Lucky in Love: Seattle, Washington
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The Heart Of Washington State
Seattle, the San Juan Islands, the Olympic wilds and Mount Rainier, by ferry and car.
Washington sits in the northwest corner of the continental US, and its landscapes change quickly as you cross it. In one trip you can ride a ferry to an island chain, hike through coastal rainforest and walk wildflower meadows beneath a glacier-covered volcano. On Lucky in Love, Percy and Michelle hand each day's planning to a coin toss, with one picking and the other going along. That spirit suits this self-drive trip, which starts and ends in Seattle and leaves most of the choices to you, so the only person arguing with the coin is you. The link below opens the full trip, and you can change any part of it.
Start in the City
You begin in Seattle at Hotel Max, which gives you a base for the days ahead. The Seattle City Pass covers admission to the city's headline attractions, including the Space Needle, the observation tower that anchors the skyline, so you can see the city from above before you explore it on foot. The waterfront along Puget Sound is an easy walk from there, and it leads to Pike Place Market, a public market where fishmongers toss salmon across the counter and flower stalls line the aisles. It's a good place to graze your way through lunch.
Leave a day open for a ferry ride on the Sound. The boats are part of daily life here, and even a short crossing gives you a view of the city from the water.
The ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor, about ninety minutes one way.
Take the Ferry Out
When you're ready to leave the city, drive north to Anacortes and board the ferry to Friday Harbor. The crossing takes about ninety minutes and carries you into the San Juan Islands, a cluster of green islands between Washington and Canada. At the Tucker House Inn in Friday Harbor, the island's main town, the days are yours to fill. In season, you can watch for orcas off the west side of San Juan Island, then spend the afternoon at a lavender farm or follow the coastline from cove to cove at an easy pace.
From the islands, the route continues to Port Angeles, the gateway to the Olympic Peninsula. This is the large wedge of land west of Puget Sound, and it holds Olympic National Park, with wild Pacific beaches, old-growth forest and rainforest. You stay at the Red Lion on the harbor, and the days here are left open on purpose, so you can spend a morning on a driftwood-strewn beach and an afternoon walking among trees that have stood for centuries.
End at the Mountain
From the peninsula, the road heads inland toward Mount Rainier, a volcano covered in glaciers that you can see from Seattle on a clear day. The Nisqually Lodge in Ashford puts you at the entrance to the park, and you get a free day inside it. Wildflower meadows lead up toward glacier viewpoints, and the trails let you set your own pace, whether that means a short stroll or a long climb.
The itinerary includes two nights at the Nisqually Lodge in Ashford for you to explore the magnificent Mount Rainier National Park.
On the way back to Seattle, the route passes Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, a good place to stop and stretch your legs before the final night at Hotel Max and your flight home.
The link below opens the full trip, with hotels and car rental included. Leave the free days open and let the weather decide.
The Heart Of Washington State
Seattle, the San Juan Islands, the Olympic wilds and Mount Rainier, by ferry and car.
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