carsnoceans

Sketching a 8-9 day trip for SJ Islands alongwith YVR (near memorial day timeframe).

Loosely structured plan so far -
Day 0 - Fly ORD-SEA; stay the nite
Day 1 - Drive to Anacortes, take the ferry, reach Orcas Island
Day 2, 3 -Stay at Orcas Island
Day 4 - Ferry back to Anacortes/ Drive to SEA/ Stay the nite
Day 5 - SEA-YVR/ Arrive in YVR
Day 6, 7, 8, 9 - Stay YVR
Day 9 or 10 - YVR-SEA-ORD

Island Selection:
I am leaning towards Orcas Island given it's little more secluded (avid hikers and nature enthusiasts here). But I did read in some TA posts that San Juan Island gives better opportunity for orca spotting. Any thoughts there? If both (SJI and OI) are very different, we could spend 2 days on each and maybe shave off a day in YVR.

Transportation:
I considered driving from Anacortes to YVR but not sure about cost on one-way rentals and crossing border on the vehicle. Could be problematic in holiday week? Right now leaning towards driving back to SEA, spending an evening there (or not) before heading to YVR,.

Ferry:
How are the ferry schedules during late May? I think the reservations open 2 month in advance but I am trying to get an idea if they run several times a day or sparsely.

I am perfectly happy reducing my time in SEA to zero if required. I have visited Seattle before and will revisit in future again (especially for Olympic NP visits). It's more or less a pitstop in this trip. If I can manage same-day flights on AS as drive to/from Anacortes, I'd rather take that option.

Would appreciate any thoughts/ suggestions if people have explored that part of pacific NW.

_fx

What are you goals with this trip? That will help with suggestions.

Maglev

The bit about driving to and from Seattle, then flying to and from Vancouver, involves a lot of back-tracking and double mileage. You will also have to deal more with airports, Why not go from Orcas to Victoria, spend a night there instead of Seattle, then go to Vancouver, and drive back to Seattle to return your car where you got it?

There are about a half-dozen ferries a day from Anacortes to Orcas. For Memorial Day weekend, try to get reservations the instant they are available. Here's the website:https://secureapps.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferr...e/default.aspx

carsnoceans

See Orcas, hike/kayak/etc, visit Vancouver (urban life and anything nature-esque around it). Anything outdoors generally works well. I was considering LeanTo glamping followed by a day at boutique inn's on the island.

Not very keen on keeping car in Vancouver that's why going with the backtracking. Also, not interested in driving back to YVR-SEA. That seems like a waste of time as well.

Gardyloo

A couple of thoughts...

The resident orca pods are reportedly undergoing quite a lot of stress - food shortages (possibly related to ocean warming) and excessive interaction with humans. You don't say if your orca viewing will be boat- v. shore-based, but I'd be a little careful if you plan to join a whale watching cruise of some sort. There might be new restrictions (stand-off distances, number of vessels, etc.) that could be imposed by US or Canadian authorities.

If you want to see the whales from shore, then you want to go to San Juan Island, where the viewing from Lime Kiln Point State Park offers the best opportunity to see the beasts. Remember, nothing is guaranteed.


I would certainly caution that the Memorial Day time frame is VERY busy in the San Juans. You will need to make ferry reservations as soon as they're available, and accommodation bookings too.

I'm going to throw out a couple of alternative ideas, just for the hell of it.

First, the Salish Sea northern resident orcas are reportedly in much better shape than the southern pods (the ones around the San Juans, the BC Gulf Islands and Victoria.) The northern pods are viewed from Port Campbell BC, around halfway up the island from Victoria. If you flew into Victoria (on AS) you could get a car and drive up to Port Campbell in 2 or 3 hours; or if you flew into YVR you could get a car, drive to the Horseshoe Bay BC Ferries terminal and take the ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, from which Port Campbell is around a 90 minute drive. Note that Port Campbell is also a base for other wildlife tours, especially for bears. Map showing various locations - https://goo.gl/maps/Fhci251DxESUoji48

Second, if you're using Alaska Airlines (possibly a companion certificate?) maybe think outside the box and fly up to Juneau. Although the town will be full of day trippers coming off cruise ships, the many whale watching services (not just orcas, but other species, mainly humpbacks) are some of the best and most reputable around, and if you want to go hiking or do other outdoorsy things, there are few places where it's better to do so. You could spend a couple of days in Juneau, then, if you want a real small-town experience, take the AK state ferry out to Tenakee Springs, an incredibly picturesque and artsy village surrounded by drop-dead gorgeous scenery.





Or third, even better IMO, would be to go up to Sitka. Sitka is generally bypassed by the big cruise ships because its harbor is too shallow and limiting, so it doesn't feel as impacted by tourism as Juneau or Ketchikan. Sitka is by far the prettiest town in SE Alaska, and in addition to lots of whales and marine wildlife viewable from the town, you can hike through rain forests, visit the cool Fortress of the Bear and Raptor Center - both rehab facilities for their various species, learn a lot about the area's Tlingit and Russian heritage (it was the capital of Russian America) and the town is so compact that you won't need a car, so the total cost might be competitive with (or better than) an equal number of days in the San Juans.


