Loop from Vancouver
 

I'm landing in Vancouver and have about two weeks to do a loop in the region. My present plan is to take a ferry to Victoria, spend a few days, then cross to Port Angeles and make my way to Seattle before returning. I'm wondering if the roads in that loop are relatively quiet.

The other option is to go up from Victoria along Vancouver Island and take the ferry to the Sunshine Coast and come back down to Vancouver that way.

Which option sounds like it would be more scenic and have the quietest/slowest traffic?

Also, is Seattle fun to explore on a bike? I love exploring cities on two wheels.

Probably our second option. Riding around the immediate Seattle area can be nerve racking. If you're interested in a very scenic, but longer loop through semi-wilderness country, riding up from Vancouver through Whistler Ski Village to Pemberton, and then following the paved Duffy lake Hwy. to Lillooet, down along the Fraser River through Lytton and back to Vancouver is absolutely fantastic.

If it were me, I'd go with your second option. But then, I prefer quiet roads, smaller towns, country, scenery, etc. :)

Thanks for the mountain route suggestions Big Lew. I'll take a look at that option too.

Would arriving and leaving from Seattle via the US gulf islands be nerve racking as well? How about the Olympic peninsula around Port Angeles and east of there, is that full of traffic?

Machka, would you say that the road north from Victoria to Courtenay is very scenic? I've driven it before and don't remember seeing much of the ocean or seeing much that memorable, but that was ages ago and maybe I just forgot. Is the road down from

No, if you take a ferry over to the Port Angeles side, the traffic isn't as much of a problem. There are some scenic sections throughout the peninsula and islands, depending on just what you're interested in. Just be forewarned though, if you're considering riding around the perimeter of the Washington peninsula, it is a true rain forest, and although as such it has a lot to see, coastal views and access is limited.

I am hoping to ride along the ocean as much as possible. Some mountain views would be nice too. The ride up to Hurricane ridge looks quite fabulous. When you talk about limited views, do you mean on the western side of the peninsula? How are the views on the east side, towards the US islands and Seattle? From the map, it looks like I can take a short ferry from one of these islands to Seattle. Would that be quiet enough?
to ride back to Vancouver, I was thinking I could get back on those islands and ride as far north as possible before rejoining the mainland and doing the last bit, which probably would not be that pleasant I assume.

San Juan islands?

On the map, riding via Fidalgo Island seems nice, but I just put the little google map guy down on the road and it looks very narrow, with cement blocks instead of a shoulder and lots of trucks...

Is there a pleasant way to ride from Port Angeles to Seattle? How about from Vancouver to Seattle? I don't mind detours.

If your loop begins and ends in Vancouver I would not include Seattle in your ride. Vancouver is an easier city to ride in. You could easily follow the ACA Pacific Coast route from Vancouver south. Check the online version at this site. http://tsteven4.qwestoffice.net

If you want to go to Seattle you can easily get to it from the ACA map.

If going to Victoria via the US you can either get there via the ferry at Anacortes or Port Angeles. I would do the latter. Once on the island there are several options for rides north of Victoria. If you have the time I would recommend going up to Comox and returning to Vancouver via the Sunshine Coast as per your option number 2.

Most of the riding can be done using reasonably quiet roads.