Driving from Seattle to Portland (Tacoma, Olympia: rent, hotel, houses)

[bir52292]

I just moved to Seattle from CA and am thinking about spending a weekend in Portland for fun and shopping. How is the drive in December? Is it safe for someone to do by themselves? Do I need chains? Is there snow? Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Ira500]

You probably won't need chains, and you probably won't see snow. I-5 going to Portland doesn't go through any especially snowy areas. December is a rainy month in western Washington, so make sure the defroster and windshield wipers are working. Takes about 3 1/2 hours, depending on where in Seattle you're coming from, and where in Portland you're going. And there's convenient towns to stop for lunch along the way, like Olympia or Chehalis or Centralia.

[Inkpoe]

There is also the Amtrak train option. This way, you wouldn't have to worry about your car and the costs and hassles of that.

[Hemlock140]

We make that trip several times a year regardless of the season. Just don't go if the forecast is for snow. Typically that will only be 2-3 times a year in Seattle, Portland, and lowland areas in between. We used to stop a a restaurant near Black lake off I5 for breakfast but they had gone out of business last time we went last summer. We often stop for dinner in Lacey on the way back, lots of good choices.

If you go on a weekend, expect nasty traffic from Fife through about Dupont
Friday afternoon/evening and again Sunday coming back. It can turn the 3 hour trip into 5 hours.

[Ancalagon]

Originally Posted by Inkpoe

There is also the Amtrak train option. This way, you wouldn't have to worry about your car and the costs and hassles of that.

I second this. There is a once daily Coast Starlight and four daily Cascades trains from King Street Station (Seattle) to Union Station (Portland). The ride itself is quite scenic.

Click here to see the schedule:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobSe...Amtrak_W32.pdf

With Portland's MAX Light Rail and the Portland Streetcar, most of the stuff you would want to do is easily accessible by public transit.

[StealthRabbit]

Yes, take the train, Portland is very accessible (free bus / light rail in downtown). You can rent a car on Priceline for $10 / day if you want to go to the great 100% PUBLIC ACCESS OREGON coast or the Columbia River Gorge.

If you must drive (such as if you have a family w/ many kids... not CHEAP for train OR Hostels)
DO NOT attempt to drive it on a Friday Afternoon. (Tho I have many times... regretfully).

Sat and Sunday AM are very clear sailing via I-5.

I have often made the Round Trip a couple times a day (doing 'senior care' for 15 yrs...). Figure 3 hrs each way, that allows of a couple short breaks. Fuel at Safeway in Kelso. (usually the cheapest)

I have never had terrible roads, tho a few icy spots (No passes / high elevation). The spring floods can shut things down around Chehalis.

If by Train...
Do search the Amtrak schedule as some days / times are MUCH cheaper than others. You might want to do a 'day train trip' to Centralia some Saturday. They have lots of Antique malls and the Olympic Hotel. (brew pub)

I don't recommend a 'Greyhound' experience... BTDT 2x this yr... yuck.

BTW, There is lots of 'Ride Sharing' SEA > PDX. I often do that too. (Craigslist currently has a composite listing of I-5 rides N and S) ~ $10-$15 each way for fuel. I have family going back and forth too, so ask around, likely you can get a free / cheap ride on convenient schedule.

[Woof]

I recommend taking a car to a downtown motel near a guided tour place, take the tour to give you an overview of Portland, and then spend Saturday night and Sunday going wild and shopping.

Amtrak can be more trouble than taking a car, and it ALWAYS used to run hours off schedule, meaning a long wait in the lobby perhaps with psychotic people and panhandlers (maybe security is better nowadays, dunno). I don't think I've ever heard of chains required or closure of I5 from bad weather along that stretch, and it's less than 200 miles.

[Ancalagon]

Originally Posted by Woof

Amtrak can be more trouble than taking a car, and it ALWAYS used to run hours off schedule, meaning a long wait in the lobby perhaps with psychotic people and panhandlers (maybe security is better nowadays, dunno).

The Cascades Corridor had an on time performance of 82.7% last month. Not perfect by any means, but most definitely not 'ALWAYS' late. 46.7% of the delays were due to freight train interference. With new agreements with BNSF (the guys who own the track) and ARRA (American Reinvestment and Recovery Act) funding to build new sidings, the numbers should continue to improve. And travel times should come down slowly as well.

Amtrak - Routes - Northwest - Amtrak Cascades

Thanks to the stimulus funding we'll have eight daily 2.5h trips to Portland early next decade.

Also have you been to King Street Station since the remodel began? It's really beautiful and not at all the rathole it was in years past.

Seattle Department of Transportation: King Street Station

From this:


To:

[Kayela]

I've taken the train several times. It's always been faster than sitting in traffic and 100x less stressful. And don't get me wrong - I absolutely love a road trip, just not that one. I've also driven it several times. The traffic from Seattle to Olympia blows and the rest of it only seems tolerable because you endured that first. Finally I swore I was never doing that drive again and tried the train. I'm so hooked! My trains have been on time thus far, I can enjoy the scenery more since I don't have to keep my eyes on the road, you can bring on your own wine/snacks (or buy them there) and there are outlets for your electronics. The station in Seattle was better than most train stations in Europe, and the one in Portland is also lovely. No - they're not in the best parts of town, but they're not in the ghetto either. There are ample taxis waiting in Portland or their streetcar system is right there. If you want a car - Enterprise will bring one to you at no extra charge.

If you like gardens/tea - I highly recommend checking out the Chinese garden while you're there. It's only a couple blocks from the train station, and is a reproduction of a garden in China. It covers an entire city block and has one of the lovliest tea houses I've even been to. It's certainly one of the neatest buildings. December may not seem like the time to look at gardens, but even the bones of the garden are lovely (and it's fun to go back and see it in the different seasons). Have fun!

[hamellr]

Add me into the "drive several times a month" group. I've only ever once encountered icy conditions and that was right around Longview last year.

I don't know if they've fixed it or not, but I-5 did get flooded and closed a few years ago. But other then that I rarely have any issues. Usually fill up in Portland or Tacoma and can make the entire trip on one tank of gas.