Not trying to confuse things, just throwing out some ideas.

_fx

Orcas is definitely the better pick for seclusion. San Juan is more built up and commercialized. Consider renting a kayak and paddling up to the Sucia islands. You can camp on or near the beach.

You could always do a day trip to San Juan. If you like cycling, Lopez is also worth a visit.

Compared to the rest of the PNW, I would say hiking in the San Juan’s is just ... OK. It’s a bit early in the season, but if you don’t mind snow you’ll enjoy much better hikes in the Cascades. Consider dropping time from YVR for this.

Oyster Dome is a good hike on the drive up from SEA, if you have extra time before your ferry. Should be snow-free in late May.

Ferry will be packed Memorial Day. Do not delay on making your booking — log in as soon as reservations open for your preferred dates to secure your spot.

carsnoceans

Great ideas (and I still have few from you regarding NW Alaska).... but I am not looking to visit that state right now. Juneau and Sitka are both places worth visiting (along with Barrow, Denali NP, Glacier Bay NP... and much more) but thats another time.

Also, I did not realize YYJ is an option on AS (yes, w/ cc). Then, I'd rather fly into YYJ than SEA. Ferry over to YVR and fly back to ORD. No wasteful backtracking.

Now to a different matter.... SJI vs Port Campbell, BC. To be honest both of them look like good destinations. Picking SJI would save me half a day in driving time but orcas viewing is definitely higher on the list. Quick search shows Salish Sea orcas are facing extinction :-( I can understand the restrictions now.
If I was to get a car and drive from Victoria, what other opportunities would be be nearby (~3hr drive) for a similar adventure? I'll appreciate any Orca viewing opportunities whether its land based (hike trails etc) or cruise.... of course nothing can ever be promised with wildlife.

Gardyloo

There are several reputable whale chasing operations right in Victoria - Prince of Whales for example - https://princeofwhales.com/ - so you could skip the San Juans altogether if you want. I just noticed on their website that they now offer a one-way itinerary between Victoria and Vancouver, so if you flew to Victoria, did some local touring, then took that cruise over to the mainland, you could save the cost and hassle of ferries and have more net time to do things. https://princeofwhales.com/whale-wat...-to-vancouver/ Note it's the same whales, whether you take off from San Juan Island or Victoria (or locations in the US such as Port Townsend or Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula.) The only difference is the length of the boat ride to get there.

As a red-faced side note, I just noticed that I kept typing Port Campbell when I obviously meant Campbell River. I don't know why I persist in this thing; I suspect somehow I'm mentally transposing Campbell River with Port Hardy, the town at the north end of Vancouver Island where you catch the ferry to Prince Rupert and/or the Queen Charlotte islands. Sorry to any locals who might see this.

As for other activities/destinations, there are various services in Victoria and elsewhere on Vancouver Island, but also on the (beautiful) BC Gulf Islands, to which IMO you should give some thought. Salt Spring Island (ferry from Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island or Tsawwassen on the mainland) is fairly similar to San Juan Island in terms of scenery and vibe; there's at least one whale watching outfit on Salt Spring. Or, you could drive up the west coast of Vancouver Island from Victoria - maybe to Port Renfrew on the edge of the Pacific Rim provincial/national park complex.

Or, of course, you could do some whale watching on Vancouver Island, them move to the mainland and possibly head up to Whistler, where there are lots of things to do amidst fabulous scenery. Accommodation tends to be fairly affordable at Whistler owing to the focus on winter sports making for lots of condos and hotels that aren't fully booked after ski season. Or you could cross over to the wonderful BC "Sunshine Coast" from the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal north of Vancouver. The Sunshine Coast is lovely and has tons of activities along the coast. It's a fairly "undiscovered" part of BC, at least as far as outsiders are concerned.

Sunshine Coast ferry -



A note on timing. Victoria Day falls on May 18 this year, the Monday before Memorial Day in the US, so crowds in BC will be lighter on (US) Memorial Day weekend while, of course, crowds in the US, including the San Juans, will be lighter on Victoria Day weekend. Might be useful as you plan.

carsnoceans

Haha I did catch you on Port Campbell (map kept on taking me to Port Campbell, Australia).

The more I look into it, I am feeling like making it BC focused trip.

Again loosely structured...
Day 1 - Fly ORD-YYJ / Stay YYJ
Day 2 - Stay YYJ
Day 3 - Drive from YYJ / arrive xxx / stay xxx
Day 4, 5 - Stay xxx
Day 6 - Leave xxx/ arrive Victoria/ Ferry to YVR/ Arrive YVR
Day 7, 8, 9 - Stay YVR
Day 10 - leave YVR

As charming as SJIs I findning myself more inclinded towards making this BC focussed trip. I didn't find Campbell River as interesting but Telegraph cove looks nice. However, given it's not grizzly season in May, the 6hr drive seems wasteful use of time.
Are there any easier ways to visit Tofino (rather than 4.5hr drive)? Perhaps any scenic ferry routes? How about Pacific Rim National Park - worth visiting?

