Having enjoyed exploring Ontario and Quebec on a previous family road trip, we decided to return to Canada to explore the western side. However, due to flight availability, the itinerary of our Pacific Northwest road trip quickly expanded to include Seattle, USA. Whilst the Pacific Northwest region is large, you can take a great circular route over two to three weeks, to give you a great insight into this gorgeous area of the world – think islands, forests, and magical mountains!
A Pacific Northwest road trip works best as a circle from Seattle: north to the San Juan Islands, across to Vancouver Island for Tofino, back to the mainland for Whistler, then down to Vancouver and home. 3 weeks is comfortable, 2 weeks is doable if you trim Vancouver, and July and August give you the best weather. Book the ferries the day reservations open, five and a half months ahead.
This is the route we drove, in the order we drove it, with the drives, the ferries and the stops we made along the way. Every place on it has its own guide if you want the detail.
The shape of it: Around 1,100km of driving spread over three weeks, plus three ferry crossings, in a loop that starts and finishes in Seattle. Nothing about it is hard driving, but the Sea‑to‑Sky Highway and Pacific Rim Highway 4 both need your full attention.
3 weeks, 1,100km, Seattle to Seattle
Fly in, sleep off the jet lag, and see the city. Pike Place Market, the Chihuly Glass Museum and a Mariners game.
A logistics stop, 25 minutes from the Anacortes ferry terminal, so you are not driving in the dark before an early sailing.
Kayaking in search of orcas, wild camping on Posey Island, and the alpacas at Krystal Acres.
Breaks the long drive north, with 47 painted murals in town and a cidery, a trestle bridge and a town of totems on the way.
Surf lessons at Cox Bay, an early morning bear watching trip across Clayoquot Sound, and rainforest walks.
The Sea‑to‑Sky Highway up, then chairlifts to the Top of the World, the High Note Trail and rafting on the Green River.
Stanley Park by bike, Granville Island Public Market, and the cable car up Grouse Mountain.
Chuckanut Drive along the coast and the Boeing Factory at Everett on the final day.
That is 16 nights on the road, three ferry crossings and one land border, in a loop that starts and finishes at the same airport. The rest of this page takes each stop in turn.
The Pacific Northwest is a region relating to the upper west coast of the North American continent, covering the:
United States: The northwestern corner, including Washington State and Oregon
Canada: The southwestern part, namely British Columbia
Whilst the whole Pacific Northwest region is too vast to attempt on a three week trip, you can get a really good taste for the area in this time. We certainly loved what we saw of the region and it left us wanting more.
There are so many potential places to stop that you can have fun working out the priorities for your trip and looking at options.
I started our research by consulting a large colourful coffee table book called Travel, Where to go When from DK Eyewitness which I frequently refer to when considering where to go at certain times of the year (usually during UK school holidays). The Where to Go When book features the San Juan Islands, USA, in the month of August, and highlights it as a good place for spotting orcas (Killer Whales) which caught my attention. I had not been aware of the San Juan Islands previously, which I think are possibly under the radar for many Brits.
In terms of Vancouver Island, I had visited previously when 20 years old on a backpacking trip following a stint of summer work in Toronto. On that trip, I visited the city of Victoria before hiking some of the West Coast Trail . However, sadly I didn’t get as far as Tofino despite hearing amazing things about the town, so Tofino became the next target destination on our Pacific Northwest road trip. Tofino offered surfing and bear watching as activities which appealed to our children who were 12 and 15 at the time.
Seattle is where we flew in and out of, and three nights gave us enough time to get over the jet lag while still seeing the city. Pike Place Market, the Chihuly Glass Museum, the Space Needle from the ground, a Mariners game and a boat trip through the Ballard Locks filled it comfortably.
Nights: Three nights, at the start of the trip.
On to the next stop: Drive 1 hour north to Burlington, purely to reposition.
