Washington State

[TrillumHunter]

We're considering taking a family trip out there and I'd like to hear about the best times to visit and what to see. We love nature most of all, but especially marine life. We've never been to a rocky cold beach and that's the experience we are after! We want to see tide pools! We love the mountains as well, so I'm thinking we'll barely get a taste of the place.

Any advice welcome!

[Jestgar]

it's a really big state.......

Do you have some idea of when? And for how long?

For tidal pools and stuff pretty much any time, but you could look up tide charts and try to aim for some very low tide periods.

Do you want snow in your mountains? hiking?

the peninsula will give you some of everything; beaches, spits, rain forest, tribal museums, Forks (do you own a teenage girl?), mountains.

Mt St Helens is pretty cool -- that whole volcano thing.

Rainer is still open, but probably not for long.

[celiac-mommy]

I agree! Olympic Peninsula is AMAZING!!!

[TrillumHunter]

I know I'm going to fall in love and come back because I'll never be able to see near enough.

We could come over in the spring over the kid's break. We would have only six days then. We could wait until summer and stretch it to ten days.

We're coming from the Smoky Mountain region, so I'm not sure I would pick mountains first. But, a volcano! Wow! Most of my life I've dreamt of being bundled up on a foggy beach staring into a tide pool with the mountains behind me. We aren't the kind who run and run on vacation. We like to relax and take our time.

The rain forest is very interesting as well.

Maybe we can fly into (filll in the blank), drive through Mt (blank) and arrive at (blank) beach.

It will be the biggest trip we've ever taken and I know we'll have a great time there.

[Jestgar]

hhmmm six to ten days....

Fly into Seattle

Drive through Tacoma to Open Original Shared Link

Take 101 north, stop and play anywhere that looks Open Original Shared Link. Lots of barely discernible beaches along the coast. They just have a number - you park the car and hike down to the beach.

Fun to go to Neah bay and hike to Open Original Shared Link

Drive all the way around the Open Original Shared Link and check out Open Original Shared Link ,or Open Original Shared Link. Maybe go into Open Original Shared Link, or Open Original Shared Link

Return to civilization either through Open Original Shared Link, or by going back through Tacoma.