Planning the Perfect Car-free Vacation

Posted by Eric Hess

06/17/2008 09:00 AM

If you could travel car-less, where would you go?

We here at Sightline are planning a little contest in celebration of Sightline’s 15th Anniversary in October, and we need your help! In the spirit of our work, we’re hoping to give away a fantastic and car-free vacation in the Pacific Northwest as the grand prize. Since Daily Score readers have been so enthusiastic about the subject in the past, we thought it might be useful – to us and you – to collect some ideas.

Ideally, we want to offer a three-day trip that might include gourmet meals at sustainable restaurants, local tours, or other exciting activities. Here are a few ideas:

Tale of Two Cities: A car-less vacation in Seattle and Vancouver, BC
Trip to Victoria and Vancouver
Train ride to and 3-night stay at Glacier Mountain Park Lodge in Montana

With those ideas in mind, I pose the question:

What is your perfect car-free vacation in the Pacific Northwest?

Think of it this way: If someone paid for you to take a 3-day trip anywhere in the Northwest, as long as you didn’t need a car to get there, where would you go? What’s your best of the Northwest?

PS: Oh, and if you have any tips on how to get any of this dream vacation donated, please share!

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Comments

Posted by Stacey W-H 06/17/2008 08:36 PM

Kids or no kids? I'll offer a kid-oriented idea for a day trip. My son's kindergarten class took the train from Olympia to Portland, hopped a short city bus to a Max station which took them to the front door of the Portland Zoo. We got to the zoo in time for lunch, spent four hours or so at the zoo, took the Max and bus back to the train station where we ate dinner at a nearby pizza place. We were back in Olympia by 7:00 pm. He had such great memories of that trip that later this summer when he turns 9 he wants to take a couple of friends on that same trip. If you are going carless, Portland is very easy.

Olympia is lovely and very walkable too. You can catch a bus from the train station -or the greyhound station is located right downtown. The waterfront, farmer’s market and capitol campus are all walking distance from downtown. There is also the DASH system which is a free 10-minute bus service that circulates through downtown. You can take a boat tour of south Puget Sound (electric boats!) or rent kayaks. There are several bed and breakfasts in walking distance of downtown, in addition to many hotels.

Posted by Nelda S 06/18/2008 12:20 PM

You don’t want to give away our car-free vacation. Too much work! We’re leaving tomorrow. Ride our bikes from our garage to Whidbey. Have rented house for th night. Then ride up Whidbey and take the ferry to Port Townsend. Stay at the Manresa Castle. Then ride to Bainbridge and stay at my parents, before riding home. Will be a big adventure for our family of four, particularly if it’s raining.

Posted by Sue S 06/18/2008 04:12 PM

Here's one from Seattle. We walked to the bus, bussed to the King St Sta, boarded the train, got out in Tacoma, and took the free streetcar (on a track) to the Glass Museum. We also toured the Historical Museum (both really great to view) had lunch, looked at the waterfront and the old train sta and the univ of WA down there, then back to Amtrak, up to Seattle, ate in a downtown restaurant near the Station and home by bus. It felt like a whole vacation in Europe but it was only one day!

Posted by Scott 06/19/2008 01:34 PM

My wife and I had a lovely, almost car-free vacation in the Pacific Northwest last year. We got a car ride to the Anacortes Ferry terminal, but after that we spent the next several days exploring Orcas Island and San Juan Island by tandem bicycle, ferry, foot, and kayak. There are plenty of great restaurants, local pottery and art galleries to explore, opportunities for hiking and kayaking, and lots of gorgeous scenery on an archipelago perfectly scaled for exploration by bicycle.

Posted by zack t 06/20/2008 03:16 PM

A car-free vacation that my son and wife took (and that I've always been envious that I missed) was a sailing trip to Port Townsend and Port Angeles. Once ashore, they walked and used folding bikes. Thanks to favorable winds, they only had to engage the motor for docking. They made a week of it, but a nearer port of call could be achieved in a 3-day weekend.

