Peter Greenberg: Ferrying From Washington State to British Columbia

By: Peter Greenberg | Source: AARP.org | 2009-07-22

Q: Hello Peter. We will be traveling to the beautiful state of Washington to visit Olympic National Park.  Our visits will include Lake Quinault, Kalaloch, and Lake Crescent.  We enjoy day hiking and would appreciate any suggestions.  Also, we would like to take a car ferry from Washington (Port Angeles or Seattle) to Victoria, British Columbia, and back, but we are not sure what our options are.  Can you help us out?

–Mike
Hypoluxo, Fla.

There are several options for getting your car to and from Victoria. For 50 years, the Black Ball Ferry Line has offered a year-round ferry service that runs from Port Angeles, Wash., to Victoria; It takes about 90 minutes. Reservations should be made in advance. The one-way fare is $50 for a vehicle plus one person, and $13.50 for each additional person.

Once you get to Victoria, you'll have the opportunity to get on a bus tour and go around the city or even to take a boat tour on the Victoria Harbour Ferries, which is a 50-minute tour that takes you around Victoria.

You can either return the same way you came, or drive up to Vancouver Island to Sidney, British Columbia, then take a car ferry from there to the Washington port of Anacortes. From Anacortes, you can take a scenic, 77-mile drive back to Seattle. The fare is $42.95 in off-season and $53.70 during peak season (typically spring through early fall). Reservations are recommended.

As for hiking, Lake Crescent, Wash., features five-day trails that include a half-mile hike beginning at the Lake Crescent Lodge. A two-mile trail can be caught from the shorter section of the Marymere Falls trail, near the Mount Storm King Ranger Station. Kalaloch features three coastal trails that are less than a mile long. Quinalt features five trails beginning at Quinalt River Ranger station and at the nearby campsite, Graves Creek.