Ten-Day Tour of Seattle, Olympic Park, Yellowstone Park, and Portland
I've been longing to visit Yellowstone for a long time. Last time I traveled to the West Coast of the US, I didn't have enough time to go to Yellowstone. This time I focused on Yellowstone, and after experiencing it, I feel it was well worth the trip.
Day 1: 17:30 Delta DL282 (Pudong T1) — 14:05 arrive in Seattle (Tacoma). Take light rail to the downtown hotel Hilton Motif Seattle to drop off luggage. Visit Amazon The Spheres (advance reservation required), then stroll around Pike Place Market. Dinner at a restaurant under the Ferris wheel.
Day 2: Visit Kerry Park (Seattle panorama), then Space Needle, Seattle Public Central Library, the waterfront area (The Crab Pot for lunch), then Pike Place Market to see the flying fish show, the first Starbucks store, visit and check in at Museum of Pop Culture and Chihuly Garden and Glass (dinner nearby or at Emmett Watson's Bar), then return to Hotel Hilton Motif Seattle.
Day 3: 10:00 take light rail, then fly Alaska Airlines flight 12:26 (Tacoma Airport) — 15:09 Bozeman (Gallatin Airport). Rent a car, have lunch and shop, enter Yellowstone Park from the North Entrance (127 km). From the North Entrance, visit Mammoth Hot Springs. Stay at Super 8 Gardiner near the North Entrance.
Day 4: After breakfast, explore the left side of Yellowstone's figure-eight route in order: Norris, Midway Geyser Basin (Morning Glory Pool, Grand Prismatic Spring, etc.), West Thumb, Yellowstone Lake, Fishing Bridge, Old Faithful. Stay at Old Faithful Lodge.
Day 5: Canyon Village, Upper Falls, Tower Falls, Tower Roosevelt. Return car at Bozeman Airport. Take 17:58 flight, arrive in Portland at 18:49.
Day 6: Portland downtown, coastal tour: Cannon Beach, Tillamook factory.
Day 7: Outlets, Costco shopping.
Day 8: 8:30 AM rent a car and start Olympic Park tour. First arrive at Tree of Life — Ruby Beach — Hoh Rainforest — Forks town — stay at Olympic Inn & Suites Port Angeles.
Day 9: Visit Lake Crescent (have brunch), — Sol Duc Falls — Hurricane Ridge — (must return to city by 3 PM), then return to Seattle (stay at Red Roof Inn Seattle Airport near the airport, return the car).
Day 10: After breakfast, take shuttle bus (around 8:00 AM) to the airport. Take 11:15 Delta DL281 — (Tuesday 9/17) 15:15 (Pudong T1) arrive in Shanghai.
1. Amazon headquarters tour requires reservation and is available on the first Saturday of each month.
2. Kerry Park is a very small park; it is not the best choice for seeing the Seattle skyline.
3. To see the panoramic view of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone, you need to hike up the opposite mountain for half an hour, but it is well worth it.
4. The Fishing Bridge scenic area in Yellowstone is just average. Yellowstone Lake is beautiful; just visit one bay and that's enough.
5. In Olympic Park, I personally think the Hoh Rainforest is just average. If you go to Sol Duc Falls, you can skip it. Better to save time and visit several beaches on the west side.
