We’d heard a lot about Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. Waking up to clear skies this morning, we knew this was the day to make the trip. It exceeded our expectations.
Hurricane Ridge is so named because of the heavy winds, but on a beautiful summer day like today, there was little more than a stiff breeze. The trip to Hurricane Ridge in itself is beautiful: a ferry ride, a drive along the coast of the peninsula, and some stunning views as you ascend toward the ridge. However, as you round a final corner into the ridge’s parking lot, it is clear why you’ve spent all the time in the car. I pasted together five pictures above to create a panoramic, and unfortunately, it doesn’t begin to do it justice. Before you lies a stunning array of rocky peaks, glacier ice, and evergreen carpeted valleys.

There are also a few short little trails right around the visitor center which take you through the wildflowers and wild life. If nothing else, make you way to the overlook from which you can see across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, BC.
To get to Hurricane Ridge, take the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston. Follow 104 out of Kingston to 101. Take 101 into Port Angeles and look for the signs directing you to Hurricane Ridge. It will take you about two hours once you get off the ferry…depending on traffic, of course. Not including gas expect to spend upwards of $50 for ferry fares and entrance to Olympic National Park. It’s worth every penny.

We got a late start on Memorial Day, but we were still able to manage a beautiful hike at Wallace Falls. The parking lot was full when we got there in the early afternoon, but we were able to grab a spot as someone else was leaving. On a nice day, an early start would be recommended.

We had our infant (in a carrier) and four year old daughter with us, so that limited us to the lower falls (pictured here), but those alone were worth the trip. The lower falls were only a 4 mile round trip. We ran into several who were easily able to make the five mile round trip to the upper falls even with an afternoon start. The consensus from other hikers that we talked to was that the middle falls were the most spectacular, and the upper falls were a bit anticlimactic is light of that.

The hike is rated as medium difficulty, but even our four year old coped well. There are a few steeper grades, but they aren’t very long, and there are plenty of more level grades (and lots of benches) to help catch your breath. If you were wanting to make a longer day out of it, there are plenty of other trails in the area, including a few that go up to three lakes up above the falls.

Wallace Falls State Park is right on the edge of Gold Bar, only a few minutes off of Highway 2. With no traffic, it is a little over an hour from downtown Seattle. Once you are in Gold Bar, you should have little trouble finding the park from the signage in town.

Enjoy!

We decided to play tourist for a day and do the duck tours from Ride the Ducks of Seattle. We had a great time, aside from wanting to sink down in our seats a few times in fear that we might see someone we know on the sidewalks as we drove through downtown.

The 90 minute tour starts with a drive through the waterfront, Pioneer Square, and downtown Seattle, with the driver wise-quacking and pointing out sites of interest along the route. Apparently the drivers moonliight as DJs, because when stopped at a light, they play from the same mix of upbeat oldies that you hear at just about every wedding reception.

The second half of the tour finds the old wartime landing vessel turning into a boat for a cruise around Lake Union. Besides Gasworks Park and the lakehouse from Sleepless in Seattle, there isn’t much to see on the lake. The main appeal for most is the uniqueness of the vehicle.

The tours depart right across from the Experience Music Project at the “duck dock”. They have limited parking on site, but there is plenty of other parking available with a few blocks. In the spring, they had a tour departing every half hour. We got there 15 minutes before a mid-weekday tour, and could have walked right on. From talking to their employees, sometimes the wait can be quite a bit longer in the summer, so buying tickets in advance is recommended.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has become an annual trip for our family. The fact that my wife loves tulips has something to do with that, but it is also a wonderful way to get out and celebrate the arrival of spring after the gray months. A number of events coincide with the festival, but we have been content to just be out and enjoy the tulips. After all, they are the featured guests.

For those content to have a nice drive, a route map provides an easy way to drive through and enjoy the color of the fields. Several growers also allow free parking near their fields and allow you to walk along the edges and enjoy the colors up close. This year, we also took advantage of the paid gardens at RoozenGaarde. Only $2 buys you the opportunity to see the full variety of tulips. If you want to plant tulips of your own, the varieties are labeled so you can visually choose exactly what you want.

Typically the best time to go is in mid-April, although the blooming of the tulips can vary every year based on the weather. Depending on traffic, the tulips are 60-90 minutes from downtown Seattle, and the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of the sun.

The Seattle Aquarium (map) re-opened on September 17 after being closed for ten days for remodeling. There is still plenty of work going on, but we were happy to be among those who visited as it re-opened.

This is a great destination for kids. Our three year old would have been quite content to peer into all the tanks at the aquatic life, but there was so much more for her than that. There were lots of activities and hands on displays throughout the aquarium to draw her in even further. Highlights for her included the otters, the octopus, and a chance to touch a starfish.

