Vancouver, BC to Seattle,WA and Portland Oregon

Hi Everyone,

We are planning a road trip from Vancouver, BC to Seattle,WA and Portland, Oregon for 3 days and back to Vancouver.

Please advise which is the best route, stops, hotels, scenic routes etc.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

The short answer is that there is no best route/stops/scenery, but only what best suits your tastes. With only three days, this is going to be a bit of a whirlwind trip, without much time to explore what is a magnificent area. With only a day and a half each way, you're going to have to be somewhat selective in what you choose and the best we can do is let you know what your options are. There are a large number of scenic highways in Washington, and one of our Moderators, Judy, who lives in that area has offered a number of good suggestions (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). Those links should give you a good idea of what's available. What's 'best' is up to you.

AZBuck

Unless you take backroads and rural state highways, there really is only one way from Vancouver, BC to Portland via Seattle, and that is I-5. Not saying it's the ONLY way, but the most viable. Although, I personally recommend crossing the border in the far eastern crossing to the Vancouver area and taking Washington Route 9 as far south as you can. The scenery is nicer, but it is a 2 lane highway much of the way.

I'd love to give you some tips and suggestions but it's hard to do without knowing exactly where you want to go, what you want to do, what your interests are, etc. Gosh....3 days is pretty much down one day, one day to play, and another day home. Any chance you can squeeze a few more days out for this trip?

Anyway, give me something to go on and I'll help you anyway I can.

Thanks for the replies. I agree with all of you. 3days is too less. That is how I ended up on the web searching for answers. I like nature more than anything.

Judy - How about if we cut it down to Portland alone. Is this a good time to visit Portland, OR. We are planning to leave on Thursday evening at 5PM from Vancouver. We would like using different route if possible for the whole trip.

Arizona Brad -- "crossing the border in the far eastern crossing to the Vancouver area and taking Washington Route 9 as far south as you can " -- where is this crossing.

I forgot to mention one thing is that I am new to Vancouver.

Hey- sorry to butt in on the post, but I saw you say that you're new to Vancouver- How have you found it settling in? I'm going to be living there from June through to September (before roadtripping the southwest ;) ) and was wondering what it's like. So far I've heard nothing but good things, unless you look at the discovervancouver.com forum...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lotusrjy

Arizona Brad -- "crossing the border in the far eastern crossing to the Vancouver area and taking Washington Route 9 as far south as you can " -- where is this crossing.

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This crossing is located just a few miles south of TransCan1 in Abbotsford, BC. It's on the southern end of BC route 11. It enters the USA at Sumas. This crossing is usually less busy than the Blaine/Douglass Peace Arch crossing, or the Truck Crossing. It is open 24 hours, so your departure time won't cause a problem.

Personally, if it was me and I only had 3 days, I wouldn't be going to Portland. Don't get me wrong, Portland is a beautiful city with lots to see and do. But it is a good 5 hour drive. And, by the time you factor in the border crossing and the potential traffic slowdowns through the Everett-Seattle-Tacoma section of I-5, it could easily be 6+ hours. So, basically, a day there, a day to play, and a day home. I would save Portland for another time when you have more time and can take alternate routes and do some more playing and exploring.

Since you're new to Vancouver BC and the general area, it seems like there are so many wonderful places to go much closer to home where you could really have time to see and do so much more. And I'm talking some places that I think are a lot more amazing than Portland. If this is an option for you, let us know and we'll give you some ideas.

But, if you insist on going to Portland in 3 days, your best bet is really sticking with I-5 for time. You might have time to do something like Chuckanut Drive but not really much else. Oh, I suppose you could take the ferry from Whidbey Island over to Port Townsend and then come down the east side of the Olympic Peninsula (gorgeous, gorgeous drive). But, in the time you have, I really wouldn't recommend it.

Judy -- Portland as we have to meet a friend. If I am using I-5 then I may aswell leave on Thursday evening between 4 - 5pm. So we can reach portland around midnight. Take rest and next morning we can start going around.

In vancouver these are the places we visited till now.

1. Capilano Suspension Bridge
2. Lynn Canyon
3. Whistler ( Twice )
4. Stanley Park

Lunja -- Your stay in Vancouver will be cool. This is one place where you can see the sun, rain and snow on the mountains. I do not what is on discovervancouver.com.

Yes, driving down in the evening is a great way to extend your trip a bit. You might want to time things so you don't hit the northern Seattle area until about 7pm. It seems like this is the time when things start finally clearing up a bit so you can sail through there without too much trouble.

If you will be getting an early start on the day your return to BC...and to make this work I do mean EARLY...I would really recommend going up the east side of the peninsula and then taking the ferry back over to I-5. It's a gorgeous drive and will give you some variety. (I always like to return a different way so I'm not seeing the same things whenever possible.)

The ferry can be caught at Port Townsend, it takes you over to Whidbey Island, where you would want to then drive north to Anacortes and then east to Mt. Vernon, then back up I-5 from there.

Like I said, this is a gorgeous drive, will take you around the I-5 parking lot of the greater Seattle area, and should be a fun way to end your trip.

Hi Judy,

I love the suggestion of driving through Penninsula.. Can you give an approximate time frame that I need to add to my travel.. If possible can you send me link for the return trip defined by you....

I am planning to leave Vancouver around 5pm on this Thursday and my return Journey on Sunday between 6 - 7 am.

Thanks for everything........

