Brennan, WA Road Trips

To the west from the Cascades to the coast are lowlands. The Skagit Valley is fertile farmland, overflowing with tulips in the spring. Anacortes is the gateway to the San Juan Islands. Further north, Bellingham is the last US city before the Canadian border.

North Cascade Loop, a scenic drive through pristine mountains, grand rivers, crystalline lakes and scenic islands. This includes stops in the Skagit Valley and along the North Cascades Highway.

Bay View State Park — on Padilla Bay, 7 miles west of Burlington and 14 miles east of Anacortes Birch Bay State Park — on the coast 20 miles north of Bellingham and 10 miles south of Blaine Larrabee State Park — six miles south of Bellingham on SR 11/Chuckanut Drive Rasar State Park — on the Skagit River, 14 miles east of Burlington Rockport State Park — in an old-growth forest 8 miles east of Concrete

Interstate 5 (I-5) runs north from Seattle to the Canadian border towards Vancouver, British Columbia. Bellingham International Airport (BLI IATA) is the only commercial airport in the region. These nearby airports can also be good options: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA IATA) is a way to the south of Seattle. It is the closest major airport within the U.S. BellAir Airporter (Bus stops at Seattle Tacoma International Airport, Washington State Convention Center, Convention Place (prior reservations only)), ☏ +1-866-235-5247. One route goes up to Stanwood, Burlington/Mt Vernon, Bellingham & Blaine, another route to the San Juan Islands ferry in Anacortes. Paine Field (PAE IATA), at the north end of the Seattle metro area in Everett, has a small passenger terminal for commercial traffic. Vancouver International Airport (YVR IATA), across the border in Canada, is sometimes convenient. For general aviation, there's Anacortes Airport (OTS IATA) and Lynden Municipal Airport. Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Amtrak Cascades runs a twice daily service between Seattle and Vancouver with stops in Everett, Mount Vernon, and Bellingham. Additional service to Seattle by Cantrail bus (see 'By bus' in the above), operating as the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach. Connections to additional Amtrak trains are in Seattle. (updated Mar 2022) To cross this international border, you need an international travel document: a passport, a NEXUS card, a US Passport Card, or certain "Enhanced ID" Drivers Licenses.

Many of the local public transit are limited to the main cities/towns in the counties they serve: Skagit Transit operates public transportation in and around Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley and Anacortes in Skagit County. Whatcom Transportation Authority operates local buses in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, and Lummi Nation Ferry in Whatcom County. Most notable routes for travelers are: There are a couple of lesser known ferries to nearby islands that are county operated: Guemes Island Ferry is the other ferry connecting Anacortes to Guemes Island from a different location than the San Juan Ferry. This ferry is operated by Skagit County and is capable of carrying vehicles and passengers. Lummi Island Ferry connects the Lummi Nations Peninsula (north of Bellingham Bay from Bellingham) to Lummi Island. This ferry is operated by Whatcom County Public Works Department and is also capable of carrying both vehicle and passengers.

On the North Cascades Highway, there is no gas between Marblemount and Mazama, about 70 mi (110 km). There is also no cell phone coverage from Ross Lake to Mazama. In the Cascade Mountains there can be significant snow accumulations during the late fall and winter months. This poses a danger for avalanches whenever these areas experience warm up periods, regardless of how brief they may be. If going into the mountains during winter and early spring months, refer to the Northwest Avalanche Center for current avalanche information.