the ultimate pacific north west trip.

I know I say this a lot, but the Pacific North West is one my favorite places to travel too. There is so much to explore and great cities and amazing adventures are all a relatively close drive from one another. If you love the outdoors, hiking, and craft beer, the PNW is for you.

On our Pacific Northwest trip, we combined so many amazing destinations. I wanted to combine all destinations in one blog post to show you that you can easily see all of these locations in one trip! We went to Portland, Cannon Beach, Astoria, Mt. Rainier National Park, Seattle, Vancouver, and Whistler.

Planes, trains (buses?!), and automobiles. Our PNW trip involved many modes of transportation, all of which were cost efficient. We booked a one flight to Portland, rented a car, and worked our way north to beautiful British Colombia. We then flew out of Vancouver, BC back to Orange County.

Oregon

We flew one way from Orange County to Portland Oregon. Though it’s usually more expensive, we always try to plan our trips around holidays, so as to get one more day off! Our PNW was the last week of May, incorporating Memorial Day as our bonus day. Since the flight was very short for us, we traveling ready to hike! As soon as we landed in Portland, we rented a car and drove straight to the Columbia River Gorge! The gorge is east of the airport and farther away from the city so I recommend going straight to the gorge when you land.

We parked at Wahkeena Falls and took the short hike to the infamous Multnomah Falls. The area surrounding these falls is very touristy including a gift shop, a restaurant, and a museum. The falls also has its own parking lot. The lot can get busy which is why we parked at Wahkeena. Since you can view the falls without hiking (wheelchair friendly) so many people only visit Multnomah. Make sure to walk across the bridge for another angle of the falls!

From Multnomah, we continued on and hiked to Fairy Falls which was a much less crowded hike. Don’t let this trail fool you, you will come across many steep switchbacks.

Fairy Falls, Columbia River Gorge, May 2019

After the Columbia River Gorge, we drove through Portland and worked our way to Cannon Beach. The drive from downtown to Cannon Beach is just under two hours. The drive is beautiful, I’ve never seen so much green.

Cannon Beach, home of the famous Goonies rock, is a quaint beach town that reminds me of a town out of a children’s book. It’s one of those towns where the locals all know each other and the tourists come to get away and relax. In May, we had the town to ourselves, but I have heard that June - August brings the crowds.

We only spent one night in Cannon Beach, but we enjoyed every minute of exploring the wide beach and getting up close to the rock. The rock was surrounded by active tide pools and puffins flew all around the top of the rock.

The next morning, after enjoying a slow and relaxing breakfast, we decided to explore more of the coast. We drove north to the fishing town of Astoria. Exploring via car gives you so many opportunities of adventure. We loved the coast and continued our drive and little did we know, Astoria is home to several breweries! We went to the Maritime Museum, learned about the history of Astoria and the importance fishing has on Northern Oregon, and then we enjoyed a couple of breweries before hitting the road back towards Portland.

If you have the opportunity to drive a different route when traveling, rather than back tracking, do it. You will get to see parts of our country that many others simply bypass. You will get to experience small town America and view and appreciate so many different ways of life. Astoria, you’re a small but mighty town.

Portland is an easy, walkable city. We stayed right downtown and were able to walk to everything. I encourage you to simply grab a cup of coffee (there’s a coffee shop on every corner!) and wander. We strolled past the famous Powell’s Bookstore, Cartlandia (food trucks for days), and ended up in the Pearl District. This district is home to dozens of breweries. I can’t think of anything better, hikes, coffee, and breweries.

Where We Stayed:

In Cannon Beach, we stayed at The Surf Sand Resort (dog-friendly). You guys, this might be my most favorite hotel ever. This hotel was recently renovated and is right on the beach. We walked out of our hotel room and were immediately in the sand. Our room was spacious and had an electric fireplace. The hotel even hosted beachside bonfires and s’mores at sunset. I can’t wait to stay here again.

In Portland, we stayed at Hotel Rose by Staypineapple (dog-friendly). I had heard that Staypineapple’s were unique hotels to stay at and was very excited for this hotel. Though a great hotel, there was nothing too special about this one other than it was walking distance to everything downtown. I would stay here again, but nothing to scream from the rooftops about.

Where We Ate:

In Cannon Beach, we had fresh seafood at Mo’s Seafood and Chowder. This is a very casual (paper plates and picnic tables indoor) and family friendly restaurant that is right on the beach. The prices were really affordable for seafood and beachside.

