Amazing Day Trips Out of Seattle, Washington

Perhaps the hardest part about picking a day trip out of the Seattle area is narrowing down your choices. Situated in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Seattle is literally surrounded by nature at its most astounding.

If you live in the area, you could do 50 wonderful day trips and still not run out of places to go. If your time is short, or your looking for a specific idea, these five choices for amazing day trips out of Seattle can help.

Take the ferry, drive a loop

Leaving out of downtown Seattle, take the ferry across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. The view of the city from the water is worth the ferry price by itself. Be sure to check the schedule. Once off the ferry, head north on SR 305. Follow signs across the Hood Canal Bridge to Port Townsend.

While in Port Townsend, be sure to swing by the Mt. Townsend Creamery for some tantalizing cheeses. Remember, this loop can be taken in either direction. If you are in Port Townsend after 5 p.m, dinner at the Ajax Cafe in nearby Port Hadlock is a treat.

From Port Townsend, take another ferry over to Whidbey Island and drive SR 20 up to Anacortes. You will see water vistas, farms, and quaint small towns. Anacortes is a wonderful walking town. Spend some time in the shops, or try the dining in Old Town.

From there, it's a short drive over to Interstate 5, then back down south to Seattle.

The Hoh Rain Forest

For this amazing day trip take a different ferry route from downtown. Go to Bremerton. As you come into town, you will come down Sinclair Inlet just above the Kitsap - Bremerton Naval Base. Take SR 3 down to Shelton, then follow the signs toward Aberdeen. From there turn north on Hwy 101.

Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy at Lake Quinault. A little more up Hwy 101 and you come to the turn off for the Hoh Rain Forest. The Hoh gets between 140 and 170 inches of rain a year, and is very lush. Hike around, take it in.

To head home, go back to Olympia and take I-5 north from there.

Mount Rainer National Park

When it's clear you can see it from all over Seattle. To get there, drive south to Puyallup, then out to Enumclaw. From there, begin a loop. Go out SR 410, around the east side on SR 123, then eventually making your way back up to Enumclaw via SR's 7, 706, and 162.

Be sure to stop often and get out and do a little hiking.

Leavenworth, the Bavarian village in Washington State

Head up to Leavenworth for Oktoberfest, or just a nice trip. Make a loop out of this one too. Go east on I-90 until the Wenatchee exit, then go north to SR 2, then east to Leavenworth. When it's time to go home, take SR 2 west to the northern Seattle metro area.

Leavenworth is set in the Cascades, but you might think you are in Bavaria. Sample some German fare, enjoy the summer festivals, or take in the beauty of a snow-covered picture card.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Think another country is a tough pull for a day trip? Take Amtrak up to Vancouver, British Columbia for the day. If you hop on the train leaving Seattle at 7:40 in the morning, you will be in Vancouver by lunchtime. The last train home leaves at 5.45, and has you in Seattle before 11.

Spend the afternoon checking out sites from the 2010 Winter Olympics, or shopping in Chinatown. As part of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Vancouver, here is a list of 125 things to do there. You might have so much fun you will want to change your train reservation to the next day!