that is needed.  No other ID and no birth certificate.



WIth a minor you will also need letter from other parent acknowledging you're taking the minor out of country.

Personally for such a short trip I'd do Seattle. You can get just about anywhere including the pennsula on public transportation with a bit of planning.

Best way to get to Vancouver from Seattle is take the train, no muss no fuss and much easier border crossing.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (May 3, 2008)

If you go to Seattle (where I've only been once), we really enjoyed the boat trip that goes through the locks. I went to Vancouver with a friend for a weekend to get our flu shots and even two days there was great! I want to go back with my husband for a longer time. Lots of restaurants, shopping, Stanley Park, history, just great walking around.
Liz


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## ricoba (May 3, 2008)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> That route is a minimum one-half hour added drive as compared with Lynden/Aldergrove.  Would have to be a huge backup at Aldergrove to warrant going through Sumas for the purpose of saving time.  Sumas is also not a 24-hr crossing point.



Oh, I know that 

I just wanted to point out possible alternatives.  I have had at least two large backups that I do remember at Lynden going north.  But as you note backups there are rare.


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## randyz (May 4, 2008)

IMO if you have only 4-5 days do either Vancouver or Seattle not both. I thought Steve's post re things to do in Seattle was great.

If coming to Vancouver you no longer have to fly to Sea Tac. You can save at least 2hours of driving by flying from SF to Bellingham on Allegiant Air, usually about $200. (allegiantair.com). Bellingham is about 1 hour to Vancouver plus the border line which can be 5 minutes to couple hours (hint don't fly in on a Sunday or Monday Canadian long weekend, when all the Canadian shoppers and tourists are coming back, or similar times when everyone is heading south towards Seattle). Generally heading south is the bigger problem since the US border has fewer crossing guards.

If you had 5 days with a car you could spend easily 3 days in Vancouver and possibly 2 day in Whistler. If your daughter is outdoorsy she would likely enjoy ziplining in Whistler, or mountain bike riding than she would the museums and Butchart gardens in Victoria. If you are in "good condition" you could also do a day hike up to the glaciers etc.. If you have the equipment there are many overnight backpack campgrounds in the mountains.

Randy


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## debraxh (May 8, 2008)

Good suggestions everyone.  Well since my daughter really wants to see both cities, I've decided we can extend our trip to 6 or 7 nights and plan to fly into SeaTac and take the train to/from Vancouver.  We'll visit the area another time when my husband can join us, and explore more of the outlaying areas by car, as well as Vancouver Island.

We do have a logistics problem because the train only runs once in each direction per day: northbound leaves and 7:30am and southbound at 6pm.  This means we need to split up our time in Seattle to stay at least one night before and one after Vancouver.  The only other option I can come up with is to take the Amtrak bus one way (the day we arrive) and spend the first 3 nights in Vancouver before taking the train back to Seattle for the last 3 nights.  We both think the train will be fun, but the bus - not so much.  Although our flight is pretty short (less than 2hrs), we really don't want to follow it up with a 4-5 hr. bus ride.  

Is there an alternative I may have missed?  I did check flying into Vancouver and out of Seattle, but the cost is almost double.

The current plan is to take the flight that arrives around 11am and stay in Seattle for 2 nights.  Then we'll take the early train to Vancouver, stay 3 nights, and return to Seattle via the late train.  We'll stay in Seattle 1 (or 2) more nights, and return home on a flight that departs at 5 or 8pm.

I should probably book the flights pretty soon, but I wanted a sanity check to make sure I haven't missed something important with this plan.  Thanks again for your help!


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## tashamen (May 8, 2008)

debraxh said:


> Is there an alternative I may have missed?



In addition to the regular Greyhound bus, there is another bus between Seattle and Vancouver that only makes a few stops at the airports and downtown hotels: http://www.quickcoach.com/.  It should take less time than the Greyhound, though I'm not sure about whether you want to spend *any* time on a bus...


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## T_R_Oglodyte (May 8, 2008)

Instead of doing Vancouver, you might consider doing Victoria instead.  You can take a ferry from Seattle to Victoria.