For breakfast, we dined at the Lazy Susan Cafe. This might be the smallest restaurant I’ve ever been too. There were maybe six tables inside and the place was so busy! We walked by and couldn’t walk past the smells so we waited for a table. They shuffle people in and out pretty fast so the wait was real quick. Make sure to enjoy one of their homemade pastries!

Breweries:

Pelican Brewing, in Cannon Beach, has a patio with fire pits and even a walk up window to order from! This is a great, local hang out and walking distance from the beach.

In Astoria, we stopped at Fort George Brewing as well as Buoy Brewing. Fort George was huge and had a pizza place attached! I loved the Divinity Brew and the Double Hockey Sticks. So. Good. Buoy Brewing was on a pier and part of the floor is clear so you walk over the water. You can look down and watch the sea lions playing. So unique! I’m not usually a big cranberry fan but their Cranberry Saison was delish.

In Portland, it’s hard to choose which breweries to go too. We visited 10 Barrel Brewing, if you like sours, this is the place to go! They are well known for their Cucumber Crush. 10 Barrel also has a really neat rooftop bar. Down the street from 10 Barrel is Rogue Brewing which has several crafts to choose from. Von Ebert brewing had a wonderful food menu! Our last stop of the night for dinner and drinks was at Deschutes Brewing. Deschutes is growing in popularity and their brewery was really nice and the food was high quality, especially for a brewery.

The following morning, we grabbed coffee at a local shop and headed north towards Mount Rainier!

Washington

Mount Rainier National Park is just under three hours from downtown Portland. We love National Parks so being this close to Rainier, we couldn’t turn it down. Disclaimer: we love driving and are used to long drives, it’s one of the best ways to see America. Mount Rainier is in the middle of what seems like nowhere. We drove off the main highway for quite some time and finally, we arrived at the park. Keep in mind, we were visiting in late May and much of the park was still closed to hikers, I couldn’t believe how much snow there was! We visited the Paradise Visitors Center and then hiked the Paradise Loop as well as Mirror Lakes. With so much of the park still covered in snow, we made the best of the trip and parked along the main road and explored the smaller hikes that we could access. Did you know that Mount Rainier is an active volcano?! The volcano last erupted in 1894. If you do visit Rainier, I highly recommend dressing warmly because you will be hiking in the snow. When we visited, it was sunny and 75 degrees, yet we hiked through deep piles of snow.

After leaving the park, we stopped by Logan’s coworkers home in Renton. He took us out in kayaks on his lake and we saw beavers and a bald eagle! Seattle has so many waterways year round outdoor activities! Mount Rainier is about 2hr 30min from downtown Seattle, so Renton was a perfect pit stop.

Seattle is one of my favorite cities, if it were not so expensive, I think I would move there. I love the moodiness of the city, it can be sunny one minute and raining the next. To me, Seattle is the perfect city to relax at a brewery in the rain and to explore the coast in the sun. Seattle has it all. The city is big but it’s so easy to get around between walking and the light rail.

Each time we have been to Seattle we have chosen to stay right downtown near Pike’s Place Market as this is the most centralized. It may be touristy but I love grabbing a cup of coffee or apple cider and navigating my way through Pike’s Place. The market is full of so much culture, history, and mouth-watering smells. I feel so content just wandering around, the market is actually much larger than it appears to be. Take your time and explore.

The original Starbucks is right across the street from the market, though the line is long, this is a fun thing to do (one of those things you do once and cross it off your list).

We enjoyed walking along the boardwalk, stopping for clam chowder, and hiking up the hill to Kerry Park. This is a long walk but exploring by foot is the best way to experience a city like the locals! Kerry Park is in the middle of a neighborhood but gives excellent views of the Space Needle and skyline.

Logan had always wanted to go to the top of the Space Needle so we decided to splurge and take the long elevator ride to the top. I was pleasantly surprised with the experience and would definitely recommend it. At the top of the needle is an open air deck and inside is a rotating floor with a concession stand and bar. We didn’t spend a ton of time here but I’m glad we did this. Crossed another thing off the bucket list!

Top of the space needle, Seattle, May 2019

Outside of the needle is the Chihuly Glass Museum. We didn’t go into the museum but just walking around the grounds is beautiful! Adjacent to the museum is a large park and while we there, a Folk festival just happened to be going on. There is always something to do in Seattle!