The Anacortes ferry terminal is 80 miles and about an hour and a half north of Seattle. Burlington is a 25‑minute drive from the terminal, so staying here meant we were not driving the full distance in the dark before an early sailing. A functional hotel and an early night, nothing more.
Nights: One night, and only for the logistics.
On to the next stop: Washington State Ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. Around an hour on the water.
The San Juan Islands were the reason the route bends north at all, and they make a natural stepping stone from the USA across to Canada. Friday Harbor is small and walkable, with the Whale Museum, the Scenic Byway north to Roche Harbor, and the alpacas at Krystal Acres. Two of our three nights were spent on a kayaking expedition in search of orcas, camping wild on Posey Island.
Nights: Three nights, two of them out on the water.
On to the next stop: Washington State Ferry from Friday Harbor to Sidney on Vancouver Island, about an hour and a half. This is one of the very few road trips where you cross an international border by car ferry, and passports are inspected and stamped by Canadian border control as you leave the Sidney port.
Vancouver Island is large, 460 km (285 miles) from top to bottom, so we planned some stops between Sidney in the south and Tofino, about halfway up the west coast. Breaking the drive overnight at Chemainus turned one long day into two comfortable ones, and the town has 47 painted murals to walk round while you are there.
Nights: One night, breaking the drive north.
Getting here: Drive 1 hour 15 from Sidney, with pitstops at the Merridale Cidery in the Cowichan Valley, the Kinsol Trestle bridge, and Duncan, the town of totems.
On to the next stop: Drive 3 hours west to Tofino, with pitstops at the Old Country Market in Coombs for the goats on the roof, and Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park for the 800‑year‑old firs.
Tofino sits at the end of the road on the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island, and it was the destination the whole route was built around. Surf lessons at Cox Bay, an early morning bear watching trip across Clayoquot Sound, rainforest walks and the best fish tacos of the trip.
Nights: Three nights. The reason to come.
On to the next stop: Retrace your steps 3 hours east across the island to Nanaimo. From there you have two BC Ferries options: Duke Point to Tsawwassen, which is closest to metro Vancouver, or Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay, north of the city. We took the Horseshoe Bay crossing so that we could pick up the Sea‑to‑Sky Highway on the other side.
From Horseshoe Bay the Sea‑to‑Sky Highway climbs north to Whistler, and the drive is worth half a day on its own. Whistler in summer is a walking and cycling town rather than a ski one: chairlifts to the Top of the World, the High Note Trail, the Peak‑to‑Peak Gondola and white‑water rafting on the Green River.
Nights: Three nights in the mountains.
Getting here: Drive 1 hour 15 north from Horseshoe Bay on the Sea‑to‑Sky Highway, longer if you stop.
On to the next stop: Drive 1.5 hours back down the Sea‑to‑Sky Highway, past Horseshoe Bay and over the Lions Gate Bridge into Vancouver.
The last stop of the holiday. Two days is enough for the outdoor half of Vancouver, which is the best half: Stanley Park by bike, Granville Island Public Market, the False Creek Ferries across to Kitsilano, and the cable car up Grouse Mountain.
Nights: Two nights, before the drive home.
On to the next stop: Drive 2.5 hours south to Seattle, allowing extra time for the border.
On the final day of our Pacific Northwest road trip, we packed up and left early to drive 45 minutes south to the Canadian‑American border from Vancouver. We left earlier than necessary to give us some ‘slack’ time at the border in case of queues or delays. Our flight out of Seattle wasn’t until the evening, but we had scheduled a stop at the Boeing Factory on the way, which was a more immediate deadline.
After passing smoothly through border control, we had time to drive the scenic Chuckanut Drive, a 38 km (24 mile) road built in 1909, running from Bow to Bellingham and hugging the coastline, offering gorgeous views across the Salish Sea to the San Juan Islands.
I had prebooked a tour of the Boeing Factory at Everett for my husband as he always likes to do something ‘transport related’ on holiday (always the engineer!). It was a massive factory where we saw 747s, 777s and 787s being made. Actually, it was a little bit interesting, even for non‑engineers.
