Washington State

Oh, my, April, I hope I can help, but need some time to think. Port Townsend is quite dog-friendly, and offers lots of lodging options and some really good restaurants. We like the lodging at Fort Worden, a waterfront state park with nice walking trails in the forest. It might be possible to find one of their pet-friendly houses at midweek, depending on your dates. Weekends are tough there.

https://fortworden.org/book-your-stay/

I will be back with more thoughts.

We've enjoyed our travels to Washington (and Oregon). One of our favorite national parks is Olympic. We've been there several times. We were there last summer and it was a bit crowded but with some planning it works. It really does have everything. Rainforest, mountains, beaches, woods, lakes. You could look for a vacation rental in Port Townsend or Port Angeles.

You could also look for a vacation rental in the San Juan Islands. We really liked Whidbey Island. It's easily accessed by ferry.

We were just in Bend OR which we loved and is very dog friendly. We stayed at Wall Street Suites which welcomes dogs. It is a beautiful area with lots to do. (We have friends on the Best of Scotland tour now and several people had to drop out today mid-tour with COVID.)

Unfortunately Olympic National Park, like most national parks, is not very dog-friendly. But nearby areas like Port Townsend and Whidbey Island are.

I was just going to say that I don't travel with a dog so not sure about that but I'd certainly look at Port Townsend (or maybe Sequim) and Whidbey Island. I've also stayed in Gig Harbor and though it's small there was enough restaurants to try and it's a lovely area. We've also stayed at Port Orchard but again, don't know about how dog friendly it is. I'll say though, that many places in the PNW are dog friendly. We once stayed at La Connor when we went to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival one year and loved it, although it is tiny there were a couple of nice places to eat and there are other towns nearby you can check out the restaurants in. It was so quiet and peaceful there at night I don't think I've ever slept better. Again I don't know about dog friendly.

Last summer we canceled our trip to France due to the delta variant surge and instead split our vacation time between Seattle and Cannon Beach (we live in Portland too) Seattle is such a fun city - we visited the space needle, glass museum, museum of modern art, the aquarium, pike place market and even took a “haunted” walking tour around Pioneer Square. We had a great time! Of course Cannon Beach was delightful especially since we tend to avoid overnight trips to Oregon coast during the summer since the hotel prices are so high. But we “splurged” since we were mourning our cancelled France trip. And I’ll add we rescheduled France and leave in a week.

In no particular order: Whidbey, Vashon, Walla Walla. Walla Walla maybe very hot, though.

April, great idea to head north in July! We’ve been doing some road trips here in WA. We love Walla Walla, but as mentioned it can be very warm in July. We were there after Memorial Day and it was in the 70’s. We were in Port Townsend last year in July & it was lovely. Recommend Alchemy Bistro & Bar for dinner. We also head to La Conner once a year for a day trip. (We have lunch at Nell Thorne). Another idea is Anacortes. I can recommend Washington Park. Dog friendly! It’s a 220-acre park with a magnificent view! We are staying in Anacortes in July and then will drive over Deception Pass and end on Whidbey Island! All of these areas have excellent cuisine.
Edited to add Friends have stayed 2 nights at Katie’s Inn (La Connor) and loved it. The times we tried to book they were full. https://www.katysinn.com/ Not sure if they allow dogs? Website states “one pet friendly room.”

We were in Walla Walla last weekend and the weather was perfect, but we did hear it was expected to get warmer. We did an ebike ride to some wineries and had some yummy dinners and brought home a case of wine. We stayed at the Fat Duck and would recomend.

If you choose the San Juans, ferry reservations will be a necessity. And the ferries to Whidbey and Vashon may experience overloads and cancellations (staff shortages). One of the nice things about Whidbey is you can drive there via Anacortes. It does mean a long slog along I-5, but you will get there.

Regarding Walla Walla, if it is hot you can head up the forest service roads into the blue hills. Great hiking, dog friendly and lots of creeks to cross and wade in. You could also take the long way there through White Pass and Packwood and spend a night or two there. More great hiking and cooler, but restaurant options are limited.

Like things that fly that aren't birds? You might enjoy visiting the Museum of Flight in Seattle: https://www.museumofflight.org/

Like glass? You might enjoy the Museum of Glass with its Hot Shop in Tacoma: https://www.museumofglass.org/

Like cars? You might enjoy America's Car Museum, also in Tacoma: https://www.americascarmuseum.org/

Like rain forests? You might enjoy tromping around on the trails of the Hoh Rain Forest:
https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-the-hoh.htm

This is an extensive list of lodging on the Olympic Peninsula: https://forkswa.com/business-directory/lodging/

We have stayed at Kalaloch Lodge, Lake Quinault Lodge and Lake Crescent Lodge. We had dogs with us at the first 2, but it's been many years ago.

If you really want to be out there, Google Neah Bay and see what you can find.

This link to the Makah Tribe could get you started: https://makah.com/ Click on the small pictures for more info. The last one on the right has lodging, but not all have hot links embedded in the name of the place.

This Wikipedia article also is worthy of a read: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neah_Bay,_Washington

Here are two beachfront resorts near Olympic National Park that have dog-friendly rooms, right on the beach:

https://www.thekalalochlodge.com/stay/pet-friendly

https://quileuteoceanside.com/

Availability will be very limited, but it is worth a look.

Here is an option on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, near Sequim:

https://www.juandefuca.com/

They allow dogs up to 75 pounds in selected cottages. Note that dogs are not allowed on the famous Dungeness Spit due to all the waterfowl and other wildlife (we have seen seals there). Also, there is no town really close for shops and restaurants. But the views and sunsets are nice there.

