Planning Washington state trip

[exyeh]

We are planning for a Washington state trip next early June, we are interested in the 3 National Parks, May be stay for 3 weeks in the WA state. I would like to know the good places to stay when we visit Mount Reiner NP and Olympic NP, I will appreciate it very much if tuggers can give us some advice. Other interesting places like Mount Hood (in OR), Columbia River George, beaches... are on our list, too. I understand that there are not many Timeshare resorts there. We will need to rent and stay at some places other than TS. Would anyone help?? Thanks a lot!

 

[DaveNV]

What sort of activities are you looking to do? If just driving around, that's one thing. But if you're a big hiking or camping fan, that changes things a lot. Fishing, sightseeing, and whale watching are common things to do. How many are in your party, any kids, any mobility issues? Is photography or shopping a major activity? Are you a five-star-spoil-me kind of visitor, or are you more independent, choosing to make your own fun?

Washington State has two sides to it. Western Washington is greener, has the water, and the big Parks. Eastern Washington is high desert, more open, ranging territory, and has some amazing places to see. Weather in early June will likely be good (for us), but not hot. It is rarely above 70 degrees in June in Western Washington, and it can rain at any time. Plan your trip around the activities you want to do, and dress in layers - if it gets warmer, take more off. But be ready for things to cool off as the sun goes down.

Drive times can affect what you want to do, and the amount of time you'll have to do it. Traffic around the major cities, especially Seattle and Tacoma, can be brutal, as there aren't many highways, and only two primary Interstate freeways - one that runs north and south, the other from Seattle going east.

Please offer more information, and I'm sure you'll get lots of help.

Dave

 

[exyeh]

Thank you very much for the reply.
We are a retired couple, only two of us. We like hiking, easy and Moderate trail is ideal for us. Can hike 7-8 miles a day. of course not everyday. No, we don't drive around. We stay at a place and explore there. Whale watching is good but not fishing or shopping. No photography fan, either. Marriott is great for us, worldmark is fine, too.
I would think after mid-June, the school is out and travel becomes more crowded (and expensive) at mountains? We will visit Seattle one or two days only to see a friend there.

 

[ecwinch]

Whispering Woods is a good option for the Mt Hood area. I know they trade thru RCI.

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks for the extra information. Here are some ideas to look into:

The town of Port Angeles is close to Olympic National Park. There is a Red Lion Inn there that is a fine place to stay while exploring the Park. The town is centrally located on the northern Olympic Peninsula, and would allow day trips into and around the Park, and out to Neah Bay and Forks, on the tip of the Olympic Peninsula. As far as I know, the closest timeshare to Olympic National Park would be the Worldmark at Discovery Bay, which is about an hour away, near the city of Port Townsend. Given the amount of traffic and slowness of the road, you're better off staying in Port Angeles, rather than driving back and forth each day. The Hurricane Ridge entrance to ONP is basically in Port Angeles. A nice side trip from Port Angeles is to walk on the Black Ball ferry that goes to Victoria, British Columbia, which is just across the water. (You can see the lights of Victoria from Port Angeles.) Butchart Gardens is a remarkable place to see in Victoria. Don't forget your passport. http://www.butchartgardens.com https://www.cityofpa.us https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-hurricane-ridge.htm http://cityofpt.us

Mount Rainier National Park is south of Seattle, and has no convenient town close by. You'd be looking at staying in or around Seattle or Tacoma. I'll defer to another Tugger who lives closer to that area than I do to make recommendations on where to stay. (I live north of Seattle, on the way to the Canadian border.) https://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm

North Cascades National Park is more of a drive-through experience, than a destination unto itself. Probably the best way to see it would be to start early in the morning from a town west of the Park, (Anacortes is a great place to start), and drive east to Winthrop, a very interesting old mining town east of the Park. It is about a three-hour drive, end to end. Along the way are many scenic pull-outs and trail heads, so you can plan any hikes you might want to do. Staying overnight in Winthrop would be very smart, and exploring that area the next day would be great. From Winthrop, you can make the rest of a circular loop down past Lake Chelan, make a right turn at Wenatchee (home to many fruit growing farms, and amazing fruit stands for fresh fruit), and visit Leavenworth, a classic Bavarian Village nestled in the Cascades mountains. Continuing along Highway 2 westbound, you'll find yourself in Everett, about 30 miles north of Seattle. https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm https://www.anacorteswa.gov http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades/ http://www.townofwinthrop.com http://visitwenatchee.org http://leavenworth.org

Let me think about some options for the Columbia Gorge, and the Washington Coast beaches. Meanwhile, maybe other Tuggers can jump in with other ideas.

