# Pacific Northwest trip help



## Professional (Sep 2, 2013)

Hi all,

I am planning if can get my vacation from work as soon as possible to visit USA again, and i decided i will take that direct flight to Seattle so i ca be on the North/West states there, i am thinking i would like to have about 18 days up to 3 weeks if possible, so my few questions:

- Which areas i should be around there for photography?
- How much is the transport if available to national parks around there?
- Can i get some restaurants with international cuisine because i am not much with meat food specially with forbidden meat and trying to have very very similar food to what i eat in my country [Arabian, indian, middle eastern or turkish...etc]

- If you can help or give some guides, are there some cheapo hotels there so i can move around as cheap as possible?

I am thinking to be in Oregon and Washington states ad not planning to go to another many states very far, even California i m not looking for to visit which is not that much far by flight, but i am thinking to use buses or trains and those lands transports than air.

I appreciate any help here to plan my trip at best i can.​


----------



## Jean1234 (Sep 2, 2013)

I'd suggest renting a car for transportation.

I like using Hike Finder Map ? Washington Trails Association for finding hiking trails in Washington.


----------



## Professional (Sep 2, 2013)

Jean1234 said:


> I'd suggest renting a car for transportation.
> 
> I like using Hike Finder Map ? Washington Trails Association for finding hiking trails in Washington.



Hiring the car is always the best solution, but i am very afraid to drive overseas mostly in USA, i don't know about the roads and routes and i will be in headache to follow map or navigation, and i don't know the roads rules there, and what if i had an accident, most important is if i can get an international driving license from here. and how much is hiring the car if possible?

Thanks for the link


----------



## Jean1234 (Sep 2, 2013)

It's been a long time since I've paid for a rental car, but I'd guess 20 to 40 a day.  Hiring a driver will cost you more - I have a friend that did that to come visit us, but I have no idea what it costs or a company name.

There is public transportation, but it won't be very convenient for national parts.  Depending on destinations, you could use different trains (Amtrak, Sounder, Lightrail) , ferries, or buses.

Here are some links: 
Sounder Train, Light Rail Train, and some Bus service - Sound Transit Home - SoundTransit 
Seattle Buses - Home Page of Metro Transit - We'll Get You There
Washington Ferries - WSDOT - Ferries - Schedule: Seattle to Bremerton
Amtrak to get you farther away from Seattle: Train & Bus Tickets - National Railroad - USA & Canada | Amtrak

I haven't tried it, but you might enjoy: Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, Elbe, Washington USA.

You could also use Google Maps and select the option for public transportation to get an idea of what's available.  Although, from experience, it generally doesn't send you the best way.


----------



## Professional (Sep 2, 2013)

Jean1234 said:


> It's been a long time since I've paid for a rental car, but I'd guess 20 to 40 a day.  Hiring a driver will cost you more - I have a friend that did that to come visit us, but I have no idea what it costs or a company name.
> 
> There is public transportation, but it won't be very convenient for national parts.  Depending on destinations, you could use different trains (Amtrak, Sounder, Lightrail) , ferries, or buses.
> 
> ...



Thank you very much!


----------



## play18now (Sep 2, 2013)

Unfortunately the best places (in my opinion) in Washington aren't easy to get to if you don't have a car.  The National Parks are amazing, but aren't all the close together and there really isn't a way to get there by public transportation.  I would start with Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park and Paradise and Sunset in Mt. Rainier National Park as the most photogenic locations in western Washington.  Sunset and Paradise are pretty close together.  You can get to any of the three in about 3 hours by car from Seattle.  In the eastern half of the state there's Grand Coulee, and Roosevelt Lake which are both spectacular, but are farther still from Seattle.  The ferry system is worth a ride on, and the San Jaun Islands are very cool, what I would recommend doing is flying by seaplane to Friday Harbor on San Jaun Island, and there is a lot you can do in Friday Harbor on San Jaun Island without a car.  You can also rent bikes on San Jaun Island.  