As we headed towards Seattle Tacoma International Airport, passing Seattle on the highway, we could see Lake Union and the Space Needle on our right‑hand side, letting us know that we were back to where we started nearly 3 weeks earlier.
We were away for the best part of 3 weeks for our Pacific Northwest road trip which was a good amount of time for this road trip route.
If you only have two weeks then there are some options to trim time, such as:
Trim Vancouver: Cut down on your time in metro Vancouver in favour of the other places on the itinerary (controversial?)
Skip Vancouver Island: Travel between Seattle, Vancouver, and Whistler, although I would strongly encourage you to keep Vancouver Island in the mix
Trim the islands: Spend less time in the San Juan Islands on your way to Vancouver Island
If you have more than 3 weeks, or would prefer a different route, then you could stay in the USA and explore more of Washington State (the Evergreen State), such as the Olympic Peninsula, or head down into Oregon. Alternatively, you could travel further up the coast of British Columbia.
The opportunities for outdoor adventures here are endless in the Pacific Northwest!
If you like the great outdoors then a Pacific Northwest road trip offers you an outdoor adventure paradise. There are endless opportunities to get out into nature for activities, such as, hiking, kayaking and even white-water rafting.
In addition, there are also some very special wildlife spotting opportunities along the way, including bears and whales (if you are lucky!).
This therefore makes a perfect destination for families with teenagers or young adults, as there are plenty of activities to keep them interested. However, similarly, it is a wonderful destination for everyone else too – solo travellers and couples will love the freedom of exploring this wonderful region.
Perhaps this road trip would be harder with young children (under 10s) due to driving distances, and lack of a central base?
The best way to explore this area, and see the most on one trip, is on a road trip.
Going by car allows you to:
Reach the islands: Get off the beaten track on the car ferry to the San Juan Islands
Reach Tofino: Remote, and at the end of the road on Vancouver Island
Drive the Sea-to-Sky: The dramatic highway up to Whistler
The driving on a Pacific Northwest road trip is very straightforward, on well-maintained roads with lots of places for stops along the way – perfect for a relaxed but very rewarding road trip in the Pacific Northwest region.
July and August are the perfect months to undertake a Pacific Northwest road trip, during the Summer when you are likely to have good weather. The shoulder months of June and September would also be a good option, although the evenings can get quite chilly in these months.
It is very green throughout the Pacific Northwest region which is a sign that it rains a lot here. July tends to be the driest month in Seattle, Washington, which is notoriously wet, so still be prepared for some rain even in the summer months.
Vancouver or Seattle would be the main airport hubs for a Pacific Northwest road trip.
We had intended to fly to Vancouver, Canada, from the UK and start our Pacific Northwest road trip itinerary from there.
However, our plans became more complicated because we wanted to use AMEX Companion Vouchers and Avios points collected as part of the British Airways Loyalty Scheme. Unfortunately, the flight availability from London Heathrow to Vancouver (allowing us to redeem our AMEX Companion Vouchers) didn’t work for the dates we wanted to travel on.
Our solution was to change tack, and fly in and out of Seattle, USA, which is a 2.5-hour drive from Vancouver. This allowed us to use our AMEX Companion Vouchers and start a circular road trip from there.
So, you have options from either of these two cities, depending on your onward travel logistics.
I have already talked about this in the section about where to start your Pacific Northwest road trip.
However, in summary, either Vancouver or Seattle are the best options for arrival/departure for this trip, which gives you more flight options. Portland could be another possibility to the south of Seattle if you want to spend more time in the USA.
Although the roads are generally good, I would advise booking a robust car as the distances are quite long, and your car needs to be comfortable on the journey, and also able to withstand potential incidents of wildlife jumping out in front of the car – although unlikely, it can happen.
We were given a real whopper of a car, an 8-seater Chevy Suburban, which was much bigger than we had ordered. However, it proved extremely comfortable and good for covering longer distances.