I hope this gives you a place to start.

Dave

 

[sue1947]

For hiking, I'm going to disagree with some of Dave's recommendations. Don't stay in Seattle or Tacoma to access Mt Rainier. There are plenty of small towns with lodging that are much closer. There is also lots of good hiking in the North Cascades so it isn't just a drive through spot. Discovery Bay is further from the access to Hurricane Ridge, but Olympic NP is pretty large and there are lots of better hiking spots elsewhere.

Your issue for hiking will be the snow. Summer doesn't arrive in the Cascades or Olympics until late July. In early June, there is usually still a lot of snow at Paradise on the south side of the mountain and the road up to Sunrise (the other main visitor center) doesn't usually open until the first of July. There are hiking options lower on the mountain, but if you can come in early Sept instead, you will have lots more options. The hikes that are open in early June will be in the trees vs the alpine scenery.

Trails in Olympic NP and Forest tend to melt out earlier and there are fewer alpine areas so early June can work. Discovery Bay is a good base to access the hikes in the NE corner out of the Dungeness River area (Mt Townsend, Buckhorn Pass or Boulder Shelter are all good options). You will likely run into snow at the top but it should be doable without snowshoes. There is also a timeshare near Port Townsend (Kala Pt) or down along Hood Canal at Blue Heron. The Blue Heron would be better for hikes up the Hamma Hamma or Skokomish areas of Olympic National Park. The west side of the park has the wilderness beaches and rain forests. The timeshares at Ocean Shores can work for a day hike at Quinault Rain forest or a visit to Kalaloch. However, the best option is to stay at Forks and spend a day down on the beach at Rialto Beach or Third Beach (make this day with low tide in the middle of the day and a minus tide is helpful for getting around headlands). Another day head up the Hoh Rain Forest for the iconic photos of rain forests.

North Cascades hold the snow longer so in early June, you will want to be east of the crest. Winthrop is as great base for hiking, but so is Leavenworth for the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. There are a couple of timeshares in Leavenworth. The hikes here start melting out in May and it's a popular spot for folks coming from the west side looking for sun and trails that are clear. Ingalls Creek is a low level hike with some of the best flower shows around in early June or any of the hikes up out of Icicle Ck drainage.

Mt Rainier lodging: most of the lodging is near Ashford or Longmire (which is inside the park) on the south side. The National Park Inn is a great option for early June with a good trail to Rampart Ridge across the street with a good view of the Mountain from the top. The Wonderland Trail heading up the Nisqually River and across if the log bridge is in for the season (it doesn't go in until the spring runoff eases up) is another early season option. Further east is Ohanapekosh with Silver Falls/Grove of the Patriarchs/Eastside Trail hiking in the big trees along a beautiful river. A good base for that area is the little town of Packwood to the south. If you can come in Sept, you should split your time between Sunrise on the NE corner (base near Crystal Mountain ski area where there are ski condos for rent) and Paradise on the south (Ashford or try to get into the Paradise Inn).

Sue

 

[Bunk]

I'd appreciate your thoughts on Mount Baker National Forest. We are thinking of staying at Sandcastle in Blaine in early July. Thank you

 

[sue1947]

I'd appreciate your thoughts on Mount Baker National Forest. We are thinking of staying at Sandcastle in Blaine in early July. Thank you

I assume you are referring to hiking around Mt Baker. Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest extends from the Canadian Border down to Mt Rainier. Sandcastle is doable for that but will be an hour and a half drive or more depending on where you go. The better timeshare option is Snowater which is on the Mt Baker highway.

However, in early July, you are better off going someplace else The really scenic stuff doesn't melt out until late July at the earliest and August more likely and sept is great hiking.

A good resource for information about hikes in Washington state is the Washington Trails Association website: wta.org. Their trip report section is pretty extensive with hikers reporting in on what hikes they've done. You can do a search by month and specific area and see what was available in past years. Here's a brief trip report from the end of the Mt Baker highway for early July last year: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2017-07-02.1307289053. The photo says it all. Wherever you are staying, make sure to focus on the access roads that are reasonable. There are lots of hikes around Mt Baker, but the only ones that are reasonable to drive from Blaine are on the west side via the Mt Baker highway up to the ski area. There are others on the south side that come up via Highway 20 which would be at least a 2 hour drive plus depending on some of the dirt roads. Those from the east (like Goat Mtn) are just too far.