Here is what is offered on Bringfido.com for Langley on Whidbey Island:

https://www.bringfido.com/lodging/rentals/city/langley-wa-us/

Langley is a nice small town, and nearby Double Bluff Beach is a favorite spot for dogs and their companions:

https://whidbeycamanoislands.com/activities/double-bluff-beach/

Ebey’s Landing is also a great place for leashed dogs:

https://www.nps.gov/ebla/planyourvisit/pets.htm

Some parts of Whidbey Island get a lot of jet noise from the naval air base there. I would not recommend staying in Oak Harbor.

Wow! Thank you so much for the thoughtful posts! I think that we are leaning towards Port Townsend. :-)

We stayed at the Manresa Castle Hotel in Port Townsend and it was pretty cool. That was 20 years ago and at that time the rooms were pretty dated and worn but looking at new photos they've obviously been quite updated since then. It's up on a hill overlooking the town and has great views, some rooms have water view. A short walk down into town. Also, the hotel is rumored to be haunted, Kate's room (306). We saw and heard nothing. :)

We have stayed at various B&B’s in Port Townsend over the years but enjoyed The Palace Hotel last year. We liked their top floor loft room with a kitchen. It also had a view of the water and was walking distance to shops & restaurants. They also allow dogs! https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwilycHRptn4AhV9GTQIHdqMDNAQFnoECAkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpalacehotelpt.com%2F&usg=AOvVaw2Fe3bhOY8dplCooqTINUC4

I like Port Townsend; I visit 2-3 times a year. But if you're going to want to do a lot of the tourist stuff in and around Seattle/Tacoma you're a long drive or ferry ride away from that, and the ferry is a pain in the summer. Someone also suggested Gig Harbor, which is really nice (had lunch there 2 days ago), but you have to pay toll every time you cross the bridge, and that's a pain.

I hesitate to put this out, but I'll recommend Steilaoom. You've never heard of it.

Steilacoom is the oldest town in Washington, on the water, great parks, historic houses, a ferry, and less than a 2 hour drive from every main touristy site in the State. It's also very quiet, no commercial traffic, and everyone seems to have a dog. Think Port Townsend but no tourists. Tacoma has some very good restaurants (Covid killed a few), and Olympia does too; WA is a foodie place. Steilacoom also has very good bakeries, coffee, etc. nearby and two Farmer's Markets (one in downtown, one at Ft Steilacoom Park) and live concerts in the park every Wednesday evening.

Steilacoom .... less than a 2 hour drive from every main touristy site in the State

To say that " every main touristy site in the State" is within 90 miles of Steilacoom will undoubtedly shock (or offend) a lot of places that consider themselves tourist destinations/attractions . Depending on traffic, making it from the Pike Place Market could be a challenge.

In my opinion, the highlights of any trip to WA would be the two national parks, Mt. Rainier and Olympic. Keep in mind that as with most national parks however, dogs aren't allowed on most trails.

I agree that summer is great time for Cannon Beach, Seaside, and the nearby Oregon coast.

You can actually get a little taste of Europe in WA by visiting Leavenworth (German), Lynden (Dutch), or Poulsbo (Scandinavian). Of these, Leavenworth is probably the most fun and is in a very scenic setting with great hiking and lakes nearby.

KGC, You made Stellacoom sound like a great place to visit. My husband and I will soon head to Washington, camping at Camp Murray, a short distance away. We'll plan a day trip to Stellacoom.

We normally have two dogs and travel all over around here. We just got back yesterday from Whidbey and our pup was with us. As mentioned, Ebey's Landing is a great easy hike with a dog and Double Bluff Beach, Meerkirk Gardens, Deception Pass State Park, etc. I can't think of anywhere on Whidbey that is not dog friendly.

We don't normally take her over to the Olympic Peninsula because the park does not allow dogs, so it gets pretty limited. There are some nice rustic cabins at Kalaloch that we have stayed at with our previous dog, and that was nice. The cabins have mini kitchens in them, which is good because there isn't good food to be found nearby.

The Leavenworth area is great too, and another area we take our dogs. We like to rent cabins in this area and usually go through NW Comfy Cabins. There is the downtown area of Leavenworth (very dog friendly) and then Blackbird Island which is a great place right in town along the river to let your dog swim or just cool off. Plus so much in the general area.

Sunriver down in Bend is fabulous in July with dogs. It can get hot, but it is a dry heat. I am a heat wimp and am fine there, FWIW. There are so many home rentals that we usually go there for a solid week, and we have been doing that for many years.

Also the OR coast. Cannon Beach or Manzanita are both extremely dog friendly. Finding a place for July might be tough at this point, but worth a look! Our favorite place to stay in CB is The Surfsand Resort, which is extremely dog friendly, and has been our go to place for many years. I used to go there as a kid even.

On the southern WA coast, Westport Marina Cottages are dog friendly and we have taken our dogs there a handful of times. I love that the cottages are walkable to a couple different beach areas, and it is a short drive to Grayland which is a wonderful wide open beach. Good restaurants are lacking here, but there are a few fish n chip type of places.

Carol, you may want to consider getting a cabin on Ft Lewis at American lake. it's nicer than Camp Murray. Steilacoom isn't much, you can walk the whole town in a couple hours. Ft Steilacoom Park, the Pierce College Campus, and the Historic Fort cover a plot of land approximately the same size as the old town.

You do know about the Pacific Beach Resort for military? It's also a great place to stay.

As for how much of WA can be seen within 2 hours drive, I can make Portland, Ocean Shores, Port Angeles, Marysville, Ellensburg, Mt Rainier, or Mt Saint Helens in that time (depending on traffic). Traffic is pretty thin these days. I drove into downtown Seattle (7th and Bell) in less than an hour at 10 am on a Saturday (yesterday). I'll argue that 90% of all tourists to this State will spend the majority of their time within that area.