Mt. Rainier, here we come! (Need Pacific Northwest family trip hints)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Next week we are embarking on an ambitious 3-week long family camping trip to the Pacific Northwest (mostly Washington State) to see the 4 things I have personally always wanted to see.

  1. Mt. Rainier
  2. Grand Coulee Dam
  3. the mouth of the Columbia
  4. The Olympic peninsula

I’d like some insider information, please. For example, everybody here says, “Rainier in July? You must be joking. You can’t even get into the park because of the traffic jams.” Well, we did Yellowstone in June once, and people said the same thing, and yeah, there was traffic, but I didn’t think it was that bad.

Also, are there any interesting “Red Squares”? We enjoy the kind of tourist destination that Rand McNally denotes on their maps with a little red square, things like The World’s Largest Hand-Dug Well (that’s in Kansas, I’m saving that for my Kansas Vacation). Not necessarily the manufactured-for-the-tourist-industry site, you understand, just the off-the-wall genuine stuff. The beer can collection outside of Nashville, stuff like that.

We are not terribly interested in the whole downtown Seattle/Pike Place/Space Needle/Starbucks/Redmond ambience. For one thing, most of those places cost $$$. We like the kind of little local thing where they have a jar by the door for donations.

We’ll have 3 kids with us, ages 16, 13, and 10. The Cat Who Walks Alone (16) wants the vacation to consist solely of exploring every Old Navy store between here and Portland. Well, we’re not gonna go there, sweetie, but for her sake, I will ask–are there any outstanding places to shop for clothes that aren’t necessarily part of the Great Chain Store Madness (we’ve got an Old Navy here, why do we need to go all the way to Seattle to shop?)

Bonzo and La Principessa have pretty standard tastes in stuff. As long as they can swim in a pool every night, they’re happy.

Which reminds me, any outstanding swimming beaches, or conversely, beaches that are highly touted but which really suck (over-crowded, dirty, too touristy?) We don’t mind a certain amount of touristy stuff (we do like our flush toilets), we’re not wilderness mavens, but if there are more hot dog stands than beach, then it isn’t really fun.

Feedback at this end says, “Oh, it’s too cold to swim out there.” Is it?

Any “do not miss” scenic drives, or reasonably short easy hikes (say less than 2 miles)?

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As long as you’re going to the Grand Coulee Dam, take a gander at Dry Falls. It’s an interesting geological formation whose name you’ll appreciate once you see it. It’s 7 miles SW of Coulee City on SR 17 (sorry I forgot to get the URL from the website where I got these driving instructions), and the vantage point is right by the side of the highway, as I recall.

Also east of the mountains, and possibly in your path, is the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park (http://www.tcfn.org/tctour/parks/Ginkgo.html). There are other little oddball things in that region just east of the mountains, if you keep your eyes peeled and don’t mind exploring a little.

As for swimming in western Washington – let’s just say you’ll probably be happy getting your ankles wet. But you can still have fun mucking around at low tide within Puget Sound, or walking in the surf at some of the ocean beaches (tip: stay away from Ocean Shores).

Have a great trip!

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What’s the matter with Ocean Shores?

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We visited Mt. Rainier at least once a year while we were there – any time from June to September. It was always crowded but that’s a relative term. It’s a big place, and I don’t ever remember thinking that there wasn’t enough room for everyone. (Except in the gift shop.)

We usually went to Paradise and hiked from there. I did much better in my non-smoking days. One time, wearing uncomfortable shoes (like a dummy), I took them off and walked barefoot. Feet got hot, so I walked on the snow, then walked back on the trail. Some of the trails have a bit of asphalt – ouch! Couldn’t get my shoes back on, and my feet just killed me all the way back down. Blistered even.

Don’t get off the trails. We did once, early in the season when the snow covered parts of them. We got off the trail and almost lost an 8-year-old over a cliff.

And be sure to stop and listen to the glaciers move.

Haven’t been to Ocean Shores for awhile – it’s gotten a bit trashy. If you have time, go a bit north or south of there, either way is okay. If the kids want to swim, go to Lincoln Park in West Seattle. The pool has salt water, and looks out over the Sound. I wouldn’t recommend any serious swimming along the coast. Every time we were there it seemed like someone drowned. They’re not really swimming beaches.

