West of Seattle day trip?

[gschindel]

Hi
I'm looking for suggestions for a day trip west of Seattle. We are there for 4 days at the end of July and would like to spend one on the "coast" or islands or whatever looks good west of the city. Looking for things like a nice walk on the beach, funky little shops, jaw dropping scenery, etc. all within a 3 hour drive of Dash Point park. We are a family of 4 with two young teens.
Thanks much for the suggestions.

[gschindel]

Thanks. My son would enjoy the bunker. Not going through Seattle would be a very good thing. I'll take the bridge.

[winnietrey]

Dw is from Port Townsend, And I have spend a lot of time there so I probably know it better then most.

Pt would be lot's of fun. But I would skip the ferry, and drive around through Tacoma over the narrows bridge. Ferry is fun but you would have to catch it in Seattle, and maybe wait for a boat. So is kind of a time killer.

I would suggest, as you mention a walk, Fort Warden or Fort Flagler. Both are state parks and have excellent beach walks. As a bonus both have Large shore battery bunkers from WW1. They are fun to explore. Kids tend to really enjoy them. A flash light is a good idea

[Roy_Lynne]

Port Townsend
Whidbey Island
Port Angeles
Gig Harbor
Steilacoom

[4X4Dodger]

I would go to Friday Harbor or one of the other San Juan Islands and or to Port Townsend. But I would NOT do this on a weekend if at all possible. The traffic both road and Ferry will be horrendous.

[gschindel]

Thanks for all the ideas. Seattle sounds wonderful. Too much to see is a good problem.

[4runnerguy]

Since you are starting south of Seattle (Dash Point park), I'd focus on things in that direction. Not an "island" experience, but Mt. Rainier NP is really quite gorgeous. Stop up at Paradise Inn and take in the scenery, maybe a short hike up into the flowers. There's five to six hours of driving if you do the loop around the mountain. Quite different mountain that those you might be used to in Alberta.

Or head out to Pt. Townsend. You can make a loop by going through Bremerton and Silverdale in one direction and taking US 101 in the other.

Or do a loop drive using the Pt. Townsend-Coupeville and Clinton-Mukilteo ferries. If you want the water experience, this is what I would recommend. Ferry route map here. If your pickup is under 22' long, your total fares would probably be just over $40. See fare schedule here. Beautiful scenery from the decks while on board. Downside is you will have to traverse Seattle at some point on this route. Perhaps the locals can give you an idea of which direction to do this loop considering both the traffic through the city plus which direction is best to take the ferry at what time of day on a Sunday. Might be worth doing in a counterclockwise direction to avoid the lines at the ferry terminal from those returning from their weekend on the Olympic Peninsula. Plus this gets you through Seattle earlier in the day on a Sunday.

[myredracer]

Just know that traffic in the Seattle-Tacoma area is crazy 24/7!! Use google for estimated travel time - it's reasonably close enough for estimating.

Port Townsend is a nice quaint small town on the waterfront with many old buildings and funky shops. You could get there on hwy 101 on the west side of Hood Canal by taking I-5 down to Olympia. Or go up hwy 16 up to the Hood Canal bridge. There is a ferry from Port Townsend over to Whidbey Island or go back over the Hood Canal bridge and take the ferry over to Edmonds which is closer to Seattle. Seattle ferries are way cool!

Go horseback riding on the beach at Ocean Shores.

Cape Disapointment State Park at the southeast corner of Wa. is interesting. If you have time, from near this Park pop over the Astoria-Megler Bridge to Seaside in Oregon. Neat little summer destination village with fun shops.

If weather is good, you could drive to Mt. Olympic National Park and go up to Hurricane Ridge (Mt. Olympus is 8K ft. elev.) out of Port Angeles. Great views from the Ridge.

A trip to one of the San Juan Islands (via I-5 to Anacortes) would be totally awesome but could stretch out the travel time for a day visit. Google says a trip from Tacoma to Lopez or Orcas Island is about 3 1/2 hours so is do-able. Highly recommended trip!

Consider visiting Mt. Ranier National Park to the southeast and driving the loop through the park. (Mt. Ranier is 14K ft.) Or a bit south of Mt. Ranier is Mt. St. Helens which is a really interesting visit as a result of the eruption in 1980. Also weather dependent for views.

Gotta visit famous Pike Place Market on the Seattle waterfront if you can. I'd also suggest Ivar's iconic seafood restaurant on the waterfront near the Market, but it looks like it is temporarily closed. Lots of old buildings with interesting shops in this old downtown area. Verry busy in the summer tho.

You might find a visit to La Conner (near Mt. Vernon) interesting - rather small "artists/craftspersons" village with funky shops. Somewhat out of the way tho., unless combined with something else.

Whatever you do visit, please report your experiences. 😉

[2oldman]

Crazy traffic will be coming back to Seattle on a Sunday.

[gschindel]

Ferry might be fun. What's the destinations? Would we need to take a vehicle? Am wondering if would get pricey taking a 1/2 ton.

Saw a pic of Dissapontment. Looks very nice. How much driving would it be? Crazy busy trafic? Would be going on a Sunday.

[2oldman]

Port Townsend

[downtheroad]

If you want a true Northwest Coast experience, head out to Cape Disappointment State Park.
Beautiful drive, beautiful coast, 2 lighthouses, Lewis and Clark Museum.

[donn0128]

Ferry trip? There are several ferrys that leave from down town. Seattle waterfront, Ivars fish house. Seattle underground.