Seattle and Mount Rainier or Olympic Parks

[SuePer]

I'll be staying in the Seattle area a few days after a cruise. I was wondering if anyone could recommend places to stay near Mount Rainier National Park. Also, does anyone know how long a drive it is?

 

We may also go to Olympic National Park, so suggestions on lodgings near there would also be appreciated.

 

Sue

[SeattleCruiselover]

Mt. Rainier is a 1.5-2 hour drive from downtown Seattle on a decent traffic day.

 

Lodging Info:

 

http://www.mount.rainier.national-park.com/lodge.htm

 

Olympic National Park is 3-4 hour drive.

 

Lodging Info:

 

http://www.nps.gov/archive/olym/lodging.htm

[SuePer]

Thanks. Any recommendations for which lodgings are good ones?

[SeattleCruiselover]

I have not stayed at any of them in quite a while. Rainier National Park suffered quite a bit of damage in the floods last year and this, and they will be doing a lot of refurbishing out there, so it is hard to say what will even be open by summer time.

 

You might want to google Forks WA for good places to stay out on the Olympic Peninsula. I understand that there are some wonderful places out there now.

[chewap]

There is also the town of Morton, where you can get accomadations. Close to Mt St Helen and Mt Rainier. Alot of motels in the area leading up to the park entrances.

[Sailorgirlseattle]

For the Olympic National Park, you can also find lots of accommodations in the town of Port Angeles. Hurricane Ridge is a fun visitors spot in the park and not far from PA. The rest of the park is also accessed fairly easily from PA.

[SuePer]

Had dinner last night with friends who had been in the Seattle area a few years ago and they said the Olympic Peninsula is a must see. They said the coastline is spectacular. Thanks to all for the advice so far. We will definitely plan on both Mount Rainier and the Olympic Peninsula for our after cruise sight seeing. Is there a quicker way to get to the Olympic Peninsula from Seattle than driving to Tacoma and Olympia, perhaps by ferry? Also, do you know if there are any wineries to tour on the Olympic Peninsula?

[SeattleCruiselover]

The only ferry to Port Angeles is from Victoria BC, unfortunately. You might try using MapQuest to see if it would be quicker to take the WSF to either Bainbridge Island or Bremerton, both of which are in Kitsap County and driving from there, as that would eliminate backtracking to Tacoma and taking the bridge to Kitsap County.

[Splinter]

You could also take the ferry to Whidbey Island and then from there to Port Townsend to get to the Peninsula. Coming back you could also go from Port Townsend to Whidbey but then turn north and come back through Anacortes (a nice drive) to Mt. Vernon and then south again to Seattle (if you have the time).

[Sailorgirlseattle]

You can also do the Kingston/Edmonds ferry route to get back to the Seattle area.

[briangl]

Had dinner last night with friends who had been in the Seattle area a few years ago and they said the Olympic Peninsula is a must see. They said the coastline is spectacular. Thanks to all for the advice so far. We will definitely plan on both Mount Rainier and the Olympic Peninsula for our after cruise sight seeing. Is there a quicker way to get to the Olympic Peninsula from Seattle than driving to Tacoma and Olympia, perhaps by ferry? Also, do you know if there are any wineries to tour on the Olympic Peninsula?

 

Our family always takes the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston when heading to the Olympic peninsula. I haven't been to any of the wineries on the peninsula but you can check them out here.

 

http://www.washingtonwine.org/explore/index.php

 

If you are in Seattle the St. Michelle tour in Woodinville (45 minutes NE of Seattle) is worth a trip.

[SuePer]

Thanks to all for the ferry advice.

 

Briangl, thanks for the link. There are three wineries I found there. Chateau St. Michelle is definitely worth going to. I was there a while ago but DH wasn't. We'll try to get back there since it is so close. As I recall, you go over the floating bridge to get there, and that was worth seeing too.

 

Sue

[ReadyToFloat]

If you head down I-5 to get to Tacoma, and then head for a short while on 512 before heading east on highway 7 (also Pacific Avenue - the main road to Mt. Rainier), you'll have a variety of options for food and shopping along the way.

 

One nice place to visit for lunch and some quick shopping is Garfield Street. It's just on SR7 and about 10 blocks off the exit from HWY512 (on the right, just past 121st St.). There are some GREAT restaurants there, including locally owned and renowned Italian (Marzano), Mexican (Reyna's) and Southern/Cajun(Jambalaya).

 

There is also a great independent community bookstore called Garfield Book Company. It has a variety of NW items and gifts, a really neat Fair Trade section, and a variety of NW books and travel guides.

 

It's connected to a university, though is a community bookstore open 7 days a week with a really neat feel - unlike any I've ever seen. There is also a fair trade and organic coffee shop right next to it.

 

You'll love the Pacific Northwest. And, if it is sunny, don't tell anyone... the rule is, you have to say it rained the whole time!!!!

[jltpeke]

On our 2006 cruise to Alaska, we went to Seattle a few days before the cruise and rented a car and drove to Mt. Rainier Nat'l Park. We stayed at a wonderful little place called Jasmer's in Ashford, just outside of the park. It was wonderful, the owner helped us with hiking ideas and ideas on pretty drives to take. Check out their info on TripAdvisor - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60907-d83022-Reviews-Jasmer_s_at_Mt_Rainier-Ashford_Washington.html

 

We want to go back and spend more time exploring this area.

[Barek]

Our family always takes the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston when heading to the Olympic peninsula. I haven't been to any of the wineries on the peninsula but you can check them out here.

 

http://www.washingtonwine.org/explore/index.php

That site appears to leave off a couple of the wineries on the Olympic peninsula, so here's another link for just the wineries on the northern part of the peninsula: http://www.northsoundwineries.org/home.html

 

For lodging, there are several excellent bed and breakfasts on the peninsula - personally, I've always prefered the ambiance found in most bed and breakfasts over what you find in hotels.

[Barek]

Had dinner last night with friends who had been in the Seattle area a few years ago and they said the Olympic Peninsula is a must see. They said the coastline is spectacular. ...

FYI: Here's a link to information from National Geographic about the coastline and the Hoh rainforest: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/destinations/Olympic_National_Park/Hoh_Rain_Forest_to_the_Pacific_Beaches.html

[SuePer]

Thanks Ready to Float, jltpeke, and barak for all the advice and links. Very helpful. I think planning this trip will be almost as fun as the trip itself!

Sue