Sorry, no link. It's just from a map. I'll try and explain it better so you can trace it with any good roadmap. Here goes:

1. Take I-5 from Portland to Olympia.

2. Take Exit 104 to Hwy 101 (this will take you west).

3. You will go about 5-6 miles and then take the 101 Exit towards Shelton (at this point you'll be going north).

4. Enjoy a beautiful drive of about 75 miles to Port Townsend. Along the way, enjoy the drive along Hood Canal (on your right). You might enjoy a stop at Hoodsport. There's a nice winery there. Brinnon and Quilcene are both cute, little towns to poke around in. The scenery is gorgeous. But don't expect to make good time. It's curvy, narrow, and there might be some slow traffic like RVs along the way. Don't try to rush it. Just sit back and enjoy the drive.

5. When you get to the southern tip of Discovery Bay, you will want to veer NE toward Port Townsend on Hwy 20. It's just a short 15-20 minutes into Port Townsend. Port Townsend is world-reknown for its Victorian architecture. There are a lot of cool shops, some good restaurants, and you can even rent a kayak for a quick trip around the bay. If you have time, you might enjoy going out to Fort Worden State Park on the very tip of the peninsula just past downtown Port Townsend.

6. From Port Townsend, you can take the Port Townsend/Keystone ferry ride to Whidbey Island. Take Hwy 20. Coupeville is a very cool town on the island that you might enjoy. Oak Harbor is OK but I haven't been there for awhile so it might have gotten nicer since my last visit.

7. To get from Whidbey Island back onto the mainland, you'll simply be crossing a bridge. Right before the bridge is Deception Pass State Park. Deception Pass is really cool. If you have time, check it out. If you don't, it's not that far from Vancouver BC so you could easily go back there another time.

8. Continue on Hwy 20 until it meets up with I-5 in the Mt. Vernon/Burlington area.

This whole trip would be about 330 miles. The reason why is say leave early is because it's a beautiful drive once you get past Shelton and I'm sure you'll want to stop and take in the sights as bit, explore the towns a bit, etc. The ferry trip is about 1/2 hour but they don't take reservations so you'll need to get in line to get a spot. Depending on how busy it is the day you're there, this could take awhile. I'd get in line as soon as they let you and then walk around Port Townsend. The ferry schedule is here. But I would check back before you leave because I know it sometimes changes. Fares are reasonable. It will be about $11-12 for you, your vehicle, and another person.

If it were me, I'd leave Portland by about 7am with plans to catch the 2:15pm or 3:45pm ferry. It's only about 120 miles from Fort Casey (where the ferry drops you off) to Vancouver BC and, since most of this is on I-5, the only thing that will take more time will be any exploring you might do on Whidbey Island and then the border crossing.

Hope this helps!

Wow that's a cool description. I am totally exicted and thinking of leaving portland at Noon on Saturday, and plan for a stay in PortTownsend for the night.

Any ideas.

I've never actually slept in Port Townsend. When I've been up that way, I've usually stayed more in the Port Angeles area or farther south closer to Hoodsport area. And we usually camp.

Here's a good link to stuff to do and lodging in Port Townsend. In the lodging section about Victorian Inns is the Ann Starrett Mansion. I've heard a lot of wonderful things about this place but I've never had the pleasure myself. I would imagine any of the Bed & Breakfast or Victorian Inns would be great to stay in.

Have a great time and let us know how your trip went. We love trip reports here!

Port Angeles area or farther south closer to Hoodsport area >>>
Is this a nice place to retire for the night. I don't mind checking this tooo... How much farther ??

Oh, I've only just stayed in Port Angeles or closer to Hoodsport because that has been where we have been when we feel like stopping. Nothing against staying in Port Townsend at all. Believe me, it's a wonderful town and there are some real quality lodging choices there that are definitely a step or two or three above what is typical of a town that size. Some day when I feel flush in the wallet, I'd love to go up there and just spend a romantic weekend with a nice dinner and a night or two at someplace like Ann Starrett's Mansion (the link I gave you in an earlier post).

For the most part, we camp. If we're not camping, we usually stay in budget hotels so I'm not really sure if this is what you're looking for. In the Hoodsport area, we've camped at Potlatch State Park and Twanoh State Park (this is a little off your route). We wanted to stay at Fort Worden SP in Port Townsend but there were no open sites.

When we've been in Port Angeles, we've usually just stayed at the KOA or have driven out to Solduc Hot Springs or camped at the Sol Duc National Park campground (scroll down the page). While there is a lot to see and do out this way, it's really too far off of your route for this trip, imho. Save it for another time.

I really think for this trip that staying in or near Port Townsend is your best bet. If you like the area, come back and explore it more another time. It's not all that far more Vancouver via the ferries.

My apologies for joining something that's a year old, but I'm new to the site and in my search to discover how to travel from Vancouver, BC to Portland Oregon I stumbled onto this site.

I'm currently living in sydney, australia and looking to make my trip back (home) to Canada a little more interesting. We will be flying into Vancouver and rather than just catching a plane to Edmonton, I thought it would be great to show my Australian friends a little of the coastline.

Having never driven from Vancouver to Portland, I'm not sure how long we should allow ourselves, how much a car hire will cost etc. Any help that people can offer would be great.

well, I did Vancouver- Seattle speed run, in 2005 with my buddy to see a Mariners game. Left Anmore (eastern Vancouver) at 6am almost on the dot. Went with the truck crossing (176th street), the line was short, a cool half hour. Got to the stadium around 10 30, took a long time to find parking that wasn't outrageously expensive. ($5) Stopped in some nowhere place to get gas. Coming back I believe we left Seattle at about 3 30 pm. Traffic jam getting out of the stadium area (not unexpected). Stopped around Bellingham for some McDonalds and some gas. Border line was very bad, line for truck crossing started just off the I-5, and took 2 hours, but by all reports the I-5-99 crossing line was worse. Got home around 9 pm.