And I’d recommend a side trip to Neah Bay too.

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How about Mt St. Helens? Rainer Brewery(Seattle)and Olympia Brewery(Olympia (duh!)) both have free tours of their plants which are pretty interesting. Also, you might want to take a ferry from Seattle up to Victoria, BC to see Buschart(sp?) Gardens and have High Tea at the Empress hotel. The Boeing Museum in Seattle is only a few bucks and you can walk through the old Air Force One. Very cool from what I’ve heard.

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<< bump >>

We’re leaving Saturday afternoon, late. Anybody else wanna contribute? Now’s your chance to travel to Washington State in the form of a hard copy printout of this thread! Be the first on your block to spend 3 weeks as a piece of paper on a clipboard in the front of a big-ass Chevy van!

(Gas mileage? Whazzat?)

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I visited Mt. Rainier about ten years ago. I didn’t think it was amazingly crowded, but maybe things have changed. I, too, hiked up to the Paradise Ice Caves, and it’s well worth it. But bear in mind that there are a LOT of other trails around the mountain. Pick up a trail map at one of the stores.
IMPORTANT: Pack Insect Repellant!!! The mosquitos can be brutal!

Also pack food. The trail is probably longer than you think.

Seattle itself is fun, of course. See the public market. Tour Underground Seattle. Ride the Space Needle (only tourists do, but you’re a tourist, after all).

Try to figure out where Frazier works.

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You have to go to Whidbey Island. My recommended intinerary – go to the Boeing assembly plant tour in Everett (Paine Field) if you have anybody interested in big planes. Then go down the hill to the Mukilteo Ferry to Clinton, on Whidbey Island. If you like funky little shops, stop in Langley, otherwise head up to South Whidbey State Park. You can spend the night there, be sure to check out the Classic U old growth forest across the road.

Then head north again, to Deception Pass state park. This is the most visited state park in the country, so you might need reservations to camp there. If you can get in, the kids will enjoy swimming and fishing in Cranberry Lake. There is a little-known old growth forest east of Cornet Bay on the other side of the highway. It is spectacular! The rangers can point the way. You then want to cross the Deception Pass bridge to Fidalgo Island – the Bowman Bay campground is a favorite of mine, and the nature trails are pretty cool there too. The coastline here is magical – be careful you don’t fall in love with the area.

If the weather is clear, a visit to Mt. Erie will reward you with good views of the area. Be careful on the rocks. If you want to play in the snow, you can drive up to Mt. Baker.

I recommend going across the North Cascades Highway (Hwy.20), to Winthrop, then through Omak, Okanogan, then across the Indian reservation to Elmer & Coulee City to visit Coulee dam. This is a pretty drive, and there’s a great Ice Cream shop in Winthrop.

There’s lot’s more I could recommend – but this is ambitious enough to start. Have fun!!

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My parents (who lived in Wa for many years) said to try Thunder river, Mt. St Helens, The Grand Coulee (not the dam), Dry falls, Mt. Rainier (of course!).

BTW, if Rainier ever blows its top like Helens did. It would make the Helens blowout look like a firecracker. Rainier is huge! Another funny side note is: My mom was nursing me about 200 miles directly outward from Mt. St Helens when the lateral blast occured. And my dad and some family were hiking about a hundred miles from Helens when it blew. They said at first they saw this huge grey cloud in the distance, and thought it was a massive thunderstorm approaching. Then they came to the realization that Helens blew. They rushed back to Spokane and got in a hotel where they were trapped inside for days. While outside it was a massive blizzard of ash.

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You might think about staying at Sun Lakes State Park when you are in this area. My family used to stay there every year for a week. It is really nice, and will put you in the right spot to explore Dry Falls and Coulee Dam.

Scotti

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You HAVE to do the underground tour. I have been 5 times, and enjoyed it every time!

