Western Washington Trip 2

Adam’s parents came out to visit for the weekend, so we tried to give them a tour of western Washington with as much variety as possible!

Silverdale

For our first meal, we wanted to go somewhere local because we were meeting up with Jim and Suzy after work. We chose to go with the Yacht Club Broiler in Silverdale. Our other option was The Boat Shed in Bremerton, but it was closed. This is a great establishment in downtown Silverdale with indoor and outdoor seating available. We all enjoyed some tasty seafood on the back deck overlooking Dyes Inlet.

Yacht Club Broiler in Silverdale

Nice deck overlooking Dyes Inlet!

Yacht Club Broiler in Silverdale

Nice deck overlooking Dyes Inlet!

Seattle

On Friday night after work, we hopped on the Bainbridge ferry over to downtown Seattle. From the Seattle ferry port, it’s under a mile to CenturyLink/Safeco Field, so we walked on over to catch the Mariners-Dodgers game. There are several food tents right outside of the gate and you can bring that food in, so we grabbed some hot dogs before heading into the stadium. Unfortunately, we picked a game where the Mariners got destroyed 11-1, but we were still able to enjoy the view of the Seattle skyline and sunset from our top deck seats as 5+ home runs were crushed!

Mariners game at Safeco Field with a view of the Seattle skyline and the sunset!

Hurricane Ridge

Once we had a full Saturday for exploring, it was time to get some nature in! This was our second time up to Hurricane Ridge, but we did a different hike this time. We did Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge, a three mile out and back hike with about 800 ft of elevation. To get to the closest parking lot near the trailhead, you must drive a short way past the main visitor center. There were great views the entire way up and even though it was smoky from all the forest fires, we were faintly able to see across the Juan de Fuca strait to Canada! After this easy-moderate hike, we made a quick stop at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center to show our guests the 3D Olympic Peninsula map and grab some lunch.

At the top of Hurricane Hill!

Olympic National Park

Canada is somewhere over there!

Found a quail enjoying the view!

Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge: 3 mile out and back hike with 800 ft elevation gain.

At the top of Hurricane Hill!

Olympic National Park

Canada is somewhere over there!

Found a quail enjoying the view!

Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge: 3 mile out and back hike with 800 ft elevation gain.

Lake Crescent Lodge

Our next stop was the Lake Crescent Lodge because it’s on the way to the Hoh Rain Forest and it’s one of our favorite lakes! The water is cool and clear and being surrounded by mountains is quite stunning. We have yet to spend a full day here, but this would be the perfect spot to set up a hammock, kayak/SUP/canoe, swim, or just hang on the beach! We also looked more into reserving rooms at the Lake Crescent Lodge this time. They are more expensive than we wanted them to be for a small rustic cabin at ~$150-300/night, but they would be a great spot for a weekend getaway! Not only would you be right on the lake, but you’d also be walking distance to hikes such as Marymere Falls and Mount Storm King. Plus, you’d be in a good central location for more exploring of the northern part of the Olympics.

Lake Crescent Lodge

Hoh Rain Forest

We hadn’t made it to the rain forest yet, so our next stop was the Hoh Rain Forest! While it may seem close to Silverdale on a map, it takes a healthy 3-4-hour drive to get to the visitor center. We did the most famous hike here, Hoh Rain Forest Hall of Mosses. This is an easy ~one-mile loop trail, but it definitely wasn’t lame! The fern-covered ground, moss-hanging trees, and intertwined roots were quite spectacular. There are a few other moderate hikes stemming out from the main parking lot as well. After our exploring of the Olympic National Park, we were ready for some food, so we stopped in Port Angeles on the trek back home. We first tried to get a table at the Next Door Gastropub, but the wait was over an hour, so we ended up at the New Moon Craft Tavern instead. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend the New Moon Craft Tavern because the food took a while and the menu was quite short, but it was a good local spot for some craft beer. The Next Door Gastropub looked good and must be if the wait was that long, so we would recommend here instead when looking for food and beer in Port Angeles.

The Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park!

Hoh Rain Forest Hall of Moss: 1 mile easy loop hike.

Ferns and intertwined trees…what a sight!

The Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park!

Hoh Rain Forest Hall of Moss: 1 mile easy loop hike.

Ferns and intertwined trees…what a sight!

Seabeck

Adam’s parents got an adorable Airbnb in Seabeck while visiting, so on Sunday, we decided to stay local. We walked to Turie’s Seabeck Espresso for some tasty teas and hot chocolate. This was one of the few businesses in the tiny town of Seabeck. Another one of the businesses along this strip is Seabeck Pizza which we grabbed for dinner on Monday evening and were impressed! There are some sitting areas right on the water at this strip of businesses, so you can enjoy your coffee, ice cream, or pizza with a view of the water and a backdrop of the Olympics. Unfortunately, the wildfire smoke continued to linger, so we did not stay long. After our dose of caffeine, it was time to get another hike in! We drove to the Guillemot Cove Trailhead in the heart of Seabeck. This was a two mile out and back trail with about 350 ft elevation gain. At the end of this journey there is a beach littered with oyster shells with a view of the Olympics! The smoke was becoming worse and worse, so we only spent a few minutes here skipping oyster shells and then returned to their Airbnb.

Turie’s Seabeck Espresso, one of the establishments in the one block town of Seabeck.

An adorable Airbnb in Seabeck!

We highly recommend the nautical-themed Airbnd!

Look for this sign to hop on the Guillemot Cove Trail.

Guillemot Cove Trail: a 2 mile out and back trail to the beach with about 350 ft elevation gain.

View from the beach at the end of Gillemot Cove Trail!

Turie’s Seabeck Espresso, one of the establishments in the one block town of Seabeck.

An adorable Airbnb in Seabeck!

We highly recommend the nautical-themed Airbnd!

Look for this sign to hop on the Guillemot Cove Trail.

Guillemot Cove Trail: a 2 mile out and back trail to the beach with about 350 ft elevation gain.

View from the beach at the end of Gillemot Cove Trail!

As you can tell, we were kind of all over the place this weekend, so there was a bit of driving involved, but this is a great way to get a lot of variety within a long weekend for western Washington!

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Suzy Urick

    Thank you for being the perfect hosts and showing us a variety of Kitsap Penninsula sights!

    1. Megan McCarthy

      You’re welcome! We’re so glad you came out to visit us!!

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