With this circular road trip route, you avoid any one way fees being charged by the rental agency.
I have already talked about this in the section about where to start your Pacific Northwest road trip.
However, in summary, either Vancouver or Seattle are the best options for arrival/departure for this trip, which gives you more flight options. Portland could be another possibility to the south of Seattle if you want to spend more time in the USA.
Washington State Ferries, two crossings: Anacortes, USA, to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, USA; and Friday Harbor, USA, to Sidney, Vancouver Island, Canada
BC Ferries, one crossing: Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, to Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay), Canada.
The Washington State Ferries (WSF) route from Anacortes, USA, to Sidney, Canada, is viewed as an international route and is the only route for which WSF does not sell tickets in advance, because your paperwork (passports) needs to be verified before you are sold a ticket.
However, you can make a reservation for your vehicle on this route using the Washington State Ferries Save-a-Spot Vehicle Reservations System, for which you receive a confirmation email for your reservation. Then on the day of travel, you are advised to turn up at the Washington State Ferries departure point 60-90 minutes early to get in line, visit the ticket office with all your passports and paperwork as necessary and pay for your ferry crossing.
Our passports were formally inspected and stamped by Canadian border control as we were leaving the Sidney port.
On our route from Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, to Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) there was an option with BC Ferries to either pay in full on-line, or to make a reservation with a deposit paying the rest on arrival at the port.
Whichever option you decide to go with, you should be able to book or reserve your crossing with BC Ferries around 5.5 months in advance, e.g. mid-February for a crossing in August. Diary date when the bookings open, then you can get organised nice and early and make sure you get the BC Ferries crossings that you want.
You need to know the length and height of your vehicle when you make your reservation with either Washington State Ferries or BC Ferries, so this will need to be based on your hire car specifications. If in doubt, over-estimate rather than underestimate to avoid being caught out when you arrive at the ferry port.
There are lots of great accommodation options for a Pacific Northwest road trip depending on your budget and requirements.
My main advice here is to book as early as possible to ensure that you get what you want particularly if you are travelling in high season.
We booked a range of accommodation on our Pacific Northwest road trip:
AirBnB: Friday Harbor
Functional hotels: Burlington and Chemainus
IHG Kimpton Hotel: Seattle
Apart Hotel: Whistler
Splurge stay for a significant birthday: The Wickaninnish, Tofino
Once you’ve done your trip research, you might have a list of activities that you’d like to do. If you’re travelling in July and August then some activities can sell out, so think about booking some before you set off on your trip.
Sea kayaking, San Juan Islands. The main activity we booked in advance of travelling was the Sea Quest Kayak Tour in the San Juan Islands in search of orcas. This is effectively a ‘holiday within a holiday’ and counts as one of your night’s accommodations, if you choose the overnight camping option (or longer if you take the 3 night option).
Popular activities which you could book in advance of travelling to the Pacific Northwest to avoid disappointment include:
Baseball: Tickets to a Seattle Mariners game
Bears: Bear watching trip in Tofino
Cycling: Cycling tour of Stanley Park in Vancouver
Activities which we booked whilst on holiday include:
White-water rafting: Green Lake, Whistler
Surfing: A lesson in Tofino
Boats and museums: Ballard boat trip and museums in Seattle
One great activity to consider booking is a scenic flight on a float plane around Vancouver or Vancouver Island, or up to Whistler. Not cheap, but a real Pacific Northwest experience. We wished we’d done this…
Booking activities can make a hole in your budget, so prioritise and avoid over scheduling – there is enough to do in the Pacific Northwest without formal activities. The scenery itself is an activity!
The Pacific Northwest is a very casual region, so no need to book anything smart for your trip. The key advice is to make sure that you have clothing for a range of weather, in particular:
Sun hats or baseball caps, sunglasses and sun cream.
Even in the summer months, it can sometimes feel cool in the evenings, so a fleece or warm sweatshirt might be welcome.
Swimwear and rash vests, kayaking or white water rafting gear, hiking boots and lightweight clothing.