Scotti

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You might like Pike Place… its a lot of fun… (although if you’re not into touristy type things, Seattle center (space needle, emp (BRAND NEW), and that kinda stuff. I just won tickets to the Metallica concert last week to open EMP (incidentally playing on mtv tonight… watch, you may see Screemer rockin’ out. :slight_smile: )

EMP looks like it’d be a lot of fun, unfortunately, I only really had money for the free concert/food/lodging… so I didn’t get to see it. If you make it down to the Portland area… Multnomah Falls is always good, Mt. Hood has got some cool summer type of stuff at Ski Bowl in Government Camp… (a little town on the mountain)…

Hey… ask the NWerner. :slight_smile: Anything you want to know about the area? Just ask…

Screeme

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I’ll second (third?) the Underground Tour in Seattle. The EMP would be a fantastic place to go with kids, but, at 20 bucks a head, it might be a little pricey. If you’re going to be in Seattle anyway, the kids will like the giant troll eating the VW Beetle under the Freemont Bridge. Not worth a separate trip though.

If you do go to Victoria, B.C., you might want to spend a night on one of the San Juan Islands (personally, I recommend Orcas). Alternatively, I’ve heard that the Southern Gulf Islands in Canada are nice, though I’ve only been to Saltspring.

While you’re at Rainier, you might consider the Ape Caves, which are long lava tubes made by one of the mountain’s eruptions. I’ve never been, but I hear they’re pretty cool (both literally and figuratively). There’s also Wolf Haven in Tenino, which I guess is actually closer to Olympia. It’s a refuge for wolves who have been raised in captivity and can’t be released into the wild. I think it’s around $7.00 a person.

For stuff to do in Seattle try this website.

Hope this helps.

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Don’t know if you’re not from Seattle, or just haven’t picked up a newspaper recently, but the Rainier Brewery is defunct, closed, out of business. They’ll tear it down and build something else whenever they figure out what the hell to do with the fifty-foot R on top.

I would second the Whidbey Island trip. Hell, go for a whole ferry ride. Drive up past Bellingham to Anacortes and cruise through the San Juans. Orcas, Lopez, Friday Harbor… very cool, and the kids will love it. If you do this, be prepared for a SERIOUS wait at the ferry terminal, if you try to drive on. Better bet, for a day trip, would be to park the car and just walk onto the ferry as a foot passenger. You can get off at Friday Harbor or wherever, walk around, take the next ferry etc.

Also: Mt. Rainier is VERY crowded this time of year. If you do this, come in the back way. There are two entrances; one leads to Paradise, which is the more popular one. Try the other entrance. It won’t get you as high on the mountain, but the views and hiking are just fine.

I would seriously consider Mt. St. Helens over Mt. Rainier, unless you’re never planning to come back this way. Not as crowded, much more interesting sights.

If you’re on the Olympic Peninsula, I would recommend either (or both) Fort Worden or Fort Flagler. Old World-War-One era military bases, they’re now converted to state parks (although both adjoin still-operational military facilities). Tremendous day-hikes through the old concrete bunkers, great views (especially from Flagler at sunset). And if you do Fort Worden, make a point of visiting Port Townsend. Cool old-style town; great restaurants.

Another thing worth doing, if you have the time, is to stop in Olympia and visit the campus of the state capitol. It’s a large, open, very attractive campus; it makes a pretty good day-walk outing.

Welcome to my back yard! Hope you have a good time. Please post a recap here whenever you get done; I’m sure we’d all like to know what you ended up doing.

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As for beaches, I reccomend Alki (pronounced Al-kye) beach at low tide. Lots and lots of white sand under 1-2 feet of water, and less out on the sandbars. It’s great. At high tide, however, the beach near the water is made completely of pebbles and broken shells–absolute torture for the feet. And it gets deep really fast. You can get the tide schedule on the back of the Sports section in the Seattle Times. Alki’s only about ten minutes away from downtown Seattle. There are some great places to eat there, also. I reccomend Spuds fish and chips, Phonecia at Alki, and the Alki Bakery.

If you like baseball, definitely check out Safeco Field. It’s a gorgeous stadium.

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Two words: Snoqualmie Falls