Vancouver and Seattle travel quick tips

6/21/2024

Vancouver:

1. Stanley Park, rent bike at English bay bike rental, finish seawall loop trail and seaside trail around false creek and UBC.

2. Wonder around waterfront.

3.  Drive at Sea to Sky highway, visit and hike Shannon Falls.

4. Grouse Mountain: No need to buy admission. Climb up and down or buy download ticket only. We used trails: grouse grind to up( lot of stair to go up, very challenging), BCMC trail to go down. My sons enjoyed zipline.

Seattle:

1. Downtown: we only took half day to walk around water front. Went to washington state ferry.  $9 to walk on at Pier 52 and ride the ferry to Bainbridge Island or Bremerton. 

Mountain rainier Paradise

1. Need reservation, worth visit, you can drive and visit a lot of places in Paradise area. Hike longmire area without snow. Only Paradise is open in June.

2. skyline trail: covered by snow. Rent snow pole at visitor center. I saw someone hurt and needing park ranger to take her down to ambulance. Vistor center food is very expensive, bring some food.

Olympic national Park

We only have time to visit Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent

1. Hurrican Ridge, parking lot had bathroom, some small hiking trails around. Drive another 1.5 mile to Hurrican Hill trailhead, 3.4mile round trip, need 2-3 hours for visit total, very beautiful, similar view in movie "sound of music": clouds, mountain, small, open areas with grass, trees, wild flowers, animals, marmots..

2. Bring your own food.