Welcome to my Resource Library
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It’s my passion to help you connect to soulful experiences in the Pacific Northwest.
Helpful travel tips, nature, and spirited experiences are always top of mind when I create content — rest assured they are recommendations from the heart.
I’m constantly adding to these resources, so check back often. If you need additional information or planning ideas, shoot me an email: matthew@kessiworld.com
Oregon Coast & Olympic Peninsula.
My lifetime traversing the Pacific Northwest coastline can help you save a lot of time planning. Follow one of my thoughtful itineraries.
Central and Eastern Oregon.
Coming soon! Many people don’t even realize the Willamette Valley is just 1/3 of the Beaver State. I’ll share knowledge from thousands of miles touring this exciting region.
Pacific Northwest Maps.
A map lover here, I’ve created so many specific groupings to help you find food, drink, water, and nature along the way.
Planning help — maps, lodging, transportation.
Thoughtful information on how to get around and favorite places to stay. Helpful knowledge about ferries, trains, planes, and some epic road trips.
Seattle & Portland — your travel hubs.
The biggest mistake people make when planning trips, anywhere really, is cramming too much into an itinerary. This is always true for the vast Olympic Peninsula, which is a huge space in an obscure part of the country.
While I feel strongly that a three-day trip is way too short, I know that time is often constrained for visitors. For this reason, I suggest one-way journies that link Seattle to Portland, or vice versa. This allows you to save time transiting between the two.
Don’t worry if you need to use one city or the other as a base, it’s a quick 3-hour drive between the two, and I’ve written a great article that provides ideas to make that trip enjoyable too.
Pacific Northwest itineraries — some clarifications.
- All the times reflected are purely estimates based on the normal flow of traffic, and only account for driving. Also, you’ll notice any day involving a Washington State Ferry looks longer in duration because of the waiting involved in jumping onto the ferry.
- Experience has taught me to go strong at the beginning of a road trip and have a slower pace near the end. Therefore, the distances are longer toward the beginning of each itinerary with “lazy” days near the end for sleeping in and going slow if need be.
- I only account for simple hikes in the timeline — Marymere Falls, Second Beach, Hoh Valley Rainforest loop, Lake Quinault old-growth short hike, and Hurricane Ridge short hikes. If you’re seeking longer, all-day treks consider adding additional days.
- Think about having a cooler for picnics. There are stunningly beautiful places to enjoy a meal with nature and good restaurants are not always plentiful, or open. Country Aire Market in Port Angeles is a great place to secure quality provisions as well as The Market Place in Aberdeen.
- I spent my childhood building sand castles in front of Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, so this iconic strand is a very special place for me. These days, it can be very busy (for Oregon standards) and expensive in the peak season. I recommend stopping to enjoy the natural beauty but staying overnight in Astoria. For more information on this fantastic historic city, check out two articles I’ve written, My favorite things to do in Astoria, and Weekend in Astoria.
- Speaking of maritime charm, Port Townsend, 2 hours from Seattle in Washington State, is another really fascinating nugget of history. I recommend visiting both Astoria and Port Townsend, but if you’re stretched for time choose one or the other for a similar experience. Use my article 23 interesting things to do in Port Townsend for more information. Also, you’ll be going through Astoria with any itinerary that travels the coast.
- Hurricane Ridge is a spectacular experience, both for the 17-mile meander around hair-pin turns to cling to sides of mountains, and the view at the top (under good weather conditions). The secret is out on this marvel, so it gets very busy all Summer and on weekends during shoulder season — to the point that the park closes entry. The off-season version really depends on the weather conditions. You’ll find this gem of Olympic National Park mentioned on each itinerary below, but if it doesn’t work out, consider Dungeness Spit, near Sequim.
Oregon Coast and Olympic Peninsula itineraries
These itineraries do not take into account spending any time in either Portland or Seattle. Look at the next section if you’d like a built-in itinerary to visit each.
Coastal three day
Coastal five day
Entire Oregon Coast
Coming soon! Until then, check out this article about my favorites on the Oregon Coast. Best beaches, special occasion hotels, and much more.
Cities + Oregon Coast and Olympic Peninsula itineraries
Many guests arrive and only have a limited time to see both cities and the coastline on a compact visit. The itineraries listed here allow for a day spent in both Portland and Seattle — both essential stops.
These itineraries are presented with the intent that another day is spent arriving and departing. So, for example, the 5-day versions would actually be a week total (1 day to arrive + 5 days visiting + 1 day to return home).
City + Coastal five day
City + Coastal seven day
Coastal Lodging Hints
I’ve written about my three favorite places in detail with the articles listed below. You’ll also notice these beloved locations made it into most of my itineraries. Rest assured, if these don’t work out, alternatives are usually readily available.
Lake Crescent Lodge (open mostly in the Summer months) is near many options in Port Angeles. I like the Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles Harbor because it’s right on the water and near the center of town. Lake Quinault isn’t really near anything else, but they usually have more rooms available. Tokeland Hotel is near Westport (check out LOGE there) but even if you don’t stay here I have to insist you drop in for the finest food on the Washington Coast!
Try the link below for a complete list of my favorite, and most unique places to stay throughout the Pacific Northwest.