Moon Pacific Northwest Road Trip: Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, the Olympic Peninsula, Portland, the Oregon Coast & Mount Rainier

by Allison Williams

Overview

Buckle up for the best of the PNW's breathtaking wilderness, eclectic cities, and quaint coastal towns with Moon Pacific Northwest Road Trip. Inside you'll find:

• Multiple Routes: Take the full two-week trip or mix and match suggestions for spending time in the Olympic Peninsula, Seattle, Portland, the Oregon Coast, Vancouver, and more
• Eat, Sleep, Stop and Explore: With lists of the best hikes, views, and more, you can venture through lush rainforest in search of towering waterfalls, race across sand dunes on the Oregon Coast, and kayak the Puget Sound. Marvel at totem poles carved by First Nation tribes in Vancouver, study the contemporary masterpieces at the Seattle Art Museum, or tour Oregon's collection of picturesque lighthouses. Indulge in a food truck feast in Portland, sample cheese and ice cream in Tillamook, or snack on authentic Canadian poutine
• Maps and Driving Tools: Over 30 easy-to-use maps keep you oriented on and off the highway, along with site-to-site mileage, driving times, detailed directions, and full-color photos throughout
• Local Insight: Native Washingtonian and outdoorswoman Allison Williams shares her favorite spots and experiences in the Pacific Northwest
• Planning Your Trip: Know when and where to get gas, how to avoid traffic, tips for driving in different road and weather conditions, and suggestions for LGBTQ+ travelers, seniors, and road trippers with children

With Moon Pacific Northwest Road Trip's flexible itineraries and practical tips for weekend getaways or a complete PNW escape, you're ready to fill up and hit the road!
 
Looking to explore more of the West on wheels? Try Moon Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip! Doing more than driving through? Check out Moon Coastal Oregon or Moon Olympic Peninsula.
 

About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell—and they can't wait to share their favorite places with you.

For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640494503
Publisher:	Avalon Publishing
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Series:	Travel Guide
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	175,802
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

While growing up in Olympia, Washington, Allison Williams spent much of her childhood climbing trees and reading books at the top. Family vacations involved camping in the shadow of Mount Rainier or exploring the very dark, probably haunted tunnels of Port Townsend's old forts.

Allison received her bachelor's degree in biology and English from Duke University, with studies at Oxford University and an ethnobiology field school in Costa Rica. She worked as a writer and editor in New York City for eight years, including staff positions at Metro newspaper and Time Out New York. When the lure of the Northwest's mountains, drizzle, and summer berry harvests became impossible to ignore, she relocated to Seattle. She has since realized two lifelong dreams: summiting Mount Rainier and poking sticks into the campfire without being disciplined.

Allison earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where her fiction thesis won the Jason Wenger Award for Literary Excellence. Her journalistic work has been recognized with awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and a nomination from the City and Regional Magazine Association. As senior editor at Seattle Met magazine, she covers travel and the outdoors by hiking every trail and driving every road she can find on a map.

Read an Excerpt

From Moon Pacific Northwest Road Trip

Between nature and culture, every possible shade of green appears in the Pacific Northwest. The best way to see the treasures of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia is to follow the roads connecting vibrant cities likes Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland with the wild green places in between – an untamed coast, a deep forest, a legendary mountain (or two).

If you have time, take a ferry from Vancouver or Seattle over for the day to explore beautiful Victoria.

• Fairmont Empress Hotel: This old castle of a hotel is located in the center of downtown and is also home to a tea service that’s worth raising a pinky.
• British Colombia Parliament Buildings: Victoria is the provincial capital and its governmental buildings are one of the city’s best architectural displays.
• Fisherman’s Wharf: The wharf’s quaint floating homes provide a backdrop to waterfront food stands and great people watching and wildlife viewing.
• Craigdarroch Castle: The home of an industrial baron is now a historical site with dozens of original stained glass windows.
• Butchart Gardens: An old quarry was transformed into a world-class garden and the resulting grounds take hours to fully appreciate.

As you make your way southeast around the Olympic Peninsula, get a unique taste of North Pacific Coastal life with these must-see highlights.

• Fort Worden State Park: The military campus turned state park boasts beaches, a lighthouse, old battlements, and historical houses.
• Northwest Maritime Center: All things boats are taught, made, and celebrated at the home of the Wooden Boat Festival.
• Hurricane Ridge: From its perch in an alpine meadow overlooking the peaks of the Olympic Mountains, this structure is what passes for a home base in the Olympic National Park.
• Hoh Rain Forest: More than 12 feet of rain fall on this stretch of old-growth forest, home to herds of Roosevelt elk.
• Cape Flattery: Welcome to the edge of the world, where a rugged point of land meets the Pacific Ocean.

Be sure to pull over for some of these seaside vistas as your wheels continue to roll down the Oregon Coast towards Portland.

• Fort Clatsop: Lewis and Clark finished their epic journey here on the Oregon Coast, where they were greeted by local Native Americans.
• Haystack Rock: The unofficial symbol of the Oregon Coast is at Cannon Beach, where the photogenic rock also serves as a bird sanctuary.
• Tillamook Cheese Factory: The warehouse of cheese has views of giant cheese-making and packaging floors, plus endless free samples.
• Oregon Coast Aquarium: Local sea life is represented well in this giant park with feeding shows and touch tanks.
• Yaquina Head Lighthouse: Oregon’s tallest lighthouse sits nestled within a protected wildlife area.
• Heceta Head Lighthouse: One of the prettiest lighthouses on the Oregon Coast has something most don’t—a bed-and-breakfast inside the keeper’s house.
• Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area: The sandy hills that guard Oregon’s beaches also serve as an outdoor playground for dune buggies.

Table of Contents

Discover The Pacific Northwest 4

Planning Your Trip 14

Where to Go 14

When to Go 16

Before You Go 17

Driving Tips 19

Hit the Road 20

The 14-Day Best of the Pacific Northwest 20

Seattle 29

Getting to Seattle 33

Sights 39

Entertainment and Events 54

Shopping 60

Sports and Recreation 63

Food 66

Accommodations 77

Information and Services 81

Getting Around 82

Vancouver 85

Getting to Vancouver 89

Sights 92

Entertainment and Events 110

Shopping 116

Sports and Recreation 119

Food 122

Accommodations 130

Information and Services 134

Getting Around 134

Victoria 137

Getting to Victoria 141

Sights 144

Entertainment and Events 151

Shopping 153

Sports and Recreation 154

Food 154

Accommodations 157

Information and Services 159

Getting Around 160

Olympic Peninsula 163

Getting to the Olympic Peninsula 166

Port Townsend 169

Sequim 178

Port Angeles 181

Olympic National Park 185

Neah Bay 198

Ozette Lake 200

Forks 201

La Push 203

Kalaloch 205

Aberdeen 205

Olympia 208

Oregon Coast 215

Getting to the Oregon Coast 218

Astoria 219

Seaside 225

Cannon Beach 228

Manzanita 232

Tillamook 235

Pacific City 238

Lincoln City 240

Depoe Bay 245

Otter Rock 246

Newport 247

Yachats 253

Florence 254

Portland 261

Getting to Portland 265

Sights 268

Entertainment and Events 284

Shopping 292

Sports and Recreation 296

Food 300

Accommodations 308

Information and Services 314

Getting Around 314

Mount Rainier 317

Getting to Mount Rainier 320

Mount Rainier National Park 323

Gateways 338

Mount St. Helens 347

Essentials 355

Getting There 356

Road Rules 359

Visas and Officialdom 361

Travel Tips 361

Resources 363

Index 366

List of Maps 374