Actually, it becomes quite a tricky trip to pack for as you might need a bit of everything!
As with any trip, the first thing I do is to check the travel advice on the website of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). If you live outside the UK, check the advice of the equivalent body in your country of residence.
At the time of our trip, there were no areas of concern flagged by the FCDO.
Canada and the USA. Before booking your Pacific Northwest road trip, check the entry requirements of all the relevant countries you plan to visit, related to your nationality and the length of your stay.
Passports: Make sure there is enough time left to run on your passport before it expires, in line with entry requirements. Passports for USA trips needed to have 6 months validity remaining on your passport after the end of our trip when we travelled.
Visas: As a British Citizen travelling with a current valid passport, we needed to apply for 2 sets of e-Visas, one for Canada (ETA) and one for the USA (ESTA).
You can apply for ETAs and ESTAs on-line and they generally come through quickly, but don’t leave it to the last minute, just in case of any issues. If you are planning to travel for a longer period, then check whether any other requirements are necessary.
For driving in both Canada and the USA, we were able to hire a car with AVIS on the provision of a full UK driver’s licence. An international driving licence was not required for our trip, but again, it’s worth double checking with your car hire provider.
Use travel insurance which covers you well for medical emergencies, breakdowns and driving incidents, and also for any activities you are thinking of doing whilst in Canada or the USA, such as, surfing, kayaking, white water rafting etc.
The roads on our Pacific Northwest road trip were very good indeed. We were driving on main roads and not in remote areas, so we felt confident that we could have sought assistance if needed. We didn’t do any significant driving at night.
The Sea-to-Sky Highway on the way to Whistler was quite a hard drive as it is a fast-moving highway with lots of bends and undulations. It just took a lot of concentration, without getting distracted by the fantastic views along the way.
We used the sat nav which came with the hire car and so didn’t need to rely on any other app, however WAZE is very popular in Canada. We used WAZE in Costa Rica and were really impressed by it and its real time data telling you if there were any objects in the road!
Wildlife: There is a risk from wildlife suddenly running out into the road, particularly at dawn or dusk, so just be alert to any animals lurking by the sides of the road. Although this is a real risk, we didn't have any close encounters on our Pacific Northwest road trip.
Other drivers: Like at home, there is always a risk from other drivers, for example, jumping red lights or speeding, so just take it easy, know the local rules of the road and be extra vigilant.
On Highway 4 to Tofino, which runs along the Pacific west coast of Vancouver Island, there are tsunami warning signs all along the road. Although the chance of experiencing a tsunami after an earthquake is very slim, there are small earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest region each year, so you need to know what to do if one occurs.
The formal tsunami advice is as follows – if the ground shakes under your feet, or you see the waterline recede quickly from the shore, a tsunami may be coming, so you should move to higher ground and or follow tsunami evacuation routes. The rule of thumb is to attempt to gain 20 meters in elevation within 20 minutes.
We used bug spray whilst on the kayaking trip in the San Juan Islands, and when in forested areas, but didn’t really suffer from bites on our trip which was good. However, be prepared as it might be different when you visit depending on the season and climate.
We did see a lot of homeless people in Vancouver, actually on a scale which was quite distressing. In addition to this, hard drug taking on the streets was very visible.
Whilst nothing untoward happened to us whilst in Vancouver itself, it did feel edgy, so just be prepared for that in advance – if travelling with children you might want to think about avoiding some areas in downtown (Gastown was pretty bad when we visited).
In closing
Our Pacific Northwest road trip in the USA and Canada was a big hit with the adults and kids alike with fantastic views around every corner.
The roads are great for driving on this road trip and we didn't have any driving issues on the route at all. I particularly enjoyed the variety of landscapes on this itinerary – from city, to islands, to rainforest and mountains – and the balance of activities which it offered.
So, in summary, I can wholeheartedly recommend this trip. Enjoy the roads, enjoy the views – enjoy the Pacific Northwest!
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