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## debraxh (May 8, 2008)

Yep, I looked at Quickshuttle but the schedule actually shows that it takes a bit longer than the Amtrak bus and is 2x the cost.  The Greyhound had about the same times as Amtrak and is a couple of bucks cheaper.  But you're right, I'm just not wanting to hop on a bus after we get off our flight!

Originally we were thinking of Seattle/Vancouver/Victoria but I realized it was just too much.  I let my daughter decide and she chose Vancouver.  That works out because my husband is more interested in visiting Vancouver Island, so we can hit Victoria on a future trip. However, it would have helped with this logistics problem.

Also the Clipper ferry is twice the cost of the train for us.  I think it's mainly because Amtrak still considers my 14 year old a child so her rate is much less.  Some of their pricing with hotels included are not too bad though.

Unless the flight price goes down signficantly (which I doubt) I'll probably go ahead and plan to split up our time in Seattle.


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## Bwolf (May 12, 2008)

We are in Birch Bay right now.  The weather has been quite good.  No one has mentioned a whale watch as something to do, but we did one yesterday.  J pod wasn't around, they think it went farther north than usual, but we had a good tour on a nice day and saw 7 bald eagles "sharing" the corpse of something that had washed up on a small rocky island.  We'll try out Canada in a day or two.


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## swift (May 12, 2008)

If you haven't looked yet- these are some suggestions that are up in the WA sticky thread. http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66123&highlight=Seattle


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## JudyH (May 13, 2008)

I'll be in Seattle for 9 nights in late July.  This my 4th trip in 10 years, most have been in winter, so I really want to get outside the city and do Mt. Rainier, Olympia Nat'l Park, ferry to Victoria.

Is Mt. St. Helen's the #1 trip?  Is it worth the drive, for those who have done it?

Thanks.


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## Bonnie_Raitt (May 13, 2008)

I wouldn't call it a #1 trip. It will take you all day to make the trip down and back. It is 2 to 3 hrs from Seattle. There are several overlooks and nice visitor center. It is quite a hike to get close.It is interesting if you are a volcano fan. I would rank Ranier as much more interesting. If you are into waterfalls try Snoqualmie Falls. It is about 30 minutes east of Seattle.


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## easyrider (May 15, 2008)

We like to stay at the www.innatthemarket.com  in Seattle. This inn is as close as you can get to Pikes Place and many other Seattle attractions. 

Victoria is really nice with all kinds of things to do. We stay at the Worldmark in Victoria and usally ferry with car out of Port Angles. 

Vancouver is just OK. Too many potheads and panhandlers.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (May 16, 2008)

JudyH said:


> I'll be in Seattle for 9 nights in late July.  This my 4th trip in 10 years, most have been in winter, so I really want to get outside the city and do Mt. Rainier, Olympia Nat'l Park, ferry to Victoria.
> 
> Is Mt. St. Helen's the #1 trip?  Is it worth the drive, for those who have done it?
> 
> Thanks.





Bonnie_Raitt said:


> I wouldn't call it a #1 trip. It will take you all day to make the trip down and back. It is 2 to 3 hrs from Seattle. There are several overlooks and nice visitor center. It is quite a hike to get close.It is interesting if you are a volcano fan. I would rank Ranier as much more interesting. If you are into waterfalls try Snoqualmie Falls. It is about 30 minutes east of Seattle.



I'll guess Bonnie will disagree about Mt. St. Helens.  

Mt. St. Helens is one of those things that you can't see anywhere else in the world.  For me, being able to get that up front and close to recent volcanic is totally impressive and awe-inspiring.  To me it ranks right up there with hiking the Kilauea lava fields at night.  

IMHO, there are other places you can go to see snow capped sleeping volcanoes.  There's only one place where you can see the remnants of a large volcano after about one-fourth of it was blown away - and see the volcano starting to rebuild itself.

