Pacific Northwest Temperate Rainforest Question

[ShirleyM]

Hello,

Regarding visiting this area, exactly which airport/city is nearby, what's recommended to see, how close to the coast,... if my son has only 3 or 4 days to see it during his Spring Break, what would you recommend? Are the Redwoods anywhere near this area as well? (we'd be coming together IF we do this)

Thanks!
Shirley :-)

[Alice]

Hey Shirley; that's neat that you may be headed to our neck of the woods!

You're probably talking about Olympic National park, located on the Olympic *****ula in NW Washington. Flying into Sea-Tac Airport, renting a car and then either driving over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and up to the area or going into Seattle and then taking the ferry across to Bremerton will be the easiest way to get there. (Although some of the natives of the Seattle area may be able to give you some good travel tips-Mojo, Reedman, Stang69, bigt, to name a few.)

The Redwoods in N. California are a looong drive from the Seattle area, Doug could probably give you a better approximate travel time but I'd say at least 8-9 hours.

HTH some,

Alice

[ShirleyM]

Thanks, Alice!
We'd have to forget the redwoods if we did the PNW. It would be GREAT to see you all, of course!

Now, I can't say whether we can pull this off last minute, but Troy said the PNW was an area he'd love to see b/c he hasn't seen that climate/biome etc yet. In your opinion, is there a good deal of nature, hiking, etc to make it worth the cost? (cost is a huge factor here) How many or few days would we need?
His begins March 15, but we can't leave until the 17th and have to be back by the 21st, 22nd at the latest.
Thanks so much!!

Shirley

[Alice]

Oh, you'd get a bang for your buck, Shirley. Many places to get off the beaten path and soak up the scenery. Hiking trails galore.

You can see a lot in a few days, many trailheads close to the roads for easy day hikes. You will be blown away by the scenery up here

[ShirleyM]

How far is this from the airport? (miles, hours) and are there plenty mom-pop motels, or do you have to book in advance?
How close is this to you and the rest of the gang?
Thanks!
Shirley

[Alice]

Shirley;

Here's a good link Olympic Nat'l Park

[Alice]

Shirley,

Once you get through the airport fun and are actually driving, you can be at areas of interest in a pretty short time. Just a note: Seattle traffic can be a nightmare so if you arrive in the afternoon, make sure you leave plenty of time.

Lots of quaint places to stay in the area, I wouldn't worry about reservations but stop where you felt like it.

You'll be close enough to many of the local reefing fans when you are in the Seattle area to schedule a visit or two and I wouldn't mind making the trip up from Portland to say hello!

Alice

[Doug1]

Yes Unfortunatly the Redwoods are a full days drive south of there Too bad as its a nice place to visit at least once
From Seattle I would take the ferry to Bremerton then head into the Olympics, avoid the drive thru Tacoma and over the bridge, its all city , the ferry is much nicer

[Stang69]

Shirley I live 1 hour ferry ride from seattle the from there your looking at maybe 2 hours depending on how deep you want to go. If and when you do come You will Prolly want to stay on this side of the water rooms are cheaper over her than in the big city. The travek diesnt seem like it is that far because you are enjoying the view from wherever you are. Sad part is us who live here take it all in a days travel. Least I dont notice it as much as I used to. When there is someone coming family friends etc... I once again start to notice how beautiful of a state we do live in here. If I can be of any help please dont be shy. Yell and i will help you however I can. We have a motel just down the street from us. Nice place, all the family usually stays there when they visit.

Jeff

email me if I can help

[Minnreefer]

I know that this is a little off but Mt Rainer is a great place to hike, I just remebered that it would be snowy then, never mind.

Jon

[Doug1]

Jeff how right you are, its beautiful up there. My daughter is trying to buy prop in Belfaire(sp) up high with great views of Olympics, if it werent for all them pesky trees you could look down and see the lower end of Hood Canal. If my son in law was stationed at Bangor he could take a boat up to work, but he doesnt like them sneaky boats
Hey Shirley, if you guys do get to come out let me know, I have been known to get up that way on occasion We could meet at Jeffs store

[ShirleyM]

Thanks for all the info and invites, everyone! I'm going to send this link to Troy and see what the travel costs will be.

Shirley

[ShirleyM]

Thanks again for all your help. The pics are so beautiful of that region!

What is the weather like in Mid- Late-March? Too cold to camp? Are there leaves on the trees? If we go, it would be 3/17 to 3/22, and we'd be renting a car...is it possible to see the coastal areas as well as the waterfall and mountain hiking areas or is the driving distance going to eat up precious time? Is it real rainy during that time?

Thanks so much!
Shirley

[Alice]

Hi Shirley;

More than likely it will be a little chilly and rainy for camping, unless you want to go in style and rent an RV There should be leaves on most of the trees by then and early wildflowers cropping up.

Check here for a list of State Parks

Look under rental places; many of the campgrounds have lodges, cabins or "yurts" (small huts.) They don't offer much in the way of amenities but they will keep you dry.

Alice

[ShirleyM]

Thanks, Alice! I've been doing a search for flights on Travelocity and am a little late for the 14 day advance specials. I can get flights arriving evening of the 15th, leaving morning of the 19th. That gives us only 3 days. Is that enough to see the falls and the coast and hike in the mountains?? How long does it take to get from the airport to the National park? Someone mentioned the Ferry...does the ferry take cars? We'd be renting a small car from the airport.

Thanks!
Shirley