One-week trip of coastal WA and Olympic peninsula- October (Seattle: for rent, home)

[kavm]

My wife and I are thinking of a one-week driving trip through coastal WA and the Olympic peninsula in the second week of October. We have already been to the San Juan islands and Seattle already and are looking to explore this region. We have done a similar trip of OR coast earlier. Our interests are focused on enjoying the beautiful nature - coastal as well as interior and hiking.

I know that October is the start of the wet season in WA and the timing is not idea. It, however, works for our schedule in other ways and is inflexible (expect giving up and focusing on another region altogether). My questions are -

• Is the timing somewhat doable or is it a poor idea altogether.
• Any suggestions on places that we should focus on, possibly spend the night(s) in
• Any areas we should explore - coast, rain forest, etc. from nature, hiking, beach/ocean view perspective
• While our trip is really not focused on scoping out potential retirement locations and we are a bit skeptical about the medical facilities in this (Olympic peninsula) area - it would not altogether uninteresting to get a general impression from that perspective as the thought does cross our minds every so often

Any advice would be highly appreciated.

[Hemlock140]

Just be prepared for rain, usually that time of year a light misty drizzle. The nasty wind and hard rain is usually not around until November. Coastal places like Long Beach and Ocean Shores are pretty dull by then, with just cold and wind, and the coastal beauty is not the same as in Oregon. I would plan on staying at Lake Quinault, then go north and see:



Hoh Rainforest
LaPush
Hurricane Ridge


If you take a day for the first two, then stay in Port Angeles overnight and the next day at Hurricane Ridge. P.A> has a good hospital (Olympic) but for some procedures people have to go to Silverdale or Bremerton on the Kitsap peninsula. Poulsbo is a great little city to retire, with easy access to medical in both Silverdale/Bremerton and Seattle by ferry.

[kavm]

Thank you very much! This is very helpful. Gives me something to aim for in making plans!

[jacqueg]

Make sure to stop by Port Townsend and/or Sequim for a few hours. PT, and Sequim in particular, are in a rain shadow, so it rains less there. Note that I didn't say it is sunnier - it is, but only marginally - but water falls from the clouds less frequently.

Olympic Rain Shadow Map and Location

It's been raining here in the Seattle area for the past week.

Were I you, I'd keep my plans somewhat flexible. It's all beautiful, you can't go wrong.

Neah Bay has a very good tribal museum. And there's a short trail out to the northwestern-most point of the US. https://makah.com
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...ashington.html

If luck has it that it is so rainy that the coast is socked in and you can't see anything, come inland a bit to Hood Canal and/or the Kitsap Peninsula. Here's an overview of looping around the entire peninsula - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/t...ton-road-trip/

You don't say where you're driving from, and most people go to Seattle first, and then over to the Olympics, as the NatGeo recommends. But approaching from the south - Astoria to Aberdeen - will take you through Grays Harbor country, my favorite corner of Washington. Lots of coastal wetlands. http://www.discovergraysharbor.com

[razmatazzy]

Not home hunting related, but There are some nice beaches. Ruby beach, and 2nd beach which has a bit of a trail to get to.
Not sure about October, but there is charter fishing out of La Push.
If you need a place to stay around Forks, the Huckleberry lodge has very nice cabins for rent.

[kavm]

Thank you, jacqueg! These downs do indeed come up fairly often on this board and we are interested in looking at them. Also - quite interested in more serious hiking possibilities in the Olympic peninsula/rain shadow region for obvious reasons. [Not that we’d have the time in this short visit - but we are avid hikers and do fairly strenuous hikes quite often.]

Thanks for the links! Will check the Neah Bay museum.

Thanks again!

[kavm]

Originally Posted by razmatazzy

Not home hunting related, but There are some nice beaches. Ruby beach, and 2nd beach which has a bit of a trail to get to.
Not sure about October, but there is charter fishing out of La Push.
If you need a place to stay around Forks, the Huckleberry lodge has very nice cabins for rent.

Thank you, razmatazzy! I will google Ruby beach and Huckleberry Lodge.

We are not into fishing. Could be tempted by whale watching type of activity but not sure if we have the time for that.

[StealthRabbit]

A week is a really long time on OP. (I would be venturing 30 min to north Oregon coast for spectacular fall sunsets (when clear).

Unlike Oregon, Much of WA coast is inaccessible / private / Native American control, be prepared for that and know the legal access points and have alternative plans / things to do.

Lodges / lakes in ONP are nice for quiet relaxing.

Probably the best medical services on OP are Harrison Hospital in Bremerton. Making Silverdale / Poulsbo an option for retirement. It is a top hospital for general care and most senior related services (Used it for the 15 yrs my elderly dad was living at Retsil.)

Your destinations as 'touring' and enjoying OP will be quite different than 'seeking retirement destination'
Quiet solitude and beauty (remote areas), vs. population and traffic.

Nice thing is that both are available on OP, but not often close to each other.
A good thing to pursue is sea / sailing / boat camping / water based senior interests (if locating to OP), otherwise it may not be worth the trouble. There are many other areas in WA with better combined access to activities and services.

YMMV - don't miss your main objective in hunt for the secondary objective.

[kavm]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

...
Unlike Oregon, Much of WA coast is inaccessible / private / Native American control, be prepared for that and know the legal access points and have alternative plans / things to do.
...

Many thanks, StealthRabbit! How does one find out the legal access points to the coast? I’d appreciate any information on that.

We are clear on the primary objective. The secondary objective is subject to what the time permits, or what’s already on / near our path.

[CrazyDonkey]

If coming up from Astoria, October is a good month for oysters at any of the Willapa Bay's shellfish farms: https://funbeach.com/experience-willapa-bay-oysters/

There are a pair of cranberry celebrations, both on the weekend of October 12-13, the Cranberrian Fair ($5) at Long Beach and the Cranberry Harvest Festival (free) in Grayland:

https://columbiapacificheritagemuseu...nberrian-fair/

http://www.westportgrayland-chamber....-%20Events.pdf

One-third of the nation's cranberry crop is grown on the SW Washington coast. Could be a good chance to meet the locals.

A local curiosity is Washaway Beach: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...lution-n930646