Here's a couple links-
Kenmore Air - Kenmore Air ? Scheduled Air Service ? Charter Service ? Scenic Flight Tours - Seaplanes - Kenmore Air
San Jaun Islands - San Juan Islands Washington Visitors Bureau | Orcas Island | Lopez Island | Friday Harbor | San Juan Island |
Seattle Times Restaurant Guide (Useful Restaurant Finder Tool) - Restaurants | Seattle Times

I'm out of the state until next spring at school, so I don't have as much access to information as I usually do, but there's some other good links above too.  I have no idea what it would cost to rent a car.  Best of luck planning your trip, and I hope you enjoy our state (and I hope the weather stays nice for you).

Cheers,

Nathan


----------



## Professional (Sep 2, 2013)

I knew i will see some US members here and some from Seattle, until now i didn't plan anything, but this is a plan B and i am not having time now to fight for plan A or thinking about plan C, so USA Northern West will be my Plan A now and what was plan A before is canceled.

Thanks for your help here, i still have little time to gather information, and i really hope i can do it and rent a car, so how is the roads traffic going around there? What is the speed of driving there? Here in my country we have high or fast speed that making us very difficult to drive at low speed mostly, but i can control speed if i drive slowly and taking my time, i will see about hiring the car if possible.

My main issue or concern was about finding food if i will stay in lodges or backpackers near or in NPs, big cities such as Seattle or Portland will not have problem with different food, but those accommodations near the nature and away from the cities will be the problem, and that was also my main question about which accommodations i better look at in those NPs or landscapes and coasts?


----------



## Derrel (Sep 2, 2013)

Outside of MAJOR cities like Tacoma, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, finding Arabian, indian, middle eastern or Turkish food in restaurants is unlikely.Very unlikely. Smaller cities like say Salem, Oregon or Eugene, Oregon might each have one, maybe two Indian food restaurants.

Travel in the Pacific Northwest is around ,on average, at most 75 MPH, but 70 miles per hour speeds on the  *Interstate 5 freeway* are more or less the normal top speeds on that freeway in most of the Puget Sound region, and down to southern Oregon. Secondary *highways* like Highway 101 and Highway 99, Highway 12, Highway 22 are slower, with most sections where the limit is 55 miles per hour, with many winding sections and curves more like 35 to 45 miles per hour for safety reasons, on narrow-ish, 2-lane highways.

In Oregon, the Coast Range mountains to the west of Interstate 5 are around 60 miles distant, and the ocean beaches are roughly 90 minutes actual drive time from I-5 to the ocean itself. Washington and Oregon have some lovely volcanic peak mountains: Mt. Baker, Mt. Ranier, Mt. St. Helens (a volcano that erupted in 1980), Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and The Three Sisters are all interesting. Of the volcanic peaks listed, all are around 60 to 90 minutes drive EAST, from Interstate 5. Crater Lake is a neat place in Oregon, also east of I-5.

The Oregon coast has almost 400 miles of beaches, EASILY accessible by car, along the entire length of the state off of Highway 101.

Driving here is not ultra high-speed in most places.


----------



## Professional (Sep 2, 2013)

Derrel said:


> Outside of MAJOR cities like Tacoma, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, finding Arabian, indian, middle eastern or Turkish food in restaurants is unlikely.Very unlikely. Smaller cities like say Salem, Oregon or Eugene, Oregon might each have one, maybe two Indian food restaurants.
> 
> Travel in the Pacific Northwest is around ,on average, at most 75 MPH, but 70 miles per hour speeds on the  *Interstate 5 freeway* are more or less the normal top speeds on that freeway in most of the Puget Sound region, and down to southern Oregon. Secondary *highways* like Highway 101 and Highway 99, Highway 12, Highway 22 are slower, with most sections where the limit is 55 miles per hour, with many winding sections and curves more like 35 to 45 miles per hour for safety reasons, on narrow-ish, 2-lane highways.
> 
> ...



