Overview:
- Start/End: Seattle, WA
- Route: Seattle ➝ Olympic Peninsula ➝ Portland, OR ➝ Seattle
- Best Travel Season: May–October (when the trails are open and the sun shows up more often than not)
Sometimes the best road trip buddy is… you. This three-day Pacific Northwest loop offers the perfect balance of city culture and wild nature, weaving between Washington and Oregon with stops that range from modern art museums to misty forests, from killer cocktails to rocky coastlines.
Day 1: Seattle ➝ Olympic National Park (Approx. 2–3 hours to Port Angeles)
Morning
Kick things off with a proper solo-friendly breakfast at Tilikum Place Café in historic Belltown. Bite into brunch specialties like eggs benedict with roasted potatoes, baked eggs with braised romano beans, or a sweet crepe with warm tayberry syrup. The open kitchen adds to the vibe, and counter seating is perfect for a solo bite.
Before you leave town, make a quick cultural pit stop at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). Three floors of art cover everything from Native American masks to avant-garde installations. Solo museum trips are the best—you can linger for ages with a painting that grabs you, or breeze through entire galleries guilt-free.
Ready to get this road trip moving? First, you’re heading for the Bainbridge Island Ferry. Skip the bridge. The ferry crossing takes just 35 minutes and rewards you with front-row skyline views as Seattle recedes in the rearview. Grab a window seat and scan for orcas (a long shot, but still worth it).
Pro tip: locals stay in their cars. Tourists? Straight to the upper deck.
Afternoon
Once you’re on Bainbridge, connect to US-101 North and aim for Port Angeles. The road traces along the Hood Canal with teasing glimpses of the Olympic Mountains ahead. Stop at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles for maps and trail updates before heading up to Hurricane Ridge.
The name isn’t just for show—this 17-mile road climbs 5,000 feet from sea level, and when the skies are clear, you’ll spot Vancouver Island floating across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If conditions cooperate, squeeze in a quick hike to Marymere Falls on the way back down. It’s a mellow 1.8-mile round trip through mossy old-growth forest to a 90-foot waterfall. The late afternoon light filtering through the trees? Perfect for photos.
Evening
Next Door Gastropub in Port Angeles is the perfect spot to end the day. Pull up a barstool, chat with locals, and work your way through one of the best burgers on the Peninsula. Try the Mrs. Newton – we’re talking brie, house jam, stour mustard and arugula! Their rotating taps highlight small Washington breweries you won’t find back home.
Where to Stay:
- Olympic Lodge by Ayres blends rustic lodge charm with modern comfort, putting you close to both the mountains and the coast.
- Feeling extra coastal? Kalaloch Lodge is about an hour further west, perched right on the Pacific with bluff-side cabins. Falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves is highly recommended. Bonus: sunset from their deck is tough to beat.
Day 2: Olympic Peninsula ➝ Portland, OR (Approx. 4–5 hours)
Morning
Today’s drive could easily win awards for scenery. Start early to make the most of it. US-101 hugs the rugged coastline before steering inland toward the Hoh Rainforest. If you stayed at Kalaloch, you’re already in a prime position. If not, swing through Forks (yes, that Forks) to pick up the route. Edward Cullen, is that you?
Stepping into the Hoh feels like walking onto a movie set—12-14 feet of annual rainfall creates moss-draped trees straight out of a Tolkien fever dream. The Hall of Mosses Trail delivers maximum enchantment in under a mile. Watch for Roosevelt elk wandering through the ferns. Morning mist often lingers, cranking the mood up to 11.
Even if beaches aren’t your thing, don’t skip Ruby Beach. Sea stacks rise from the surf like sentinels, and piles of driftwood create natural obstacle courses. If you squint, you’ll spot the beach’s namesake reddish sand crystals. Time your visit with low tide for peek-a-boo tide pools full of purple urchins and orange starfish.
Afternoon
From Ruby Beach, Portland is technically just a four-hour drive. But where’s the fun in speeding through? This stretch of US-101 to I-5 rolls through sleepy logging towns worth a coffee break. Centralia’s Olympic Club Hotel makes for a quirky stop—its McMenamins pub lives inside a restored 1908 building.
Rolling into Portland mid-afternoon means you dodge the worst of traffic. Priorities: lunch. Lardo serves up outrageous sandwiches with a side of irreverence. Dig into the Bronx Bomber – shaved steak, salami, peppers and provolone with marinated peppers.
Afternoon options depend on your mood:
- Art lovers? The Portland Art Museum has an extensive collection of Native American art.
- Science geeks (or just the curious)? OMSI offers hands-on exhibits and a decommissioned submarine for exploration.
Evening
Eem is where Thai flavors crash into Texas BBQ with delicious, nationally celebrated results. Solo seats at the bar are primo for cocktail theater and people-watching. Order the Spicy Jungle Curry with Brisket. Trust us.
After dinner, stretch your legs on Mississippi Avenue—Portland’s sweet spot for live music and indie shops. Landmark Saloon hosts cozy shows, while Mississippi Studios brings bigger names to a still-intimate stage.
Where to Stay:
- Jupiter NEXT leans into the solo traveler vibe with a built-in music venue downstairs and blackout curtains upstairs for sleeping off the encore.
- Hotel Lucia downtown blends boutique charm with an impressive collection of David Hume Kennerly photography. The lobby bar is a fine spot for solo sipping.
Day 3: Portland ➝ Seattle (Approx. 3 hours)
Morning
Brace yourself: Pine State Biscuits may ruin all future biscuits for you. These things show up the size of softballs, stuffed with everything from fried chicken to mushroom gravy. The Reggie (fried chicken, bacon, cheese, gravy) tests the limits of gravity and good sense. Multiple locations = shorter waits. Alberta or Division Street are solid bets.
The I-5 drive back to Seattle clocks in at about three hours, but detouring through Tacoma is well worth your time. Once the scrappy sibling to Seattle, Tacoma has quietly built its own artsy, culture-forward identity.
The Museum of Glass is both a museum and an architectural marvel. Watch artists work molten magic in the cone-shaped hot shop, then wander across the Bridge of Glass, sparkling with Dale Chihuly installations (he’s a hometown hero).
If cars are your thing—or even if they’re not—LeMay, America’s Car Museum, makes a solid pit stop. The exhibits stretch from vintage Model Ts to cutting-edge supercars, tracing the arc of American design along the way.
Afternoon
Back in Seattle, aim for Kerry Park for the city’s most iconic view: the Space Needle backed by downtown with Mount Rainier in the distance.
If there’s time, wander the revamped Seattle Waterfront. New pedestrian paths link piers and parks, and there’s prime people-watching along the way: street musicians, fishmongers at Pike Place Market, and the overlook at Pier 62.
For one last museum fix, MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture) never disappoints. Housed in a building shaped like a melted guitar, it covers everything from Nirvana to sci-fi and indie games. The Sound Lab lets you rock out solo in soundproof rooms.
Evening
End where Seattle shines—seafood. Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar makes solo dining easy with counter seating and a front-row view of the shuckers. Each oyster’s origin beach is listed on the menu, and staff will happily walk you through the tasting notes. For the bold, order the geoduck (gooey-duck)—looks weird, tastes incredible.