The aquarium is conveniently located on the waterfront, so it is a great activity to combine with one of the many other activities to do in the area. I’d also recommend getting an annual pass for only $60. This include free admission for your family for one year, plus 5 guest passes. Those passes alone are worth the $60.

Some beautiful late summer weather meant it was a great day for a trip to Snoqualmie Falls (map). Only about 30 minutes from downtown Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls makes for a great family destination to get out of town, if only for a few hours.

We began our adventure at the top of the falls. There are a number of shaded tables and beautiful lawns, so it makes for an ideal picnic. There was plenty of parking on the other side of the highway, even on this busy day. It was a bit of a walk, but not too much trouble. The picture to the right was taken from an overlook at the top. In the spring, the falls cover the width of the opening due to the spring runoff. However, even the lower water levels of late summer make for a beautiful view.

After the picnic, we took a hike down to the bottom. The hike is pretty easy. Our three year old was able to make it down without being carried. The view from the bottom is once again breathtaking, though most ended up leaving the marked trails to get a closer look. For those who don’t want to make the hike, it is possible to drive most of the way to the bottom. From the top of the falls, continue west on 202 to the next left turn and follow it back to the parking lot.

To get to Snoqualmie Falls, take 90 east to Hwy 18. Head north on Hwy 18 to 202 and turn left to head west to the falls.

It almost doesn’t seem fair how many beautiful destinations are so easily accessible around Seattle. Our most recent little daytrip brought us to Picnic Point Park in Edmonds for, you guessed it, a picnic.

The park has a nice grassy area with shade giving trees and a few tables. If you prefer to be drenched by the sun, you can go a few steps further and enjoy the wide open beach area right on Puget Sound. The day we visited, there were only a handful of people there. As beautiful as it was that day, I can’t imagine why the beach wasn’t packed. But perhaps that’s what makes this such an appealing destination to those who know about it.

To get to the park from the parking lot, you will need to cross a footbridge that goes up and over the train tracks. Three or four trains passed by in the hour and a half we were there, including an Amtrak train while we were on the bridge itself. For some, the trains might be a noisy distraction. If you have kids, or if you are still a kid at heart, the trains add to the thrills of the day.

On a previous trip over the Deception Pass Bridge after a long and tiring day, we knew we would have to come back to explore Deception Pass further. We made the trip back to Deception Pass State Park (map) only a few weeks later when friends were visiting from out of town.

Even on a busy holiday (4th of July), we found the park to be very accessible. We chose to picnic on north beach on the south side of the pass (park map). It was an easy trek down to the beach from the parking lot, though climbing over a few logs and the rocks can be a bit of a challenge for little ones. Once there, we were presented with a gorgeous view of the bridge and the pass itself.

After the picnic we drove around a bit. West Beach was quite a bit busier but looked a bit softer and included some concessions for a more classic beach experience. There is also a lot of camping and hiking within the park itself. Deception Pass State Park is a good destination for any number of experiences you might want to enjoy.

We took a wonderful day trip today to Whidbey Island. There is far more to do here than I can begin to document, and we could likely go back many times and have a different experience on each trip. Here’s a few of the highlights we had today.

We began mid morning with the ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton. This was a short 20 minute ferry with no waiting on a weekday morning. I did discover that the don’t charge for passengers coming back the other way, so next time perhaps I would reverse the route and come back over the ferry.

We had no particular stops in mind, but just wanted to enjoy the day. Shortly after leaving Clinton, we say a sign pointing to South Whidbey State Park (map) so we made the left turn. The minimal $5 parking fee at the park was good for any other parks we visited during the day and well worth it, so keep your parking stub. There is a beautiful trail through forest down to the beach. It is only a half mile long, but it is moderately steep so be prepared. At the bottom, we were met by a wide-open sandy beach. With hardly anyone there on this weekday morning, this will be a great location to visit again in the future to step away from things for an afternoon.

After setting out from the park, we were all hungry. We soon stubled on Greenbank Farm and had lunch at Whidbey Pies Cafe’. The soup of the day was a very good chile con carne. It was rounded out very well by a slice of cherry pie.

We continued our drive after lunch and decided to stop at Fort Casey State Park (map). This was my highlight of the day. A large grassy area and a perfect breeze presented an excellent kite flying opportunity with my daughter. The fort itself overlooks the sound and is a lot of fun to climb on and crawl through. A flashlight might be handy if you really want to do some exploring. Again, our $5 parking permit was needed here, so keep your stub.

We continued on north toward Deception Pass (map). Just south of Deception Pass, I saw a bald eagle taking flight out of a tree. My three year old, pregnant wife, and father-in-law were all wearing out quickly, so we didn’t get out at Deception Pass, but it’s beautiful even to drive through. It looks like it could easily be a full daytrip in the future, so I hope to post about it in the future.

After Deception Pass, we continued on to Mount Vernon. There we met I-5 and headed south for our return to Seattle.