I am a big fan of Starbucks so I really wanted to visit the Seattle Roastery. If you are a coffee fan, I recommend visiting. Even the architecture of the building was unique and beautiful. The roastery was busy but still had a cozy feel on a gloomy day.

Capital Hill is the more expensive/nicer neighborhood in Seattle. Capital Hill is about a 15minute drive from downtown. The neighborhood is full of high end restaurants, trendy breweries, and classy bars. I highly recommend visiting Capital Hill and exploring their streets. I am sure you will find plenty of places to stop! One of my favorite things to do is visit a new city and just randomly walk the streets, stopping in shops and restaurants along the way. Seattle is a perfect city to do this in.

Surrounding Seattle are several islands. One day, we took a ferry to West Seattle (can drive here but was more fun to take the ferry). West Seattle is mostly residential with a few streets of bars and restaurants. West Seattle does have a beach with a perfect view of the Seattle skyline. When we arrived in West Seattle, all of a sudden, it started pouring rain! ALWAYS BRING AN UMBRELLA. We didn’t have an umbrella on us so we quickly rented Lime bikes. I remember trying to download the app to rent the bikes in the pouring rain. I was as wet as a dog after a bath. We rode bikes a couple of miles until we found a restaurant to seek shelter in. We walked into the restaurant dripping wet. The bar tender smiled at us but still served us! In moments like these, all you can do is laugh. This is the beauty of traveling, not everything works out in your favor or goes the way you want it to go. But looking back, I remember laughing so hard and we have a great memory to look back on. After the rain stopped, we headed to a bar down the street. We ended up meeting a local who took us next door to the local Chinese restaurant that had a speak easy in the back! We took jello shots with the locals and returned to the ferry just in time to head back to Seattle. When you are open and without an agenda, good things happen.

Another great place to take a ferry to is Bainbridge island (not accessible by car). Bainbridge is a small town surrounded by trails and beautiful scenery. We enjoyed walking through the town, eating lunch, and hiking some of the trails. The ferry rides are around $5 a piece and only about a 20-30 minute ride. The islands are a fun way to escape the busyness of the city but still stay in the Seattle area.

The first time we went to Seattle we didn’t rent a car. Rather, we took the train from the airport right into downtown (you ride right past the Starbucks headquarters). The second time we were in Seattle we drove from Portland. Our next stop was over the border to Vancouver. Since it’s very costly to drive a car over the border (one-way), we dropped off our rental car in Seattle and took a bus from Seattle to Vancouver. We travelled via King Street Station. Side note: we were supposed to take a train but they unfortunately over booked the train and we did not arrive early enough so we had to take a bus. The good news was, the bus ride got us to Vancouver an hour before the train would have. Gotta think positive!

Where We Stayed:

Each time we have visited Seattle, I have enjoyed where we stayed. All of the hotels were in a great location. Loews Hotel 1000 was definitely my favorite but by far the most expensive (all hotels are more expensive in Seattle). Logan was in Seattle for work so they paid for this hotel. The rooms had three walls full of windows with incredible views. If you are willing to splurge on a hotel, choose Loews.

For a more affordable option I would suggest the Belltown Inn or the Executive Hotel Pacific. Both hotels are small boutique hotels with very small rooms. We don’t sit still much while traveling, so really, we are only in the hotel to sleep. Both of these hotels were older but clean and affordable. The Executive Pacific was a short walk to Pike’s Place and had a bar in the basement with a free happy hour for hotel guests.

Where We Ate:

Seattle is home to world class restaurants, trendy cafes, and dozens of breweries. There are coffee shops on every corner and class rooftops every few blocks. Seattle feels like a city that never sleeps! After bar hopping in Capital Hill, I remember being shocked at how many food cart vendors were in the streets selling hotdogs and sausages. I’m a Chicago girl at heart, but I have to say, Seattle’s hot dog carts give Chicago’s a run for their money.

When walking along the pier in Seattle, we stopped at the Six Seven Restaurant at the Edgewater Hotel. The restaurant is right on the water and we enjoyed a quick drink before continuing on our walk. Quick Tip: to explore more of a city, stop throughout the day at restaurants and just get a drink. You can still experience the culture of the restaurant without having a full meal.

We enjoyed a mediocre breakfast with dreamy views of the water while eating at Lowell’s. Though this was a pricey breakfast, it’s fun to eat inside of the market at a hideaway restaurant.

