World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Seattle  - Excursions
Excursions

For a Half Day

Local islands:
For foot passengers, Washington State Ferries depart from Pier 50 eight times a day to Vashon Island, which is still considered 'counter-culture' in that it has resisted suburbanisation and is home to many artists. The ferry also lands at Southworth at the top of the Kitsap Peninsula. The ferry from Pier 52 takes cars to Vashon, as well as Bremerton, home to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Museum (tel: (360) 479 7447). The historic destroyer USS Turner Joy is located right next to the Bremerton ferry docks. Bainbridge Island, also accessible from Seattle in an hour, has its own winery and is a great place for biking. From there, it is an easy half-hour jaunt to the historic town of Winslow, one of Greater Seattle's antique capitals.

Snoqualmie Falls: About 24km (15 miles) east of Bellevue, just off I-90, these dramatic 82m (268ft) falls are perched on a rock precipice near the town of North Bend. North Bend was the setting for the quirky television series Twin Peaks and many scenes took place in the Salish Lodge beside the falls. Snoqualmie Falls makes a pleasant bike trip or picnic destination.

Wine and brew country: The Chateau Ste-Michelle Winery in Woodinville, a half-hour drive from the centre of Seattle, is an impressive French-style chateau with landscaped grounds perfect for picnicking and sampling the locally produced quaff. Nearby is the Columbia Winery and Redhook Brewery. Grayline Grayline (tel: (206) 426 7532 or (800) 426 7505; website: www.graylineseattle.com) organise tours here.

For a Whole Day

Olympic National Park:
The Olympic Peninsula (tel: (360) 452 4501; website: www.nps.gov/olym), which separates Seattle from the Pacific, covers nearly 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) and 97km (60 miles) of coast, with a haunting rainforest near Lake Quinault. The far northwest corner of the region is home to the Makah Indian Cultural Center at Neah Bay, as well as windswept Pacific beaches. This park includes the glacier-studded Olympic Mountains, rainforests, lakes and streams. Route 101 encircles the park and can be reached from Seattle by Black Ball Transport (tel: (360) 457 4491) ferry across Puget Bay to Port Angeles (journey time - 3 hours).

Mount Rainier National Park: Lying 144km (90 miles) to the southeast of Seattle, this is one of America's oldest national parks (tel: (360) 569 2211; website: www.nps.gov/mora), one of five founded in the nineteenth century. It was created to preserve one of the country's most spectacular scenic wonders, the snow-capped volcano known as Tahcoma to Indians in the past and as Mount Rainier today and, at 4392m (14,410ft), one of the tallest peaks in the region. The 94,245 hectares (235,612 acres) of park also contain mountain ranges, glaciers, rivers, deep forests, lush meadows, covered with wildflowers during the summer, and around 500km (300 miles) of trails. Ninety-six percent of the park is classified as wilderness, but there are provisions for skiing and other wintersports. Access is from the I-90 east from Seattle to Highway 202; the main entrances being on Highway 706 near Ashford or Highway 410 near Enumclaw. The mountain road ends at the aptly named Paradise, which has a visitor centre and historic lodge. Every year, thousands of climbers begin their long trudge to the summit from here. Grayline (tel: (206) 426 7532 or (800) 426 7505; website: www.graylineseattle.com) offers a ten-hour tour of the park, leaving every morning in summer from the Sheraton Hotel downtown.

San Juan Islands: Boats to San Juan Islands and Victoria, British Columbia in Canada leave from Pier 48 (in summer) and Pier 69 (year-round). The four-hour excursion to Tillicum Village on Blake Island offers a cruise of the harbour and a taste of Pacific Northwest crafts, traditional dance and a salmon buffet in a cedar longhouse. Tillicum Village Tours (tel: (206) 443 1244; website: www.tillicumvillage.com) depart from Pier 55-56.

There are also scheduled and charter seaplane services to Victoria (Vancouver Island, Canada), the San Juan Islands and other destinations, from Kenmore Air (tel: (425) 486 1257 or (800) 543 9595, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.kenmoreair.com) and others.



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