Sue

 

[DaveNV]

For hiking, I'm going to disagree with some of Dave's recommendations. Don't stay in Seattle or Tacoma to access Mt Rainier. There are plenty of small towns with lodging that are much closer. There is also lots of good hiking in the North Cascades so it isn't just a drive through spot. Discovery Bay is further from the access to Hurricane Ridge, but Olympic NP is pretty large and there are lots of better hiking spots elsewhere.

Sue

Thanks, Sue. I knew you'd have better information about Rainier. What I meant about North Cascades being more a drive-through experience is that it doesn't have a specific destination to it, like the other Parks have. There is plenty of hiking available, but it needs to be planned ahead of time. That was part of why I provided all those links.

Part of the problem is OP says they don't want to drive around. As you know, things here are so spread out, it's hard to have a single location to explore from without doing a fair amount of driving. Time and distance add up.

Dave

 

[sun starved Gayle]

The San Juan Islands off of northern Washington are spectacular.

https://www.visitsanjuans.com/

My personal favorite is San Juan Island itself, but the other islands in the group are beautiful as well.

https://www.visitsanjuans.com/about-the-islands/san-juan-island

Not a National Park, but a state park, Moran State Park on Orcas Island has some good hikes and beautiful views. There is a Worldmark on Orcas, I have never stayed there. It is rather isolated.

https://parks.state.wa.us/547/Moran

https://www.visitsanjuans.com/about-the-islands/orcas-island

If I were going to pick the best time to visit, I would choose September, after Labor Day when school is back in session. June can be still quite rainy. Or it could be sunny and beautiful, it's a crap shoot. In the north, the daylight hours are quite long, the sun sets late. September seems to have more reliable sunny weather overall.

 

[sue1947]

To piggy back off of Gayle's suggestions: The San Juan's are a good option for early June when the flowers are blooming. In addition to Moran State Park on Orcas (highly recommended) there is also the San Juan National Historic Park on San Juan Island. There are 2 main sites both of which have hiking trails. There is a timeshare on San Juan at Roche Harbor called Lagoon Shores. The islands are very popular in the summer and Lagoon Shores is a tough trade (RCI) but a very likely trade in May. Early June might be in between and doable.

 

[sue1947]

On the Columbia River Gorge: this would usually be a good option in early June. However, there was a big fire on the Oregon side last fall that has most of the trails shut down. Until they have a chance to assess winter damage via landslide, danger of falling trees etc, don't expect to have access. The Oregon side is where most of the iconic waterfalls are. There are options on the WA side, but I'd save this for another time.
Mt Hood: because of the fire mentioned above, I'd stick to the south side around Timberline or on the west side. Lodging options are timeshares at Whispering Woods, previously mentioned which trades in both RCI and II and also Grand lodge at Government Camp. I believe both places can also be rented without doing an exchange. There are lots of options; just focus on Highway 26 through Welches, Zigzag or Govt Camp.

The beaches: The northern WA coast is rugged and wild with headlands to cross or go around and the need to take careful heed of tide tables. It's different from anyplace else in the country. Your best access if from La Push or Forks. The middle coast around Kalaloch has sandy beaches between headlands but easier access from the road (the highway gets close to the beach). There are cabins at Kalaloch and they would also provide good access to the rain forests at Quinault or the Hoh. Next is the short stretch from Moclips down to Ocean Shores with some timeshares in the mix, mostly at Ocean Shores, but there is one at Copalis a bit to the north. There are lots and lots of housing rentals in Ocean Shores or a variety of motel/resort rentals north along the coast to Moclips. Before timeshares, I used to stay at the Sandpiper south of the new made up town of Seabrook. The latter has a lot of rentals as well. A developer created a little pretend town that they forgot wasn't on the east coast and crammed as many houses with as many different architectural styles as possible.
Ocean Shores was a development from the 60's and has a bunch of summer homes plus some year round residents/retirees. Again, lots of lodging options. The beach is a long sandy beach with dunes. The dunes extend south of Grays harbor all the way to the Columbia River. There are lodging options at Westport and then again at Long Beach for the main concentrations. Long Beach has Cape Disappointment at the south end with it's state park/now part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Site. The hiking on the south coast is primarily on the beach, with a few trails through the dunes.

