Seattle as a Base: 6 Days of Oddball Trips
Six days adds the one day trip with no second stop attached: Leavenworth, a 117 mile, 2.5 hour drive each way to a Bavarian village the town built on purpose in the 1960s. Drop back to the 5 day version if a 5-hour round trip for one village sounds like too much, or keep going with the 7 day version once the San Juan Islands enter the plan.
| Day | Focus | Distance / travel time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Land, settle in downtown or Belltown | In Seattle |
| 2 | Mount Rainier National Park | 107 miles, 2 to 2.5 hrs each way |
| 3 | Bainbridge Island, then Snoqualmie Falls | 35-min ferry, plus 30 miles/40 min |
| 4 | Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge | Ferry plus 2 to 3 hrs driving |
| 5 | Boeing Future of Flight, Everett | About 40 min each way |
| 6 | Leavenworth | 117 miles, 2.5 hrs each way |
Book these before you go
- Compare downtown and Belltown hotel rates , close to I-5 for an early start
- Reserve a guided Mount Rainier day trip if you would rather skip the parking gamble
- Book a guided Olympic day tour , which bundles the ferry, drive, and entrance fee
- Book a Leavenworth day tour if 5 hours of driving does not appeal by day 6
- Boeing factory tour tickets, since weekend slots sell out even with 7-day-a-week hours
Day 1: Land, settle in, sleep early
SEA sits about 14 miles south of downtown; the Link light rail 1 Line covers the distance in 38 to 40 minutes for a flat $3 fare, tap-to-pay with a contactless card, no ORCA card required. Check into a downtown or Belltown hotel, close to I-5 for the drives ahead.
Day 2: Mount Rainier National Park
Leave by 7am and take I-5 to WA-512 to WA-7 to WA-706, about 107 miles and 2 to 2.5 hours to the Nisqually entrance and Paradise. Rainier dropped its timed entry reservation for 2026, so the gate is first come, first served; the real constraint is the Paradise and Sunrise parking lots. Entry runs $30 per vehicle for 7 days, cashless only. Check current park conditions before you leave.
Day 3: Bainbridge Island, then Snoqualmie Falls
Catch an early ferry from the downtown waterfront to Bainbridge Island, 35 minutes each way, $11.35 westbound and free on the return leg. In the afternoon, drive 30 miles and 40 minutes east on I-90 to Snoqualmie Falls, a free 268-foot waterfall, and detour past Twede’s Cafe in North Bend, the actual diner used as the RR Diner in Twin Peaks.
Day 4: Olympic National Park and Hurricane Ridge
Take the ferry to Bainbridge or Edmonds to Kingston, then drive to Port Angeles and on to Hurricane Ridge, 2 to 3 hours of driving on top of the crossing. Entry costs $30 per vehicle for 7 days, with no international surcharge here. Booking the guided tour above bundles the ferry, the drive, and the entrance fee.
Day 5: Boeing Future of Flight, then a slow afternoon
Drive about 40 minutes north to Mukilteo and Everett for the Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center. The $14 gallery ticket covers the Sky Deck and the exhibit floor; add roughly $42 to $46 for the guided factory tour, 80 minutes above the active 777, 777X, and 767 assembly lines. Book ahead regardless of which ticket you pick; Boeing’s own site has the current schedule.
Day 6: Leavenworth
Drive east on US-2, about 117 miles and 2.5 hours, to a town that rebuilt itself as a Bavarian alpine village on purpose in the 1960s after a rerouted rail line collapsed its original timber economy. It is a real 5-hour round trip on driving alone, so this is the one day in the whole itinerary with no second stop attached. The Nutcracker Museum, an Oktoberfest calendar, and a genuinely popular Christmas market season are the payoff, alongside straightforward Bavarian-style food and beer gardens. Booking the tour above covers the driving if 5 hours behind the wheel does not appeal after 5 days of Seattle already. Leavenworth’s own visitor site has the current event calendar.
Do you need a rental car for this itinerary?
Yes, and by day 6 you will have put well over 400 miles on it. Only Bainbridge Island, a straight ferry ride, skips the need for a car entirely.
What if the weather does not cooperate?
Unlikely in July through September, Seattle’s driest and sunniest stretch, but Hurricane Ridge and Rainier’s upper trails can still hold snow patches into early summer. Leavenworth itself is a lowland town, so it is the one day trip in this set least affected by mountain weather either way.
Is there a 7th day worth adding?
Yes, if you can spare it. Day 7 in the longer version of this itinerary covers the San Juan Islands, best done deliberately as an overnight rather than squeezed in as a rushed eighth day trip; see the 7 day itinerary for how that day actually fits.
Fill the gas tank in North Bend on the way out to Leavenworth, not after: the stretch past Skykomish thins out fast once US-2 climbs into the Cascades.