USA/Canada - Potential route amends. Help!

[Matt..]

My current route for a trip mid-August to mid-September is as follows:

16. Fly into Seattle, WA
17. Mt Rainier NP, WA
18. Mt Rainier NP, WA
19. Drive to Sandpoint, ID
20. Glacier NP, MT
21. Glacier NP, MT
22. Glacier NP, MT
23. Glacier NP, MT
24. Drive to Lake Louise (Banff NP), AB
25. Lake Louise (Banff NP), AB
26. Lake Louise (Banff NP), AB
27. Jasper NP, AB
28. Jasper NP, AB
29. Jasper NP, AB
30. Drive to Hope, BC
31. Seattle, WA
01. Seattle, WA
02. Olympic NP, WA
03. Olympic NP, WA
04. Olympic NP, WA
05. Drive to Eugene, OR
06. Crater Lake NP, OR
07. Crater Lake NP, OR
08. Drive to Carmel, CA (car swap at SFO)
09. Carmel, CA
10. Carmel, CA
11. Fly out from San Francisco, CA


Most of this is booked. The bit i'm currently questioning, and open to changes, is the Seattle/Olympic NP bit. I'm not really convinced it's a good time for Olympic NP photography, and am therefore open to changes... Also open to changing Carmel, as i've been there before.

Does anyone have any thoughts? (those can be to keep it as is!).


Thanks

Edited by Matt.. on Saturday 25th April 19:25

[R666]

Looks like a great trip!

I had a couple of days in Carmel a couple of weeks ago, lovely

I guess you could swap it for San Francisco, but assume you may have been there as well?

Or, if you have a head for heights head south down the Pacific Coast highlway for the sightseeing and Hearst castle, stay somewhere like Cambria and drive back?

[ViperDave]

I'm sure you know by now I'm not a big fan of Olympic NP, what were you thinking of doing there? I found the road on the west side of the park really tedious, pine trees everywhere apart for the areas that had been clear cut where it was well what you would expect from clear cut tree farming, a big mess.

The I5 from Vancouver down to Seattle isn't the worst bit of the I5 but its not spectacular either. If i was you though i would be considering hopping on a ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver island. The ferry ride can be spectacular if the clouds are hanging on the islands, very moody and the type of scenery you see in movies etc where they want scenery representing somewhere where weird supernatural things happen with people mysteriously dying. Sounds delightful but one of those places that can make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. I'm sure its plenty weather dependent and we have done it in jan rather than sept so it may have the same weather problems as your thinking for Olympic np. But even under blue sky's its still scenic.

From Vancouver island take the ferry across to Olympic peninsular and then the ferry back to Seattle which is a really nice way to arrive in Seattle (much better than the I5)

It may be less of a problem as you will be re-entering the USA at the boarder but be prepared for being sent to secondary inspection when you enter the USA by land, all the Americans and Canadians are waved through but they will likely send you over to park up and go inside, took us an hour or so at the international peace arch on I5 as we got stuck behind a bus load of Japanese tourists, at minimum know where your USA entry stamp is in your passport and point it out to the initial CBP agent in the hope he waves you in without secondary inspection.

Back onto moody and weird happenings type places, you could also head up to Snoqualmie falls, its the area where they filmed twin peaks and just out the back of Seattle on I90.

I'm assuming you will also be passing thorough Spokane so don't miss the massive waterfall in the middle of town and i hope you have made time for dry falls, and banks lake and if you find yourself near Lewiston, make sure you take old spiral highway and not US95.