Traveling to Seattle-Tacoma area in two weeks, have a couple free days, looking to fill them.

Submitted by Superb-Film-594 t3_11e6qyy in Washington

Hi there, friendly Wisconsinite here.

My wife and I are going to visit some friends in Gig Harbor in about 2 weeks. We all decided to rent a place in Port Angeles and will be checking out some things in the surrounding area for the weekend. But our friends will be going back to work for the last bit of our trip, so we have like a day and a half to ourselves (and 2 nights). We'd really like to do a little more exploring, as we don't often get a chance to travel. Given the time of year, I know that Mount Rainier and the surrounding area requires snow chains. Are there other areas like this as well?

Since that's not really an option for our rental vehicle, I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for cool sightseeing (lakes, waterfalls etc.), that wouldn't take us further than 1-2 hours from Seattle? We fly out at 9:20am our last day, so we wouldn't want to have too long of a drive back to the airport that morning. We like hiking, and wouldn't mind putting on some miles if the weather is accommodating.

This time of year, is it safer to stay near the coast, or is it fairly mild away from the mountains? Here's some places that seem appealing to us:

Mount Si

Snoqualmie

Mount Pilchuck

Lake 22

Rattlesnake Ledge

We appreciate any suggestions offered. FYI, we have already visited the San Juan Islands, which we love, but would like to try somewhere new. Thanks!

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Professional-Curve38 t1_jaco8n0 wrote

I’d recommend Netshed #9 for breakfast in Gug Harbor. Best breakfast ever. They even have their porch over the water open if you want to be brave, it’s got tents and heaters and your fork could fall into the ocean.

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mobleyd t1_jacxhup wrote

You can walk on the ferry to Victoria, BC and spend the day there before catching a return ferry.

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thesmallestwaffle t1_jacysel wrote

I’d drive to Mukilteo, take the ferry to Whidbey Island, check that out, and then head up to Deception Pass!

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Starfishy78 t1_jaczyyt wrote

Perfectly safe to stay on the coast. You’ll be able to hike Mt. Si & Rattlesnake with waterproof boots— you won’t want to do both because they are quite similar. You can visit Snoqualmie— check out REI for gear rental if you don’t bring warm enough / waterproof items OR if you want to snowshoe or Nordic ski.
*Keep in mind these are essentially 3 hour drives without traffic.

However, you can easily spend your time in Port Angeles exploring the surrounding area. Which, IMO, is really lovely. You could make the 30 minute drive out to Lake Crescent or the 2 hour drive to Cape Flattery (the northwestern most point of the contiguous US & where the straight of Juan de Fuca meets the Pacific Ocean).

Enjoy!! Bring warm coats & waterproof outer layers! (And gloves and hats!)

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Novel-Art3412 t1_jad04no wrote

Rattlesnake Ledge is definitely fine to hike right now. You might want to check conditions for Mount Si and Pilchuk, but Si should be fine. I would not hike Lake 22 right now due to the snow.

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gaslancer t1_jad0ryf wrote

You’ll be very near the Hoh rainforest in the Olympic National Park. Check it out.

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peffervescence t1_jad1nq2 wrote

If you’re already in PA and the park is open you gotta see Hurricane Ridge.

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ChampagneStain t1_jad6434 wrote

You sometimes see folks on here visiting Seattle who want to take a day to see the Olympic Peninsula. It’s really too far for a reasonable day trip from the city, but if you’re already in Port Angeles I recommend heading west instead of east for a day. Two of our favorite places are Rialto Beach and the aforementioned Hoh Rainforest. Neither should be too crowded this time of year. You could hit both in one day from PA, including a solid hike up the rainforest trail and some leisurely beach walking. They’re two very unique PNW places and a neat way to get beach and forest in a single day. You’ll need solid rain gear, but measurable snow is very unlikely. (If it’s stormy, Rialto is especially amazing - full-size tree trunks get tossed about in the surf!) Take advantage of your base camp location!

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Superb-Film-594 OP t1_jad8u9v wrote

Replying to ChampagneStain (#2,110,210)

Thanks for the suggestions, I should clarify that we are heading back to Gig Harbor so our friends can get back to work, so we'll be 2 hours east of Port Angeles, hence looking for other suggestions than Olympic National Park. We'll definitely keep these ideas in mind though!

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thedournorwegian t1_jadsykf wrote

For a nice day trip from Gig Harbor, I would highly recommend driving west on WA-302 to Belfair, then south on WA-106 along the Hood Canal, linking up with US-101 near Hoodsport. You can make a loop by heading north, crossing the Hood Canal Bridge and back down through Bremerton. Easy drive with fabulous scenery, especially if it’s a rare clear day. Plenty of cool spots to stop on the way (Alderbrook Lodge, state parks, restaurants, etc.).

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throwaway23029123143 t1_jaeafrd wrote

Replying to Starfishy78 (#2,108,154)

I live in snoqualmie. There is snow on both Mt. Si and rattlesnake right now. I wouldn't try Mt. Si without micro spikes until at least april/may, as the final bit and the top of the trail can be very slippery. Snoqualmie falls and the train depot are always lovely and downtown snoqualmie has cute shops and restaurants for a day trip. This is a long haul from Port Angeles unless you're staying the night in Seattle. I also recommend Bainbridge Island for a relaxing day trip with some fun parks.

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