Washington State (Page 3): Check out Tillicum Village. Great Salmon bake on Blake island ( birthplace of Chief Seattle) . Ferry leaves from Pier 54 on the Seattle waterfront. Seattle...

dragonlady9947

Check out Tillicum Village. Great Salmon bake on Blake island ( birthplace of Chief Seattle) . Ferry leaves from Pier 54 on the Seattle waterfront. Seattle traffic is a monster. I live an hour and a half away and it is never less than a 3 hour drive. Palouse Falls is beautiful but really far from Seattle. Try to go to
Snoqualmie Falls. You will need to buy a discover pass or a day pass. There is nice hiking there. It is about 27 miles out of Seattle.

dragonlady9947

Check out Tillicum Village. Great Salmon bake on Blake island ( birthplace of Chief Seattle) . Ferry leaves from Pier 54 on the Seattle waterfront. Seattle traffic is a monster. I live an hour and a half away and it is never less than a 3 hour drive. Palouse Falls is beautiful but really far from Seattle. Try to go to
Snoqualmie Falls. You will need to buy a discover pass or a day pass. There is nice hiking there. It is about 27 miles out of Seattle.

lsaguy Loc: Udall, KS, USA

Don't miss the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field and their restoration facility at Paine Field in Everett (especially the latter). Also, a tour of Boeing's Everett facility is a real eye opener when you see how the big jets are made.
If you can make a day trip going north from Everett go up to LaConnor, then on to Mt. Erie on Fidalgo Island, just south of Anacortes. There's a paved road to the top and an overlook that's breath taking. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mt. St. Helens.
If it's open that early take Hwy 20 over Washington pass to Winthrop, loop up the Methow Valley and south to Lake Chelan and Hwy 2 and stop in Leavenworth.
If all this doesn't keep your camera snapping, nothing will.
Good luck and have a great trip.

Jerry K Loc: oregon /michigan

Take the ferry over to Vancouver Island and visit Victoria and Butchart Gardens... it's beautiful.

le boecere

Jerry K wrote:

Take the ferry over to Vancouver Island and visit Victoria and Butchart Gardens... it's beautiful.

In mid-May?

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

scooter1 wrote:

Will it all be in the Seattle area? I live out of Vancouver, Wa. and Mt. St. Helens is a worthwhile trip. Probably 2-3 hours south of Seattle. If you stay in Seattle hop some ferries to the San Juans or other islands. Mt. Rainier is nice but maybe some closed roads due to snow. A day to Olympic natl park would also be an option. Beautiful. Have fun. Hope this helps.

I will second the Mt. St. Helens suggestion with one caution: The roads can be problematic. You should check the state's Dept of Transportation web site for closures due to mudslides, avalanches, etc. The North Cascades Scenic Loop is also a good suggestion. The same caveat applies for it. The 3 National Parks (Mt. Ranier, North Cascades, and Olympic) are all set up more for hiking than for auto so if that is your inclination you will have more than you can see in a month.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

le boecere wrote:

In mid-May?

We took the Victoria Clipper up to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April and had a great time. We were lucky. It was gray and cold, but didn't rain (much).

The thing is that planning is going to have to be flexible. If there is one sunny day, it will be beautiful. But pretty unlikely to see the sun with any great probability before July.

When we lived in Seattle, we spent most of our energy telling our friends and relatives from Texas to wait until July to come for a visit and the rest of it listening to them complain when they came in June anyway. And June is usually quite a bit better than May.

le boecere

TheShoe wrote:

I will second the Mt. St. Helens suggestion with one caution: The roads can be problematic. You should check the state's Dept of Transportation web site for closures due to mudslides, avalanches, etc. The North Cascades Scenic Loop is also a good suggestion. The same caveat applies for it. The 3 National Parks (Mt. Ranier, North Cascades, and Olympic) are all set up more for hiking than for auto so if that is your inclination you will have more than you can see in a month.

I agree with what you're telling the OP, here ~ yet, I still question how "scenic" the Cascade Mountain passes (or Mount Rainier) will be in mid-May. Many are surprised at how much snow falls on these mountains during the winter, and, how few wildflowers are in bloom in May.

rickster

The fish market downtown, and the ferries are fun.....you might see some orcas! Ferry out to San Juan Islands. Mt Rainier is picturesque. Olympic National Park has Trailridge Road that goes to the top of the mountain. Should be flowers in the meadows this year. While on the Olymic Peninsula, you can go to Lake Quinault, and the Olympic Rain forest. From there you can go the Pacific Ocean beaches, like Kalaloch. There is a lodge....and they measure the rain in feet! Dress in layers with a rain jacket over the top....just in case! Have fun!

le boecere

larryepage wrote:

We took the Victoria Clipper up to the Skagit Vall... (show quote)

Precisely my point, and I'm glad you posted this. You've stated it so well. It can surprise people to discover that driving through a Cascade mountain pass in Spring often offers a lovely view of a wall of snow and ice, on both sides of the road. Most Washington State calendar photos were taken in July-September ~ and that's when the states of Washington and Oregon are hard to beat, for (landscape) scenic photographers.

dandi Loc: near Seattle, WA

Linda From Maine wrote:

Palouse Falls is a four-hour drive southeast of Se... (show quote)

I think this advice is good. In mid May it's hard to plan, it could be nice or could be rainy and cold. Once you come to Seattle and know the forecast you will know what to do.
I suspect that it will be mostly street photography. Check the East side: places like Bellevue, Kirkland. There are lots of nice places around Lake Washington. In Seattle there is nice area by the Lake Union. They have SeaPlane flight for 20-30 minutes if I remember correctly.
Boeing offers public tours, I think one of the locations is in Mukilteo, about 25 miles north from Seattle. In Redmond (East side) you can visit Microsoft Visitor Center (if you are interested). You can easily get more information on that on line. Welcome to WA.

d2b2 Loc: Catonsville, Maryland, USA

There are some great parks from which to shoot. If you are looking for landscapes, there are a lot of hills to help you out.

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MtManMD Loc: Beaverton, Oregon

rickster wrote:

The fish market downtown, and the ferries are fun.... (show quote)

Hurricane Ridge road in Olympic NP. Trail Ridge road in Rocky Mountain NP.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Reading through the postings, I realized I wasn't thinking straight (happens a lot these days) about staying overnight near the volcano national parks in May. Too much snow!

Stay on the west side of the Cascades for your first, but hopefully not last, visit.

If you are considering a ferry ride to Canada, you will need your passport to return to the U.S.!

le boecere

dandi wrote:

I think this advice is good. In mid May it's hard ... (show quote)

Agree. And, for "street", Kirkland's little waterfront area is especially photogenic, as can be Everett Marina Village. I actually prefer Edmonds over Mukilteo, but Mukilteo's little restored lighthouse station is pleasant, if one happens to be in the area. And, don't forget Gig Harbor.

Edit: The East Side of Lake Washington is over 1/3rd foreign born, making the Kirkland waterfront a wonderful place, if you like seeing and meeting with people from many lands.