Catty-corner to the market, hidden in Post Alley is Kells Irish Restaurant. Though I’ve never been to Ireland (it’s on my list!), I felt like I was transported to a true Irish bar. The bar was full of locals and had true Irish fare and beer. This was a really fun place to stop for clam chowder and Irish car bombs!

Across the street from the Belltown Inn, is Rocco’s, a hip and moody craft pizza restaurant.

In Capitol Hill, we ate at a high end Mexican joint, Barrio. The bar is bigger than the restaurant and weaves in and out of the dining room tables. Though pricey, the portions were huge! Plenty of Clouds, also located in Capitol Hill had unique and upscale Chinese with a trendy atmosphere. A short walk from Plenty of Clouds is Tavern Law. A dark, library turned bar that is a perfect place to end the night (Keep in mind, Capitol Hill is one of the more expensive areas in Seattle).

Breweries:

Once of Logan’s favorite beers is from Elysian and we didn’t even know they were from Seattle. Needless to say, we had to stop in! This is a short walk from the Pike Place Market. If you want a really unique bar experience, stop at The Unicorn in Capitol Hill. This is a carnival themed bar that serves popcorn alongside craft cocktails. Buyer beware, if you are afraid of clowns, this one may not be for you! Cloud Burst Brewing is within walking distance from the market as well. This brewery has a great atmosphere and specializes in IPA’s.

Next to the market is Old Stove Brewing, both a brewery and restaurant. The brewery has a large patio and is right on the water boasting breathtaking views! This was my favorite brewery in Seattle.

Vancouver, British Columbia

We left Seattle via bus and about 3 hours later, arrived at Pacific Central Station in Vancouver. British Columbia is the outdoor lover’s dream, it’s an outdoor playground. British Columbia is full of hikes, skiing, rafting, and more! We absolutely loved our time here. When we visited, the American dollar was higher than the Canadian, so everything was a bit cheaper for us too! We stayed in Gastown while in Vancouver which was a perfect spot to walk to so many places. Gastown is the trendy part of town where most of the young people flock too. There are too many bars and restaurants to count!

I recommend spending a sunset at the public beach and walking along the boardwalk. We were both amazed at how many people went down to the beach for sunset. I wish more people in America took the time to sit and watch the sunset. I think a lot of us are so busy during the day that when it comes time for the sunset, we are too exhausted. It was really fun to participate in the local crowd and watch the sunset together. Granville Island (accessible by car), was a fun place to explore! Small, electric boats will pick you up all along the boardwalk and take you to the island. Granville is full of restaurants and shops, we had amazing seafood here! And taking a boat ride for $2 was a fun way to spend our evening as well! Another fun place to visit is Stanley Park, Vancouver’s equivalent of Central Park in New York City. If you make the drive to Squamish or Whistler, you will drive right through Stanley Park.

About an hour from Vancouver is the town of Squamish. While in Squamish, we stopped and saw Brandywine Falls. This is a perfect pitstop if going straight to Whistler. The parking lot is free and it’s a short hike to really a stunning fall.

Brandywine Falls, Squamish, BC, May 2019

Also in Squamish, we rode the Sea to Sky gondola and spent time exploring all that the area had to offer. The gondola was recently built and everything was very clean and nice. There was one suspension bridge at the top, hiking trails, a restaurant, and a gift shop. You can even see Shannon Falls from the top of the mountain as well as from the street. We hiked both the Skyline trail and the Panorama trail. The hikes were very short but offered incredible views. If you are more of an experienced hiker, I recommend skipping this gondola and going straight to Windsor, but for families, this attraction is perfect. Keep in mind, the traffic between Squamish and Vancouver is really bad, no matter the time of day you go. We drove up and back twice and both times, it was stopped traffic. Just prepare yourself!

Wow Whistler, I don’t have enough good things to say about you. This is my favorite ski town I have visited. Though we visited in May, skiing was actually still open! The mountains are so tall that skiers could ski at the top and mountain bikers were riding the bottom half of the mountain. Whistler’s ski village was HUGE. I loved that cars were not allowed in the village, it was all accessible by foot on nicely paved sidewalks. There were dozens of dining options and bars to choose from along with several outdoorsy shops. Live music and DJ’s filled the village and there were even family activities going on such as face painting. The village was booming with entertainment! I cannot wait to go back here and hope to go back to ski!