Thank you very much for this guide, i will try to get used to that measurement system as here we have km/h rather than m/h, and i know miles is a bit higher than km [i think 1.6 more], so it may make things easier for me, and i suppose that the cars there will have that metering reading of MPH instead of km/h, right?

In all cases, if i will drive then i will not drive fast, because i like to enjoy the scenes and watch around slowly, and if you telling me that most places are about 1-4 hours by drives then i can go to those NPs and then when done i go bac to the hotels in the big city, i will shoot in NPs until sunset and then i go back, rarely i shoot by night there, maybe i will try few times those startrails or nightshot with stars, but i love nightshots by the city, and i keep landscapes for sun light time until sunset or Dusk time i think.


----------



## Derrel (Sep 2, 2013)

Cars here normally have BOTH miles per hour and km/n speedometers on the same dial. All road signs in the PNW are in miles per hour, so it's not a problem. There is plenty to see here in the Pacific Northwest...the ocean, mountains, and in fact, we have some lovely, somewhat high-elevation arid, desert-like places in Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon. ALL within 4 to 5 hours drive.

The Painted Hills are interesting

painted hills - Google Search


----------



## Professional (Sep 2, 2013)

I really hope if i confirmed my travel to there then i can do something with 2 weeks to 3 weeks, sometimes when i feel i get into troubles or i see things not as what i expect then i change my plan completely and not going much around, i did that once in NZ and ended up to stay my last week in big city in the hotel not going around to save money and i didn't do too much things during 2 weeks before that, and i wasn't driving and i hired a driver or say one guiding tour person who accepted to do for me for 5 days, but it turned out i wasted a lot with him in 5 days than what i was expecting in 2 weeks.


----------



## Professional (Sep 2, 2013)

Derrel said:


> Cars here normally have BOTH miles per hour and km/n speedometers on the same dial. All road signs in the PNW are in miles per hour, so it's not a problem. There is plenty to see here in the Pacific Northwest...the ocean, mountains, and in fact, we have some lovely, somewhat high-elevation arid, desert-like places in Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon. ALL within 4 to 5 hours drive.
> 
> The Painted Hills are interesting
> 
> painted hills - Google Search



Yes, this is one place i would definitely love to visit and have photographing, one time will be enough for me if it will be during good weather and day time, i may visit it again when i have enough time to do after seeing another places.


----------



## Dinardy (Sep 2, 2013)

Professional said:


> Derrel said:
> 
> 
> > Cars here normally have BOTH miles per hour and km/n speedometers on the same dial. All road signs in the PNW are in miles per hour, so it's not a problem. There is plenty to see here in the Pacific Northwest...the ocean, mountains, and in fact, we have some lovely, somewhat high-elevation arid, desert-like places in Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon. ALL within 4 to 5 hours drive.
> ...



I hope you get the chance to come over soon, the weather here seems to be shifting towards the less desirable conditions. Although the Pacific NW is beautiful all year around. Long Beach is one of my favorites, alongside Cannon beach in Oregon. Westport and Jetty Island are fun if your into surfing/kitesurfing. Within WA, Mowich Lake is pretty outstanding with multiple trailheads to choose from, I like the Comet falls hike as well. You cant go wrong out by the Snoqualmie falls either. 
I've lived here my entire life and have yet to explore the East side of my state lol. 
If you would like, when you're in town, look me up. I hike quite regularly with a group and wouldn't mind an extra body tagging along.




Sent from my iPhone


----------



## Professional (Sep 2, 2013)

Dinardy said:


> Professional said:
> 
> 
> > Derrel said:
> ...



Thank you very much!

I really wish to find someone or some people like you, someone who can go around and taking me around with him if possible, or someone who can show around, but in all cases, i am not sure how to find such people or you as you said, i will keep looking at this thread until i am ready to go, so i will have almost all the details i need when i fly to there, and i know what do you mean, USA is a huge country and i am sure if i live there my entire life i will not be able to see around even small perfect, i didn't see all parts of my country even it is smaller than one small state in USA, lol.


----------

