🗺️ Day Trips & Escapes — Seattle 2026
Have a free day between matches or before your cruise? Seattle is surrounded by stunning escapes — many reachable by ferry with no car needed.
Day Trips
Bainbridge Island, Mount Rainier, Olympic Peninsula and more.
A 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle drops you into one of the most charming small towns in the Pacific Northwest. No car needed — foot passengers hop on at Colman Dock (Pier 52), just steps from the waterfront. The ferry ride itself is half the experience, with sweeping views of the Seattle skyline and Olympic Mountains.
⭐ Featured Half-Day or Full Day
Board at Colman Dock (Pier 52), just steps from the waterfront. The crossing takes 35 minutes each way with views of the Seattle skyline and Olympic Mountains the whole time.
⛴️ Live ferry departures
Live Pier 52 → Bainbridge times update every minute on the transit page.
See live departures →
⚠️ Timed-entry tickets required — book online in advance. Fills up, especially on weekends.
A 150-acre woodland sanctuary of extraordinary beauty — Japanese garden, reflection pool, moss garden, bird sanctuary, and forest trails. One of the finest designed landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. Allow 2–3 hours. Closed Mondays.
🎟️ Book tickets → bloedelreserve.org
Real-fruit New Zealand–style ice cream — a Pacific Northwest rarity. Fruit is blended fresh into the ice cream right in front of you. Flavors rotate seasonally with local berries and fruit. A must-stop after the ferry or on your way back.
📸 @icecreamsocial2024Winslow Way is Bainbridge's charming main street — independent bookshops, art galleries, wine bars, and local restaurants, all within easy walking distance of the ferry terminal. Start here, grab coffee, and plan your day.
🗺️ Visit Bainbridge Island
A gentle, flat trail along Eagle Harbor with views of sailboats, herons, and the Seattle skyline across the water. Connects naturally to Winslow shops. Perfect for an easy morning walk before heading to Bloedel Reserve or lunch.
🌿 Bainbridge Island GuideFree contemporary art museum right at the ferry terminal showcasing Pacific Northwest artists. Rotating exhibitions. A great rainy-day stop — and on Bainbridge, that's never a bad contingency plan.
🖼️ biartmuseum.org
A Bainbridge community fixture since 1982. Medicinal herbs, professional supplements, healthy specialty grocery, essential oils, natural body care, locally made gifts, and kombucha on tap. The kind of small-island wellness shop that big-city grocers don't replicate — staff actually know their inventory and can point you toward what you're looking for. There's also a Wellness Studio with practitioners on-site.
🌿 willowtreebainbridge.com
Exactly what the name promises — a beautiful brick-fronted boutique with curated jewelry, gifts, crystals, and tarot. The kind of store that doesn't exist in cities anymore. If someone back home is getting a souvenir, this is the right stop.
Bainbridge is a fantastic cycling island. Bike Barn Rentals near the terminal offers e-bikes, hybrid, and road bikes. Ride to Bloedel Reserve (4 miles), Fort Ward State Park, or along scenic Pleasant Beach Drive with Puget Sound views.
🚲 Bike Barn Rentals
🏓 Did you know?
In the summer of 1965, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum were on Bainbridge Island with bored kids and nothing to do. They grabbed a badminton net, some ping pong paddles, and a Wiffle ball — and improvised a game. They lowered the net, simplified the rules, and kept tweaking it over the following weeks. They named it after Pritchard's dog, Pickles, who had a habit of chasing the ball into the bushes.
That improvised backyard game is now played by over 36 million Americans — the fastest-growing sport in the country. The sport has its own professional league, international tournaments, and dedicated courts in every US city. It all started on this island, on a summer afternoon, because some kids were bored.
The original court site is now marked. You can find the commemorative sign at the Bainbridge Island Metro Park — a small piece of American sports history most visitors walk right past.
From cascading waterfalls 30 minutes away to a 14,000-foot volcano and temperate rainforests — the Pacific Northwest surrounds Seattle with extraordinary day trips.
30 min drive · Half-day
270-foot waterfall in the Cascade foothills — one of Washington's most visited natural landmarks.
💡 Arrive before 9 AM — parking fills fast on summer weekends. Falls are most dramatic in spring snowmelt (April–May).
🌐 snoqualmiefalls.com →
2 hr drive · Full day
14,411-ft active volcano — wildflower meadows, glacier views, and trails at 5,400 ft. One of the most spectacular day trips in the US.
💡 America the Beautiful pass accepted. Road to Paradise usually opens late June. Bring layers — it can snow at Paradise any month of the year.
🌐 nps.gov/mora →
25 min ferry · Laid-back half-day
Quieter and more rural than Bainbridge. Artisan studios, farm stands, and a slow pace. No tourist chains — that's the point.
💡 Take bus 118 or 119 from downtown to Fauntleroy, then walk on the ferry. No car needed — Vashon is very bikeable and foot-passenger friendly.
⛴️ Ferry Schedule →
Ferry + drive · Full day
Temperate rainforest, rugged Pacific coastline, and glacier-capped peaks — one of the most diverse national parks in the US.
💡 Hoh Rain Forest and Hurricane Ridge are 2 hrs apart — pick one for a day trip, or stay overnight to do both. America the Beautiful pass accepted.
🌐 nps.gov/olym →Ready to plan the rest of your Seattle visit?
Information provided for guidance only. Verify official sources for ferry schedules, prices, and park access.