About an hour north of Whistler is Joffre Lake. I had been wanting to do this hike for as long as the ‘grammers had been posting about it. The drive to Joffre was stunning, we got to see backcountry Canada, something many people don’t take the time to experience. Parking at Joffre was free but busy, try getting there as early as possible. Joffre has three lakes, all along one trailhead, about 5 miles total. The trail to the first lake is short and easy. I was kind of disappointed when we arrived at the first lake, because I was anticipating the the crystal blue waters like the photographs I had seen. Don’t worry, lakes two and three will blow your mind. We didn’t spend much time at the first lake and continued onto the second. The trailhead between lake one and two was very strenuous with close to 1600 feet in elevation gain. Though the trail was difficult, it was actually very crowded. The second lake was stunning, crystal blue water with snow capped mountains in the distance. The log that you see everyone taking photos on is also in this lake. We decided to continue onto the third lake, hoping it would be less crowded. The third lake was not much farther past the second and the trail was not busy. I think a lot of people give up after the second lake. Wow, the third lake was my favorite. The snow capped mountain touches the lake and the water is so cold and clear. We had lunch here and just enjoyed the view. I am so glad we did this hike, we were nervous that the hike was just glamorized on social media but really, if you are in Whistler, don’t leave without doing this hike.

Where We Stayed:

We stayed in Gastown while downtown Vancouver. One of Logan’s coworkers let us stay in his guest suite in his apartment building!

In Whistler, we stayed at the beautiful Westin Resort and Spa. This hotel was stunning, our room was huge with picturesque views and even a fireplace. During ski season, the rates are close to $1,000 per night. Since we went in off season, we paid less than $150 per night! Talk about a steal!

Where We Ate:

Since traffic was so bad between Squamish and downtown Whistler, we stopped at Horseshoe Bay for lunch. There were lots of small restaurants, all with an ocean view. We ate at Troller Ale House. The service and food was not great but the restaurant provided wonderful views.

Oh my goodness the Cactus Club Cafe in Gastown was wonderful! Don’t let the word “cafe” fool you, the restaurant is trendy with a fun nightlife. The food was great and the happy hour prices were so cheap we could barely believe it. They even have a second happy hour and a DJ at night.

Apparently JJ’s Bean Coffee is more popular than Starbucks in Vancouver! This is definitely the spot where the locals go. If you go, do yourself a favor and try their homemade mocha sauce, you won’t be disappointed.

On Granville Island, we splurged and had incredible seafood at The Sandbar. Almost the entire restaurant is glass windows and we were able to slurp oysters, drink martinis and watch the sunset over the ocean all at once. Perfection.

In Whistler, we stopped at the rooftop at Black’s Pub for Happy Hour. This gave us views of the village and all the skiers and mountain bikers coming off the mountain. Pro-tip: do your best to visit bars during Happy Hour!

The pizza, bloody mary’s, and views were perfect at Garibaldi Lift Co. Restaurant. The patio at this restaurant is right by the runs on the mountain, so you can watch everyone come down. The energy here was so much fun!

In the Whistler Village, we had incredible Italian food on La Bocca’s patio. Also in the Village is Longhorn Saloon. This is a big party spot during the day and night. DJ’s come and host parties on their huge patio. We were kind of surprised at how many people go to Whistler just to party, not even ski or hike. We saw several bachelor and bachelorette parties roaming the Village at night. Don’t let this keep you away from Whistler, there is so much beauty and so many outdoor activities!

About half way between Whistler and Joffre Lakes is Mount Currie Coffee Company. We love supporting local and this was a perfect pit stop for coffee and breakfast sandwiches!

After Vancouver, we took a one-way flight back to Orange County. Flights were surprisingly cheap in May!

Breweries:

In Squamish, we had beers and pizza at Howe Sound Brewing (they also have an Inn!). Their patio boasts beautiful views of Shannon Falls from across the street.

Downtown Vancouver in Gastown, we had incredible sours at Yaletown Brewing Company. Their brewery was huge with a large patio! We really enjoyed walking around this area.

Wow, I’m tired just from writing this blog post, if you made it this far then I think you are ready for the ultimate Pacific North West trip. Of course all of these destinations can be their own trip as there is so much to do and explore. We don’t like to sit still so if you are ready for an action/beer packed adventure, I encourage you to conquer all of the PNW in one trip!

Best Time To Visit:

Summer

the ultimate pacific north west trip.

oregon.

cambodia.