We start in Seattle, WA

Our “Great Western Circle” Tour begins in Seattle for a lot of reasons. The main reason is that Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport is the undisputed hub of the Greater Pacific Northwest. Another reason is that we live in Washington so it is a natural starting point for us.

This is a driving tour

An additional reason to consider starting in Seattle if you don’t live on or near the “Great Western Circle” is that Seattle not only has a plethora of car rental agencies but there are also several motor home RV rental companies in the area. One thing is for sure, no matter where you start the “Great Western Circle” tour, you must drive this tour, there is no other form of transportation that can get to the places on this tour.

The Tour Begins

Our “Great Western Circle” tour begins here in Seattle. If you are coming from far away you will probably find yourself at SeaTac Airport. You will have to arrange for a car or an RV to travel in and then you will head south on Interstate-5 toward the State of Oregon. Travel day one on our “Great Western Circle” Tour is from Seattle to Grants Pass, Oregon.

This is a full days travel on Interstate-5.

Before you head south you may want to review the information below

Consider Washington State

Don’t just rush out of Washington State because you started here. Washington State is a unique state that has a lot of things to offer a tourist. The state has two separate and distinct weather zones, Eastern Washington which lies east of the Cascade Mountains offers warmer summer weather. That area of the state is mainly wheat farming and fruit orchards. It offers Grand Coulee Dam, Lake Chelan, and many resorts and tourist attractions along the Columbia River.

Western Washington’s Diverse Areas

Western Washington has four different types of tourist areas.

The Greater Puget Sound

The first type you will see on your approach to Sea-Tac Airport, it is Puget Sound. Puget Sound is a vast inland sea area connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the waterways around the north end of Vancouver Island in Canada. Vancouver Island is nearly 500 miles long and forms the northern barrier between the Pacific Ocean and Greater Puget Sound. The inland waters are over 600 miles north and south and around 100 miles east and west at the widest point. There are thousands of islands in the Greater Puget Sound. You could spend a year discovering everything for the tourist in the islands of Washington and British Columbia (in Canada).

Visit our Greater Puget Sound page.

The valleys and Puget Sound coastline of Western Washington

The second type of area in Western Washington is the inland valleys. Most of the cities in Western Washington are located in valleys and along the bays of Puget Sound, as Seattle is located on Elliot Bay. Historically the main industry of Western Washington has been logging, wood products, and farming. Dairy farming is still a major industry in Western Washington but other forms of industry like Boeing and other high-tech industries are growing in the state.

Interstate 5 runs right through the western plain of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State

The Mountains and National Parks of Western Washington

The third type of tourist area is the slopes of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains. If you enjoy hiking and camping you will not run out of new and different mountain experiences in Washington State. We have two huge National Parks in Washington State, Mount Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park. When you add in our many private parks and resorts, Washington State Parks, and National Forest Service Campgrounds you have a wide variety of resorts, lodging, camping, and hiking opportunities.

Highway-101 around the Olympic Peninsula is a good starting place

Washington’s Pacific Coast

The last type of tourist area is Washington’s Pacific Coast. There are a wide variety of tourist activities along the coast from week long hikes along the ocean beach in Olympic National Park to full service hotels in Ocean Shores. The opportunities don’t stop there, there are thousands of motels and resorts on Washington’s Pacific Coast. One of the greatest vacations is to watch a winter storm hit the ocean beaches from your room with a warm fire in the fireplace keeping you warm.

US-101 in Aberdeen, WA is a good starting place for visiting the Pacific Coast of Washington.

[Home]

© Copyright 2001 Northwestplaces.com all rights reserved

GWC-Sea.htm