I have drafted a temporary itinerary, and I could use some locals expertise (or anyone who has done

Hi, my family (2 adults, 2 late-teenagers) will be visiting the pacific northwest the first week of August. We arrive in Seattle 7/31 and depart from there 8/8. We are more the outdoorsy type than city dwellers, and like to hike and in general enjoy the wilderness, but we also are planning to have some city time in Seattle and Vancouver.
I have drafted a temporary itinerary, and I could use some locals expertise (or anyone who has done a similar trip, for that matter). I have most of the stuff picked out that I would like to do in the cities the days we are there, travel agencies south africa so the days in between are what I am most concerned about. Any advice in general or suggestions how to improve the itinerary are tremendously appreciated. We will have a rental car the entire trip.
I really am unsure which is best for us, Whistler and the scenic drive to Vancouver, or 2 days and 1 night in Victoria. I feel like the first option may have too much driving sight-seeing (Chuckanut Drive and the Sea to Sky Hwy to Whistler, which is the main reason we would take the day trip) while the second option travel agencies south africa may not have enough (for example missing out on Deception Pass, etc).
We are not fans of typical touristy stuff, which is why we were turned off Victoria in the first place, but seeing pictures of the gardens makes me rethink that position. What else is there to do in Victoria and nearby on Vancouver Island anyways? And if we went option 2, is the scenery on Vancouver Island too similar to the Olympic NP?
The most touristy travel agencies south africa thing we did in Seattle was a boat tour through the locks. A local friend had suggested it. The views from the water were cool, but of course you end up with the usual loudspeaker chatter from a tour guide...
I found the Native American museum at the tip of the Olympic travel agencies south africa Peninsula to be very educational (in a good way). It's a small space not far from their harbor, so worth a short stop if you make it that far out. (We took a ferry across from Seattle travel agencies south africa then drove up one side and down the other - gorgeous scenery, but more driving and less hiking that we'd wanted...)
Forgot to mention: My favorite mode of transport travel agencies south africa between Seattle and Vancouver is the Amtrak bus or train. They both arrive at the main train station in Vancouver. I have taken the ViaRail Canadian out of there several times to Jasper.
I guess this really just boils down to Victoria vs Whistler. Victoria seems like a natural loop getting to Vancouver from ONP, but Whistler also sounds great. Maybe the hwy to Whistler will be too redundant after seeing ONP and taking Chucaknut Drive? Or is it truly in a league of its own? Again, it would be a daytrip there, so we may do a short hike/bungy jumping there.
We have decided to save Seattle for the end of the trip, so it is less stressful on the 8th getting to the Seattle Airport by noon, so that leaves either Vancouver or ONP for the first part of the trip.
I know there is the Honda Celebration of Lights on August 1st and August 4th during our trip--is that something that we should plan around seeing, for those of you who have attended in the past? I saw some videos on youtube and it seems pretty cool.
With the amounts of time you mention, I think I would skip Whistler travel agencies south africa and use the time in Vancouver and Seattle. You can probably get suitable nature and the outdoors with a trip up Grouse Mountain, travel agencies south africa just outside of Vancouver.
For others, immersion in both Seattle and Vancouver would be the right alternative, but perhaps your family travel agencies south africa should at least look into the North Cascades Highway to see if it offers anything of interest. The scenery is great through a lot of it, and there is definitely hiking to be done along the path.
At Mt. Rainier, the drive from Longmire to Box Canyon is spectacular, and it is often given short shrift because of the overpowering drama of Mt. Rainier. travel agencies south africa When you leave the Paradise Inn area, take the one-way road out of the parking lot to the left and drive at least to Box Canyon. It is beautiful. There are also easy-access waterfalls to explore in the park. (Mt. Rainier is often visited as a day trip from Seattle.)
In the ONP, the drive to Hurricane Ridge provides dramatic views that are often not savored because tailgating sightseers are in a rush to get to the top. Slow down and take in the vistas. Magnificent.