Posted by Michael Newton 06/20/2008 07:23 PM

The Gulf Islands (or San Juan Islands) seem to be popular, that was my thought as well. I've never got around to it, but always wanted to get a ferry pass and visit a bunch of the islands with a bike. There must be overnights on Saltspring and Whidbey!

Or, train ride from Vancouver to Coos Harbor Oregon (I'd say San Francisco, but we gotta keep it in the Northwest, right?) with plenty of stops along the way for bike-based sightseeing.

Posted by Ethen Perkins 06/20/2008 07:41 PM

Here's one from Eugene to Bellingham. I rode my bike to the Amtrak Station and then rode trains and busses to and from Bellingham, staying at a retreat center on Lake Whatcom. Lovely rides and soo relaxing getting to the conference.

Posted by Pam 06/22/2008 08:03 PM

My favorite car-free vacation would be to a car-free place. So while Portland and Vancouver are good car-free-travel options for this Seattleite, I'd much prefer the mountains.

So here's my (untested, and only partially researched) option. Take Greyhound or Amtrak to Wenatchee. Hop onto a bus to Chelan. Board the Lady of the Lake. To be truly car-free, head to camping and trailheads at Price Creek or Moore Point. Otherwise, disembark at Lucerne (with the option of heading further up into the mountains on a bus) or at Stehekin (where you can also stay put or take a shuttle further away from civilization). There's a handful of lodging opportunities, from tents to lodges and cabins, and plenty of trails to enjoy.

I think you could get in all the traveling and a bit of relaxation in 3 days, but I always like to spend more time being at my destination than traveling there. So here are my other options. They're part of my unofficial 50 miles and 50 dollars weekend cycling series of the summer.

Vashon: Bike (or bus) to Fauntleroy. Catch a ferry to Vashon. Ride to the lodging of your choice. There are several B on the island. But if you want to go cheap, stay at the AYH Hostel, where you can sleep in a teepee, covered wagon, typical dorm room, your own tent, or a private room. The bus doesn't stop at the hostel, but it's only a 1-2 mile walk off-route. The hostel has quite a bit of land and borders a land trust, so there's plenty of room to play and walk in the woods. Check out the farmers' market in town on Saturdays for some local eats. Bike (or bus) to the south end of the island, and you're a ferry-ride away from Point Defiance.

Seabeck (Hood Canal): If you're not a cyclist, kayaker, or sailer, or aren't willing to carry your own gear, I'm not sure this would work. We stayed overnight at Scenic Beach State Park. The hiker/biker sites are substandard and, according to a park volunteer, "mosquito-infested." I called ahead and the park guaranteed us a site at cyclist rates, on a weekend where all the reservable sites were taken. The area had too many urban noises for my likes, but as far as state parks go, it was quite pleasant. And wildlife sightings on the ride were high: 1 otter, 1 seal, a heron, a handful of eagles, a deer, and some (not quite wild) llamas.

Next up? Likely hotel (There goes the $50 budget!) or hostel at Port Townsend or hostel or friend's house on Marrowstone Island.

Posted by Lynda 06/24/2008 10:21 AM

Nothing beats Vancouver in the summer (when it isn't raining :) On the weekend we walked down from our townhouse to the old tram car, which runs about 5 minutes to Granville Island, then we took a shuttle ferry about 5 minutes to Science World, where we enjoyed the Dragonboat races and multicultural music festival. Then we walked back home, stopping at Mario's Gelati for a little ice cream. In the summertime there is always a festival somewhere and they are always accessible by walking, riding, or other mass transit options (that are more fun than a regular bus). And the added bonus? The kids love not having to get strapped in a car seat and held captive for hours.

Posted by Devin Quince 06/25/2008 06:40 AM

My family are looking at taking an Amtrak vacation with the bikes, but the biggest issue is having to box up your bikes for Amtrak. If they were more like Europe with ride on policies, I think more people would ride.