Sue

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

June is still rainy season, so plan accordingly for any location in or west of the Cascades.

Whispering Woods is a good option for the Mt Hood area. I know they trade thru RCI.

I heartily second the Whispering Woods notion. In my opinion, WW is a "hidden gem" resort. Being on the windward slopes of Mt. Hood, the WW area gets a lot of rain. The flip side is that you are interested in visiting a rain forest, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains comprise the worlds largest temperate rainforest.

If you're into wine, there are some easy day trips. Yamhill County is about 90 minutes away. The town of Hood River is about the same distance. Hood River has a number of tasting rooms, they don't charge, and they are more apt to apply the tasting fee as a credit toward wine purchase. A visit to Hood River can also be combined nicely with a day of sightseeing in the Columbia River Gorge.

I'd appreciate your thoughts on Mount Baker National Forest. We are thinking of staying at Sandcastle in Blaine in early July. Thank you

I'm not not a big Birch Bay fan. To me it's OK, but nothing special. One advantage that Birch Bay has is proximity to Vancouver, BC. Vancouver is probably my favorite city on the west coast. The scenery is spectacular, the city itself is quite interesting. Granville Island is a nice place to visit - very much like going to Pike Place Market in Seattle.

I strongly suggest that youi consider Leavenworth. It's a more interesting town, and there are timeshares available. In addition very close to Leavenworth there are numerous trails into the Mt. Baker Forest and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. As long as you don't stay overnight, you don't need a permit for the Wilderness Area. Leavenworth is probably one of the best locations for doing day hikes in the Cascades.

 

[exyeh]

Thank you so much for all the info you gave!! It is so nice of tuggers to give generous info and advice to other tuggers. We are still digesting those you listed for us!! Still studying!! I will also get back with questions and thanks, too!!!

 

[GT75]

June is still rainy season

This is so true. I would recommend delaying your trip until July or August if at all possible. You will be missing the beauty of the area due to weather. In addition, you could spend your whole 3 weeks in WW area visiting San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, Victoria, BC, Mt Rainier, Olympic Peninsula and North Cascade Highway (including many more sights). I think adding OR to this trip will mean that you will be spending most of your time in the car.

Just my 2¢.

 

[bbodb1]

I'd like to tag along here if I might as we are planning a trip to Birch Bay, Washington in July.

 

[geist1223]

It is quite a drive but we enjoy Worldmark Long Beach and easier to get into than Worldmark Seaside. Lots of beach and you can drive on it. Nice paved trail just behind the beach dunes that goes for miles. Not far from Astoria. You can spend days exploring the Peninsula.

Then there is all of Oregon. East of the Cascades it is High Desert. There are a variety of timeshares basically just off Hwy 97. Eagle Crest between Redmond and Sisters. Just West of Bend is Seventh Mountain Resort. Down by Klamath Falls is Running Y. The Rim Road around Crater Lake does not normally completely open until sometime in July.

If you like visiting Winerys there is the Willamette (Will am ette not Will a mette). Though I prefer the Winerys in Douglas County Oregon for their bold reds and sharp whites.

I can not described the Oregon Coast as it is too spectcular. You could spend 3 weeks just on the Oregon Coast. We normally just travel from Newport to Astoria. When I lived in Southern Oregon we spent time from Brookings to Coos Bay. It was all beautiful.

 

[dsmrp]

The north side of Mt Baker forest, on route 542 has plenty of forest roads and hiking trails. The ski area at Mt Baker/Shuksan has nice alpine trails too.
Off of 542 there's one timeshare, Snowater, which is older, a bit dated, but good enough if you're outdoors most of the day.
Most others rent out vacation homes in the Snowline and Mt Baker Rim communities. In the summer should be pretty easy to get a 2-3 day rental.
Snowater, Snowline and Mt Baker Rim have small community pools.

 

[easyrider]

Early June hiking in WA is warmer and dryer in Eastern WA. The Lake Chelan area is nice in June and has many timeshares in the area. Levenworth & the Alpine Lakes are nice with a few timeshaes in the area. The lower areas of Mt Rainier are nice. Paradise should be open but usually has some snow. The Lodge at Paradise should be open. This is a very cool place.

https://mtrainierguestservices.com/accommodations/paradise-inn/

On the east side of Mt Rainier there are plenty of vrbo units available. Chinook Pass is beautiful and the trails at Lake Tipso are very scenic. This might be one of the best trails ever.

