Submitted by Krystto t3_zhujbw in Washington
Greetings, my family and I are planning a roadtrip from Portland to Vancouver and would like to know what are good places to vist along the way.
Some towns to stay in for a few days, where to wait for Christmas and what parks/indian communitys to see.
Any kind of tip is very welcome since we are from Croatia, Europe and will be quite lost.
PS: what rent a car do you recomend?
Those are some great tips, we thank you so much
For a rental car, check that you can drive it into Canada. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get a one way rental to another country. Or it could at least be very expensive. If that doesn’t work out, consider returning a car in Seattle or Bellingham, then taking the train. There is service but it may only be once per day.
On Christmas, most restaurants and all tourist attractions will be closed. You’ll likely have more options in a bigger city like Seattle. Or plan to be somewhere remote like a National Park where you’ll be eating where you’re staying anyways.
Not a very long road trip, guess you can park on the side of the bridge for a few minutes to look at the view, but I'm not aware of any towns on the river unless atlantis exists and it's in the columbia
You can drive an american rental car into Canada temporarily as long as you are not a canadian citizen.
Another vote for the 101, especially stopping at the Hoh rainforest, and what is called the "Tree of life". Ruby beach is also beautiful.
Pt Townsend is a lovely place to stay and a really cute town.
Definitely check the language in the rental contract. I have seen ones that won’t even let you drive out of state.
I worked for a car rental agency in the PNW for 13 years and during 9/11. The rental agency will generally be very careful about one way rentals but if you are not a Canadian citizen and/or returning the car back to the US you’ll be fine.
Lol I thought the same thing. OP doesn't realize that there is a Vancouver in British Columbia Canada (Vancouver B.C.) and a Vancouver in Washington state USA. The distance between Portland and Vancouver, WA is a 10 min drive from PDX so that would be a very short trip lol.
just letting you know since there might be a bit of a language barrier that "indian" is a bit of an outdated term in english. "indigenous" or "native american" is typically preferred. safe travels!
Potentially very scenic if they took Bridge of the Gods
Sure thing! I hope you enjoy your trip here!
I wouldn't recommend Seattle unless you enjoy big cities. However, I've taken a ferry from Seattle to Victoria (British Columbia) and had lots of fun. Or, you could look into taking a ferry to San Juan or Orcas Island north of Seattle. I guess it depends on your budget and how much time you have.
They can go visit a couple of reservations to see what a third world country looks like.
Wipe your conscience.
*Native American (not Indian) communities are not tourist attractions.
There are quite a few great places where you can see and learn more about Native American culture in Washington State, and in British Columbia!
https://stateofwatourism.com/discover-washingtons-american-indian-heritage-sites-and-museums/
Whatever that means. I take it you haven’t been to a rez before.
Up the coast. Take your time. Stop at Kalaloch Lodge if nothing else, but places like Moclips are cool at the beach as well. If wanting to see brand new; Seabeck
Continue on around the peninsula, a side trip to Cape Flattery (if the reservation is open) - maybe a side trip by Port Angeles up to Hurricane Ridge (might need chains - or at least have them in vehicle, but if a sunny day, road should by clear and dry). Onwards to Sequim (a cool animal park you can drive through), then to Port Townsend. A beautiful historic town on the water. Walkable. Fort Worden State Park just north of downtown.
Then take the ferry from there to Coupeville on Whidbey Island. Wrong direction but I would backtrack slightly to Langley and stop to visit/walk/drink/eat.
Then back up the spine of Whidbey Island to Deception Pass Bridge. After that Anacortes.
Go from Anacortes up via Edison (good food) and Bow to Chuckanut Drive. Take it all the way into Bellingham. Hang in Bellingham before continuing north. White Rock just across the border has a beautiful boardwalk along the bay. Vancouver and surrounding area can easily be two weeks. Or drive from Bellingham into the mountains and up to Mt Baker (long one way though and can be crappy last miles up if snow).
This trip combines the WA coast with BC (near Vancouver) mountains and is pretty straight due north.
If having time and you’d like to see the Cascades and more, can drive east from Portland (along the Columbia or up via Mt Hood and then down to Hood River), cross the Columbia River (many locations) then take US-97 up towards Yakima (Palm Springs of WA). Continue from there up to Wenatchee. There either take US-2 west towards Leavenworth (fake German town, beautiful around Xmas and winters), Steven’s Pass (chains likely required to carry) and I-5 (for a beeline to BC). Or you can continue north on US-97, Chelan (vacation paradise in summer and shoulder seasons), Omak, Conconully, into the BC Okanagan (Osoyos, sunniest spot in Canada) and take the Crows Nest Highway (3) towards Hope and Vancouver. Or go north to Kelowna through the wine districts. From there you can head west and loop back towards Vancouver, further west towards Merritt and Lillooet to approach Whistler from the north and then onto Vancouver. Etc.
All a matter of time, what you want to see, weather, desire to carry chains or not, etc. Unless in a real rush, I would avoid taking I-5 up from Portland to Vancouver. Just a busy freeway with not many views - although coming into Seattle and seeing the skyline is cool.
The Olympic peninsula is full of beautiful old growth forests and the beaches are wonderful, not like Florida beaches though. I’d highly recommend going to hurricane ridge in the Olympic national park
Assuming they are meaning Vancouver BC, Hwy 101 is actually quite a ways out of the way, as nice as it may be.
That's true but it sounds like OP wants to explore and get a good experience of western Washington and I think hwy 101 will do that better than just a straight drive up I-5. Though it kinda depends on how long their trip is.
Northwest Best Fish Company in Richland WA. For fresh seafood and lunch. Their panko coated fish is really good. Not greasy. Highly recommend.
There’s them homeless boat peeps by the old Thunderbird.
Did you mean Ridgefield?
Yes, you are right.
I mean, there's the port Angeles - Victoria ferry, and another across to Vancouver.
Or Port Townsend - Coupeville. 101 would be a bit out of the way, but they would avoid I-5 and the Seattle metro area. Definitely counts as a good scenic route with cool towns along the way.
They could explore Whidbey island, deception pass, and la Conner. Then be in a good spot for the Skagit valley and North Cascades NP
Near Lake Crescent (which was my favorite place to camp in my youth) are the Sol Duc Hotsprings. I don't know if it is open or closed when you decide to go on your trip, but might be worth checking out if you're int he area.
You might want to clarify which Vancouver you are headed to. Vancouver, WA, which is basically Portland, OR's neighbor, and Vancouver BC in Canada. Both are accessible by driving north on I-5 and I-205.
Depends on how much time they have. I've read the ferries are not on time these days and some are out of service.
WSDOT webpage and app keep you apprised of ferry schedules. They are on time but you may wait longer than expected on alternate schedules
MydogDallas114 t1_izo2t3n wrote
If you're sticking to the main highways, any type of car will be fine. If you plan to go into the mountains, you'll likely need tire chains regardless of your vehicle.
I'd recommend driving up highway 101 around the peninsula. Olympic National Park and Lake Crescent are beautiful anytime of the year. Mt Rainier is a great park but look ahead to make sure it's open and if tire chains are required. Ashford, right outside the Paradise entrance is a good town to stay in. And not too far away you could visit Northwest Trek Wildlife Park to experience PNW (Pacific North West) wildlife.