Posted by Parker Swanson 06/25/2008 08:19 AM

Here's a slightly different take: I won't be taking an out-of-town vacation this summer, but I'll attend a "techie" conference in Portland. I'll start before sunrise to ride my bike an hour to Amtrak (Albany, Oregon), take Cascades train to Portland, and ride about 12 miles to the conference, which is at a pretentious upscale motel. I called and was assured there's some secure place I can store my bike [I'm looking forward to seeing their faces when I roll up, though. :-)]. After the conference I have a half day in Portland to nosh with friends, then hop the train and reverse the trip, riding home after sunset. An experienced bike commuter, I have all the lights, gear etc. My idea of a fun conference!

Posted by richard 06/25/2008 02:18 PM

My plan is to take Tri met to union station ,then get an Amtrak bus to Seaside Hostel ...Maybe hike over Tillamook head to Cannon Beach & take the local bus back to the Hostel..Early bus back to beautiful Portland, Oregon

Posted by Matt the Engineer 06/25/2008 04:15 PM

I'm leaving for the Glacier park train trip this weekend.

The next trip I want to take is similar to Scott's: Take a Seattle seaplane (or for the public transportation route: Sounder to Everett then a bus to Anacortes, then a ferry) to the San Juan islands, and stay at a B Rent bikes to get out to hiking trails, and rent kayaks.

I would imagine Kenmore Air wouldn't mind the free press from this and may donate the trip. Of course that isn't as green as the public transportation route, but if the point is to demonstrate how nice car-freeness can be you can't beat the convenience and beauty of catching a flight right from Lake Union.

Posted by Matt the Engineer 06/25/2008 04:17 PM

(that's "stay at a B and B." the website doesn't seem to like the and symbol)

Posted by rebecca 06/25/2008 07:47 PM

My husband and I took a car free honeymoon. We took the train to Vancouver, BC, where we utilized their fabulous transit system and stayed in a B and B, then we caught the ferry to the San Juan's and hitch-hiked to Doe Bay Resort on Orcas. We took the Victoria Clipper back to Seattle and walked home.

It was a lot of fun and didn't require a lot of packing.

Posted by Skot Nelson 06/26/2008 01:28 PM

Rebecca, I'm not sure what city you visited but Vancouver's transit system is definitely not "fabulous."

Posted by Segue Fischlin III 06/26/2008 09:29 PM

My friend and I went bicycle camping. Wow was that fun. We loaded up my electric cargo trike with our cooler, our packs, sleeping bags, etc. I shepherded the trike while he pedaled alongside on a regular bicycle. We departed from our homes in Vancouver BC and biked over the Lion's Gate Bridge and west to the ferry terminal. We slept somewhere along the way and recharged the trike, making some new friends in the process. In the morning, we rode the ferry to Bowen Island and parked the trike at a "charging station," stashed the extras in the woods and hiked up into the mountains with our frame packs, camping out by a lake. It was really fun, being able to sleep in the woods and walk from the mountains and a freshwater lake down to the ocean in about 45minutes. And the Island had some sort of evening outdoor concert that night so everybody was out and walking about. I've never had a car camping trip that was even close to as fun as this and 36 hours felt like 3 days in terms of sheer adventure. And it didn't feel rushed at all. I think this could be applied by anybody with a cargo-carrying bike of any sort or trailer, ride to any ferry terminal, create your own adventure. Guaranteed to be stress-free and loads of fun. Having electric-assist helps with the hills and takes some of the worries out of carrying a few extra pounds of gear.

Posted by RJ 07/02/2008 11:59 PM

Wine taste in Walla Walla by bicycle.

If you're an experienced cyclist you can explore the many quiet country roads that the wheat-rich Walla Walla Valley has to offer. If you don't want to ride so many miles, stay in town and ride your bike along the Mill Creek bike path to the wineries out at the airport. And if you don't like wine, heck, there are other things to taste, too! Produce from small farms, beer from local breweries, sweets from the patisserie, cheese from the fromagerie..