The Grove of the Patriarchs at Mt Rainier is an easy hike. The Silver Falls trail at Ohanopecosh is an easy hike.

If the weather is good the Olympic National Park is nice. June is iffy, imo.

There are many trails to hike in the Columbia Gorge. Mt St Hellens is not that hard a hike for a person that actually hikes. Mt Adams is usually an overnight hike to summit.

Bill

 

[sue1947]

Tipsoo Lake is a very short walk next to Chinook Pass. Naches Pk Loop is a longer hike across the road. Neither of these will be hikeable in early June. Most years, they try to get Chinook Pass plowed out by Memorial Day and then it takes until late July for the snow to melt out, especially on the north side of Naches Pk where a slip on the snow means a drop of several thousand feet. If you aren't used to dealing with snow that has compacted and frozen and refrozen in the melt/freeze cycle, this is not a good option. The south side of Naches Pk can be done earlier in July as an in and out hike, but you miss some of the prettiest sections. In 2015, we had an abnormally light snow year and these areas were available in June when things melted out a good month or more early. This year is not shaping up that way.
Another hike in the area goes to Sheep Lake and Sourdough Gap. This follows the Pacific Crest trail north from Chinook pass and is on a south facing slope for a mile. That south facing slope melts around the first week or so of July. The trail then turns into the trees and you will likely cross several snowfields but none should present a problem other than route finding. There's another hill to climb up to Sourdough Gap but it's south facing and again, melts out in early July. The other side of the gap, though, is north facing and can be dangerous.
All of these issues are eliminated by coming for a hiking vacation in Aug or Sept.

Sue

 

[easyrider]

In early June there is usually some snow at many of the areas around Mt Rainier but many of the trails are accessible including the summit trail from Paradise to Camp Muir to Mt Rainier summit. Lake Tipsoo area opens for hiking as soon as Chinook Pass opens and you can find a place to park. The snow bank is usually over 10ft high because of plowing.

I agree with Sue on the snow issues. Its not for everyone but I like it.

Bill

 

[Erin Bates]

Really consider the Eastern side too! We're originally from the Spokane area. Totally different things and different topography. Check out these 2 Eastern places that are close to the locations you're looking at:
Cashmere, WA: Devil's Gulch, Aplets & Cotlets Factory, Pioneer Village, Peshastin Pinnacles State Park
Leavenworth, WA: A jaw dropping gorgeous German town. Reindeer Farm, Icicle Gorge, Silvara Vineyards

Also just the whole east side of the state is amazing. So sometimes there doesn't even have to be a "big name" place to visit, our family just enjoys the little places long the way and the expansiveness and quaintness of the scenery. It's like a completely different state.

 

[exyeh]

Hi, I am back again! We have changed our trip to late August- mid September time following lot of advice here!! Thank you for everybody's help! I have a question here: sue1967 you said about mountain Rainier NP ":

If you can come in Sept, you should split your time between Sunrise on the NE corner (base near Crystal Mountain ski area where there are ski condos for rent) and Paradise on the south (Ashford or try to get into the Paradise Inn).

I tried to found info about Crystal Mountain ski area/ resort but it seems I did not go to the right place. The search shows lodging at Ashford or other small town again for me. Would you give me some info about this ski resort condo rental? We tried to stay there for 2 nights and there are only 2 of us. Please PM me if that is the right way to do this.

 

[WinniWoman]

This is a great thread! Keeping the info for the bucket list.

 

[Bill4728]

I tried to found info about Crystal Mountain ski area/ resort but it seems I did not go to the right place. The search shows lodging at Ashford or other small town again for me. Would you give me some info about this ski resort condo rental? We tried to stay there for 2 nights and there are only 2 of us. Please PM me if that is the right way to do this.

Staying near Mt Rainier IMHO is not a good idea. Staying outside of Seattle Yes but Rainier is a day trip not a place to stay.
There are lots of things to do in the greater Seattle area and then there are other areas
Like the coast
I'd suggest Seabrook Which is a brand new planned community where about 3/4 of the homes are used as two (to four) day rentals.
As others have said there is the Port Angeles where there is access to Victoria BC, the Olympics mountains, Port Townsend and the straits of Juan de Fuca
North of Seattle has access to the San Juan islands Mt Baker and day trips to Vancouver BC
Eastern Washington with the wineries in the Yakima and WallaWalla area upper eastern washington like Leavenworth and Lake Chelan