If you spend more time in ONP, you can enjoy the Sol Duc Hot Springs, the short hike to the waterfall at Sol Duc as well as the 1.5 mile hike to Marymere falls from Lake Crescent Lodge. You could also visit beaches such as Rialto and Ruby and the Hoh Rain Forest.
Lake Crescent Lodge has a most beautiful setting, travel agencies south africa but the expensive rooms do not have many amenities and there is only one dining option. We ate there yesterday. The mussels were excellent and the 6 oz piece of salmon was good ($27). However, my sea bass was undercooked and had to be sent back to the kitchen ($28). Others were eating $15 hamburgers and fish and chips.
There is so much to see/do in Washington State: travel agencies south africa Mt. Rainier Nat'l Park (Paradise travel agencies south africa Sunrise); Northwest Trek; Mount Saint Helens (cool volcano!!! and a great visitor's center); Olympic National Park; Snoqualmie Falls.
All of these are great for hiking and other outdoor activities. Spend some time in Seattle and then do a couple of nights in Victoria (you can take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle -- no car necessary).
I definately wouldn't travel agencies south africa stop in Victoria for a couple of hours as in Itinerary #2. We regularly go to Victoria for 2 or 3 nights for a getaway on long weekends and always find plenty to do. Vancouver is a frustrating city to drive in. You cannot get from Point A to Point B easily. There just don't seem to be direct routes. travel agencies south africa You spend a lot of time in traffic.
@azzure: About the drive to Lake Crescent, I did see this loop drive before, but taking a look at it now there really isn't anything going on in the eastern part of the loop starting near Olympia. We'll definitely take your advice travel agencies south africa about the ferry.
Happytrailstoyou, Vancouver, honestly the main attraction is just seeing travel agencies south africa the beautiful city. Just want to get a little mix of nature and city, especially since we aren't planning to spend much time in Seattle (not interested in the typical Space Needle/EMP/musuems.. attractions that seem to be the main tourist appeal to the city, at least from what I have read). We do want to get a chance to explore the Market, being foodies and all.
We are not fans of typical touristy stuff, which is why we were turned off Victoria in the first place, but seeing pictures of the gardens makes me rethink travel agencies south africa that position. What else is there to do in Victoria and nearby on Vancouver Island anyways? And if we went option travel agencies south africa 2, is the scenery travel agencies south africa on Vancouver Island too similar to the Olympic NP?
The Butchart travel agencies south africa Gardens in Victoria are very beautiful. However they're very expensive to visit, and crowded to the max. With a smaller time commitment (and a much smaller financial one) you can visit some wonderful botanic gardens right in the city of Vancouver - Queen Elizabeth travel agencies south africa II Park and Bloedel Conservatory, and the nearby Van Dusen Gardens. I would not go to Victoria if Butchart was the prime draw.
Vancouver Island is enormous, and with several distinct environments. Comparisons with the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic NP are a bit hard to draw - with more time, going out to Ucluelet and Tofino on the west coast would be marvelous, but you really don't have the time.
A couple of reasons you could justify visiting Vancouver Island would be (a) to avoid the bad border delays crossing on the mainland - by using the Coho you cruise through border controls, and (b) it would allow you to drive up the island to Nanaimo and take that ferry across to the mainland, arriving at Horseshoe Bay, which puts you on the Sea-to-Sky right off the bat, rather than having travel agencies south africa to weave through Vancouver traffic in the process. Then you could visit Vancouver after Whistler, which would be far easier.
Note that you will still encounter serious border delays on returning to Seattle on the 8th. If your flight is in the evening, then make as early a start as possible, and if you're through the border early enough, you could take the Chuckanut - Deception Pass - Whidbey - Mukilteo ferry route going southbound. This would add 2-3 hours to the freeway route from the border to the airport, but you'd end the trip on a high note.