Alternatively, I did consider couple of days in YYJ and then ferrying over to YVR (skipping Vancouver Island completely), then driving to Whistler/ Garibaldi Provincial Park before heading back to YVR for an urban stay. Can I safely assume Whistler will be several degrees cooler than Victoria/ Tofino/ YVR bcos of altitude and mountains? Although I might leave all of this area for a future trip and focus on PNW for now....

_fx, where is Cascades in BC? I looked on maps and there is a mountain range by that name in Oregon. Same one?

_fx

Cascades are just East of I-5 in WA. Search for “Mt Baker National Forest” or “North Cascades National Park” ok Google Maps. Incredible wilderness, but not really practical for your new itinerary.

Gardyloo

I think you need to do some pricing for one-way rental cars (pick up at YYJ, drop at YVR.) I fear you're going to have sticker shock. Major sticker shock.

AFAIK there's no easy way to get to Ucluelet/Tofino without the very long drive from Victoria or Nanaimo.

For sure Whistler is likely to be cooler than Vancouver Island or the coast in general, but in recent years the weather has been very unpredictable. I'd be more concerned that if it's a late Spring you might find the higher elevation areas to still be in breakup (spring thaw) mode - rotten snow, etc.

I don't want to hijack your plans, but I have to wonder if a more Washington-based itinerary might not be closer to your aims. Google the places on this map - https://goo.gl/maps/xQWN7XWCJL34W9Bc8 . This would include a visit to the Johnston Ridge observatory overlooking the Mt. St. Helens caldera, then out to Cape Disappointment at the (awesome) mouth of the Columbia River, followed by a loop of the Olympic Peninsula. You could hike in the Quinault and Hoh rain forests (spectacular in the spring) and visit the ocean beaches along the Olympic National Park coastal strip. See Hurricane Ridge near Port Angeles, and take the Coho ferry as a foot passenger (way cheaper) from PA over to Victoria or a day or two, during which you could go whale chasing from the Inner Harbour. Then back to PA, collect the car and finish the trip back to Seattle, possibly via Whidbey Island and/or the Boeing Everett plant. Just a thought, anyway.

BTW, the Cascades extend all the way from Mt. Shasta in California well into BC. The trans-Cascades highway in BC (which is open all year compared to the North Cascades Hwy - SR 20 - in Washington which closes for the winter) is BC Hwy 3, aka Crowsnest Hwy, which is a drop-dead gorgeous road. https://goo.gl/maps/nzsyR42Rdw2m7KLF9

applegrcoug

Also being a resident of these parts...

Mt. St. Helens is pretty amazing

Mt. Rainier is cool too, but everyone knows that already.

If you are really into hiking, you can climb Mt. Adams in a day. I know lots of people that have done it.

Eastern Washington has lots of vineyards and sometime they have the spring barrel tasting. You'd think I'd know when considering we have grapes, but I don't.

There is also the Bavarian village of Leavenworth. In May they will be doing the May fest stuff.

Olympic National Park is a good outing.

I haven't been to Victoria in awhile, but to me a must is the Royal Provincial Museum. It is really a great place. And then of course, Butchart Gardens.

In Seattle (well, Everett) they have tours of the Boeing plant and then in south Seattle is the Boeing Museum of flight.

djp98374

a few comments

one way rentals can be costly

Weather changes anywhere from mid may to late June---there is a weather patern change from spring weather of more overcast and occasional showers to being clear and sunny till late september. Hard to predict when this happens

roads open up memorial day weekend but with a heavier snow it could be later. If you want to do any high elevation stuff you will still have 3+ feet of snow to deal with and high avalanche risk


from Port angeles you can easily do park and stays at some of Port angeles hotels and take the coho car ferry as just passengars only to victoria as an overnight or multiday trip.

Toshbaf

It would likely be much cheaper to pick up the car at YYJ and return it in Victoria or YYJ airport then either rent a car again in Vancouver or use public transit, which is among the better ones in North America. A car still has use in Vancouver but is not an absolute necessity as it might be in Rockford, Illinois or Knoxville, Tennessee.

Tofino has an airport but flights are probably expensive. I think the major destinations are Vancouver and Victoria but Friday Harbor and Anacortes sometimes are connected.

YVR Cockroach

On the note of orca spotting, saw a pod while crossing from Sidney to Anacortes in this past June (nothing on the return a few days later) and also uite a few years back between Anacortes and East Sound. All boils down to luck. Didn't observe ceteceans of any from my deck this past year though we did the previous year (can distantly see spouts with the naked eye).