Most people access Mt. St. Helens from the west, using the road that heads east to the monument from I-5.  That is certainly the most convenient and the only practical way for a day trip from Seattle.  The experience is far more impressive if you head into Mt. St. Helens National Monument from the northeast, using Forest Service Roads that start near Randle on US Highway 12 and ending up at Windy Ridge.  The volcano blew out to the northeast, so this  route brings you in right along the blast zone.  You're are in the middle of the most devastated area.  You go right past the rusted hulks of vehicles that were caught in the blast zone (and in which people died).  When you reach Windy Ridge you have a spectacular view into the crater and down to Spirit Lake.  You drive past all of those massive tree trunks that are blown over like matchsticks, all pointing the same direction.

Disadvantages of the Windy Ridge route are that it doesn't have the same visitor facilities, the USFS roads are more primiative (dirt and gravel), and it probably can't be done as a day trip - if you select that option you should plan on spending a night in the vicinity somewhere in SW Washington.

There's also a large factory store shopping area in Centralia, on I-5 south of Olympia.


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## Karen G (May 16, 2008)

Bonnie_Raitt said:


> If you are into waterfalls try Snoqualmie Falls. It is about 30 minutes east of Seattle.


This is a great short trip is you want to see some mountain scenery, amazing falls, and most of the driving is on Interstate 90.  If you hit it on a clear, sunny day (unusual!) you'll have a pretty drive over Lake Washington with a great view of Mt. Rainier off to your right as you approach Mercer Island. Even if it's on a cloudy day, it's an interesting sight to see the waterfront homes and boating activity on the lake to your left and right as you approach Bellevue.

You can take a short hike down to the Falls and have the experience of walking through the woods.  You'll see pretty mountain views of the Cascades driving over. You could stop in North Bend at the outlet stores. You'd have a lot of cool stuff to see and do in just 2-3 hrs. if you did it all, and you could be back in Seattle with plenty of time to do stuff that afternoon/evening.

I think this is a particularly good activity for people who come from other parts of the country that don't have the variety of mountains, lakes, forests, urban & suburban areas that Seattle offers. And it doesn't take all day to do it!


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## plgallagher (May 19, 2008)

*Seattle or Vancouver*

Vancouver is one of the nicest places on the west coast. It goes from the Cosmopolitan to the rugged outdoors. We usually rent a condo/efficiency hotel near Stanley Park. We rent bikes and ride around the park. We take ferries and nickel snatcher boats all around the harbor and bay. We get all over town on public transit.


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## Bonnie_Raitt (May 19, 2008)

I must also mention one of my personal favorites - The University of Washington Arboretum.  It rivals some of the great gardens of the world. There are many different trees and flowering shrubs and flowers as well. Ther si always somethings blooming. It ia right in the city just south of UW. I have been there twice this year already. I've lived here for 30 years and never tire of the park. There is a nice boardwalk thru the wetlans ther as well.

BR


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## easyrider (May 19, 2008)

JudyH said:


> I'll be in Seattle for 9 nights in late July.  This my 4th trip in 10 years, most have been in winter, so I really want to get outside the city and do Mt. Rainier, Olympia Nat'l Park, ferry to Victoria.
> 
> Is Mt. St. Helen's the #1 trip?  Is it worth the drive, for those who have done it?
> 
> Thanks.



Mt. Rainier is definitely worth a few days. At the Ohanapecosh State Park there is a trail to Silver Falls that's a very easy 2 miler round trip. Another trail we like is to the Grove of the Patriarchs where the trees are majestic and this to is an easy hike. The drive to Paradise is scenic with a lodge and visitor center. If your a good hiker you can hike to Camp Muir and back. Lake Tipso is another easy scenic hike at the top of Chinook Pass. You might be a bit to early for the huckleberries but they start coming out in late July.

Mt. St. Helens is beautiful but not the place it was. Spirit Lake and the entire area was a really nice place before the eruption. The road out of Randall is a very long drive with unimproved roads. The road out of Cougar is how we get there. Were supposed to be climbing here next weekend but I think there is to many wash outs under the snow and the road to the starting point is still snowed in. Looking into the crater is some thing you wont see every day. You can drive to the visitor center and have a look. This is a long way from Seattle.

If you go to the Olympic Peninsula you can drive the loop and stop at some nice beaches. Bring an umbrella.


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