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

by Allison Williams

Overview

Hit the Road with Moon Travel Guides! Follow the roads connecting vibrant cities like Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland with the wild emerald green places in between-an untamed coast, deep forests, and a legendary mountain (or two) with Moon Pacific Northwest Road Trip!

Moon Pacific Northwest Road Trip can do everything but change the radio station. Inside you'll find:

• Maps and Driving Tools: 31 easy-to-use maps keep you oriented on and off the highway, along with site-to-site mileage, driving times, and detailed directions for the entire route
• The best places to eat, sleep, stop and explore: climb Mount Rainier or relax in Seattle with a freshly brewed cup of coffee or a local craft beer. Hike the temperate rain forests of Oregon, kayak the Puget sound in Washington, or take the ferry across the border to see First Nations art or hit the ski slopes in Whistler.
• List of the Bests: you'll know exactly what you want to do at each stop with lists of the best hikes, views, restaurants, and accommodations so you can customize your trip
• Mix and match itineraries including the complete two-week route, shorter road trips lasting a few days, and plans for spending time in Vancouver, Victoria, the Olympic Peninsula, Seattle, the Oregon Coast Portland, Neah Bay, Port Angeles, Greenwater, Paradise, Olympia, Astoria, Aberdeen, and Newport
• Expert advice from native Washingtonian and outdoorswoman Allison Williams, who shares her love of tree-climbing and the Pacific Northwest with all would-be roadsters
• Vital information like advice on when to get gas, how to avoid traffic, tips for driving in different areas and weather conditions, and suggestions for LGBTQ travelers, seniors, and road trippers with kids

With Moon Pacific Northwest Road Trip's practical tips, detailed itineraries, and insider's view on the best things to do, you've never been better prepared to choose your own adventure. Let Moon ride shotgun.

Looking to explore more of America on wheels? Try Moon Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip! Doing more than driving through? Check out Moon Seattle or Moon Vancouver & Victoria.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612387628
Publisher:	Avalon Publishing
Publication date:	02/03/2015
Series:	Travel Guide Series
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.70(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 daily 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.