there's several public transit options (just look at google maps seatac<->forks transit). the dungeness line will get you from sea-tac to port angeles by itself. you could also go through olympia with a couple more transfers. the catch is timing with your flights.

are you hiking the north coast route?

Dungeness is what I'd come up with and worked out a route plan. Seemed solid. Due to flight times would add a day on each side of the hike that would be nice to avoid, but that would allow more time in Forks or Port Angeles. (Forks looks more interesting)   We'll be hiking from Shi Shi Beach down to Rialto.

I guess it's possible. Do you arrive in SeaTac before 11am? Do you want to be on a bus for 7 hours and sit in PA for an hour?

> Forks looks more interesting

It's not. Neither is PA.

having an extra day on either end would make that plan super solid. there might be delays with the ferries and/or tides. shi shi to rialto is amazing, you will have a blast

This will be my first trip to the Pacific coast in 25+ years, and I'm really looking forward to it.

The trip from the airport is tight timewise with only a little over an hour between stops unless i build in a hotel stay. I'm landlocked in Kansas and didn't think about the ferries being delayed. That may be enough to drive my decision.

Thanks again!

I'd say the variety of a new place could hold my attention for a day. Almost anywhere can be more exciting than where you are.

The flight I'm looking at arrives at 10:15, and there's a bus at 11:50 I could try to catch. Waiting at the airport for the 7:00 bus would be... unfortunate. Hah

That's very optimistic, considering there's not a days worth of stuff to do there, unless you really like the very small logging museum and general store.

Regardless, I hope you have a great trip.

You'll see what I mean when you're here.

Yep, that all tracks.

Honestly? Rent a car. One hiccup and you're seriously SOL. You're going to the most remote, unpopulated, disconnected location in the Lower 48.

Maybe they're into Twilight?

Go with the car, I think you’ll end up finding it worth it in exchange for less stress worrying about your connections. It’s a beautiful drive by way of Kitsap->PA, and I think you’ll appreciate being able to stop off wherever might catch your eye.

PA has a little more than Forks at least, and I spent a nice afternoon in a bookstore and outdoor shop there, plus the waterfront. Trust us when we say there’s truly nothing in Forks. I planned to spend a morning there on a road trip this summer, but ended up continuing on after about 45 minutes. Shi Shi and the coast are gorgeous, enjoy!!

Port Angeles has a pier, and Ediz Hook is often overlooked. Fun way to spend a couple hours scanning for orcas.

Odd take. If OPs purpose is to be in the forest and near the ocean, then there’s unlimited things to do in Forks. Just walk around.

Doesn't change what I said any.

Go with the car, it seems like a lot of connections you'd have to make, especially if you went through olympia.

Depending on your schedule you could take the light rail to Seattle, catch the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Walk around downtown Bainbridge, catch the bus to the Poulsbo transfer station. Poulsbo has 8+ breweries if you are into beer. If not the Clallam County bus runs from the Bainbridge Ferry or Poulsbo transfer station twice a day. It will get you to Port Angeles station in about 2+ hours.

> to meet some friends for a 4 day backpack starting at Shi Shi Beach. We're all meeting in Forks

How are the other 4 getting to Forks? Are they locals?

None of them can give you a ride?

1. Land at Seatac
2. Take the Light rail to the Pioneer Street Station ($3.00)
3. Walk .5 mils to the Seattle Bremerton Ferry terminal
4. Take the Ferry to Bremerton $9.45
5. Have one of the friends that will be driving to Forks pick you up from there,
6. It is 10 minutes off of SR 3 which is a likely way that they will be heading to get to Forks.
7. 2.75 hour drive to Forks

OR

From step 5 take the a bus to Forks, would need more info and times to get pricing this way. nasty amount of time.

OR

Rent a car, might be wasteful if you were vacation to a city with transportation options, But you are going out in the wilderness and renting a car to do that is an entirely reasonable and in this case sane situation.

Ford Focus, From KAYAK for ~$175 for 5 days

I was also thinking light rail to ferry would be the most pleasant and least stressful way. It’s kind of nice going from the airport into Seattle and riding a ferry is fun

Don't underestimate Port Angeles... it's closer to the park and to prettier parts of the coast. I would underestimate Forks if I were you. Port Angeles has way more variety if that's really what you're looking for.

As someone who lives in Forks - rent a car.

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Also ignore the people saying Forks isn’t worth it. Our town can be boring - don’t get me wrong. But south of us we have some of the best beaches. Ruby, La Push is out by the reservation and access to the Hoh Rainforest. We also have smaller beaches like Beach 1, 2 and 3 which are great. Tree of Life, Rialto beach and the Hall of Moss are also worth a visit. On the way to Forks from PA you’ll also have a beautiful drive and go by Lake Sutherland and Lake Crescent as well.

Definitely rent a car.

Or like someone else suggested, get one of your friends to pick you up. Are they from somewhere else? I feel like no one who lives here would suggest any other course of action.

I live 3 miles from Rialto beach. Dungeness lines from SeaTac to PA then $1.50 clallam transit ride to forks. Been pretty wild weather here lately , dry pack and rain gear I suggest.

Hey there! I would normally agree that a rental car would be the way to go, as you could make the trip in just a few hours and have the freedom to explore the Olympic peninsula at your leisure. However, seeing as you’re doing a backpacking excursion and the car would (I assume) be sitting for days, that does seem like a waste. I did a Google and discovered that there are 2 Amtrak trains a day running from King St. Station in downtown Seattle to Port Angeles, departing at 12:35pm or 7:55pm. It takes about 3.5 hours and costs about $40. You can take the Light Rail from SeaTac airport to the train station for just few bucks. From PA, you can take Clallam Transit route 14 to Forks which runs about every 2 hours on weekdays. The ride is only 1.5 hours but It doesn’t appear to run on Sundays, and schedule is limited on Saturday. Hope this helps!

There's Horizon flights into PA also