Seattle/BC - Plan & Logistics

On the flight back from our 1st anniversary vacation we had a stopover in Seattle. During the takeoff we saw the below sight and we were completely overblown by the sheer beauty. 

Mt. Rainier (from flight)

Later we saw a little more of the Cascade range (it goes from WA all the way to Northern CA). The following image shows Mt. Rainier (left), Mt. Adams (right center) and Mt. St Helens (right below center). From that angle I couldnt capture Mt. Hood (in OR)

Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens (from flight)

This was sufficient to convince us to plan our 2nd anniversary vacation to Seattle. As the planning progressed, more places slowly got added to the list - Vancouver, Whistler & Victoria. With help from tripadvisor, wikitravel and tourism websites we planned the trip by ourselves. Since it was July, the flight and hotels are usually expensive due to July 4th and also the official start of summer, so we had to plan and book early. 

Visiting Canada doesn't require a visa if you are a US citizen/resident, but if you are on any other US visa then a Canadian visa is required. Check http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.asp for more information. Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and one of the capitals not reachable by road - you have to take the ferry to reach the Vancouver island.

Flight  : Southwest, SJC - SEA

Car     : Enterprise @ Airport

Hotel   : Holiday Inn & Quality Inn

Duration: 7 Days

Ferry   : BCFerry Tsawwassen-SwartzBay, WSDOT Ferry Sidney-Anacortes

It is highly recommended to make ferry reservations since summer and weekends are usually peak periods. If you plan to arrive 1-1.5 hours early at the ferry terminal then you dont need a reservation.

Apart from the usual things, the other most important things to pack: Hiking Shoes, Sunscreen, rain jackets/umbrella.

We tried to cover as many places as possible - Mt. Rainier, Seattle, Snoqualmie, Vancouver, Whistler, Victoria & Sidney.

Welcome and follow us on our tour of the Emerald city, the Terminal city and the Garden city.