Western Washington Islands (from Issaquah)

Markus standing in front of a bridge at the Point Defiance Rose Garden

On this trip, we had some business in Seattle, but we also wanted to take the time to visit some of the surrounding areas of Seattle like the western parts of Washington State.

Where We Stayed in Issaquah

Location: Homewood Suites by Hilton Seattle-Issaquah
Pet Fee: $25/night up to 30 lbs (maximum $125 per stay)

Even though we had some business in Seattle, we wanted to stay outside of downtown Seattle. It's a combination of the cost and the fact that we like a quieter space for Markus. From the surrounding areas, like Issaquah in this case, it's not too difficult to get in and out of Seattle. So on this particular trip, we found a nice deal at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Seattle-Issaquah and we booked our first stay in Issaquah.

This was the first time we had ever stayed at one of these Homewood Suites and we had a great time. The fact that it was a suite meant that it was quieter for Markus. We've mentioned previously that Markus is a reactive dog who may start barking when he hears voices or loud footsteps by the door. The reason why suites are great is because there's a room within a room and keeping Markus in the inner room keeps things quiet for him. This gives us peace of mind knowing that Markus is resting easy throughout the day when we're out.

Staying in a suite tends to be more expensive, but I should mention that I have come across nice deals where suites are only slightly more expensive (like less than $10) than a regular room. It's definitely worth checking. I wrote an article with some of my top tips for taking road trips that you can find here.

My Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

It’s a lot easier to recommend a place when you’re staying in a suite. Since suites tend to have a room within a room, it’s a lot quieter and it’s an added layer between the dog and the door. If your dog is reactive to the noise at the door, we recommend checking the prices for the suite at the very least. You might find that it’s not that much more than the other rooms that are available at the hotel. We enjoyed our stay here and the price was competitive as well, so we would easily consider coming back.

Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park

On one of the mornings in Issaquah, we wanted to do a hike with Markus to tire him out for the day. Luckily, close to our hotel was the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park and there was a trailhead close by and we ended up doing the Big Tree Ridge Trail (short version). We got caught in a downpour in the middle of the hike, so the trail was near empty when we were there. Throughout the entire hike, we came across two other people and that was it.

I can't say for certain how busy it gets during the day if it wasn't on a Sunday morning and raining incredibly hard, but I felt that the trail was pretty good for reactive dogs. The trail itself was relatively easy, thought there are some steeper paths that'll get you breathing a little harder. Aside from being soaked first thing in the morning, it was exactly what we were looking for in a trail to tire Markus out for the day.

We did a full breakdown of the Big Tree Ridge Trail (short version) in Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park that you can read all about it here.

You can find the trailhead along Newport Way NW

The Western Washington Swing

For one of the days in Issaquah, we squeezed in an entire mini road trip around the western part of Washington. From Issaquah, we stopped at Point Defiance Park, Gig Harbor, quick lunch stop at Silverdale (at Skippers Seafood & Chowder), Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island before hopping on the ferry from Bainbridge Island back to downtown Seattle and then back to Issaquah.

I should warn you that this trip was incredibly ambitious and my wife and I can be very quick to leave a city once we've arrived. We actually covered even more ground than listed here, but these were the major ones that we enjoyed the most. If you're hoping to keep up with this itinerary, just keep that in mind. That said, the trip is a full round and it's really up to you where to stop or skip.

Point Defiance Park

Can you see Markus? He’s standing on a bridge at the Point Defiance Rose Garden

We arrived at Point Defiance Park really early in the morning, so it was still fairly empty when we got there. We took a quick walk around Point Defiance Rose Garden so that Markus could stretch his legs out first thing in the morning. We walked a little bit farther up to see the Point Defiance Pagoda by the Japanese Garden, which we thought was neat, especially because Markus' breed is part Japanese (except for the fact he came from Korea).

Markus posing in front of the Point Defiance Pagoda by the Japanese Garden

It was also around this time where we started hearing some extremely loud animal calls that startled us at first. I should mention that we didn't realize the zoo was right around the corner and the animals were probably just waking up and making their morning calls. I have yet to figure out what that noise was, but it was so loud and unique that in that moment, it felt so surreal like I was witnessing something special. I feel like it happens everyday, though.

Update: So I emailed the zoo and they suggested that we probably heard the Siamangs and White-Cheeked Gibbons whose singing in the morning can be miles away from the zoo!

From here, we drove along the 5 Mile Dr and stopped at Vashon Viewpoint and Dalco Passage Viewpoint. Along this drive, there was also a dog park, though, we had already seen a lot in the rest of the park, so we didn't make a stop there.

Gig Harbor

From Point Defiance Park, we went on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and up towards Gig Harbor, where we stopped in a few shops and stores. One of the stores was the Heritage Distilling Company flagship store where we picked up a Dual Barrel Bourbon Whiskey for a later time. We enjoyed our stay at Gig Harbor, but we didn't stay too long.

Poulsbo

In between Gig Harbor and Poulsbo, we stopped by Silverdale for a quick lunch stop (there's also a T.J. Maxx there, which I'm a sucker for). There are quite a few food choices in Silverdale and we chose to stop at Skippers Seafood & Chowder, which was pretty good!

If you've heard of Poulsbo, it could be because you've heard of their Front Street. Nicknamed Little Norway, the street is made up of buildings and decor along the streets that make you feel like you're walking through the streets of Norway (Ok - I haven't been to Norway, so that's an assumption). Certainly, though, as you're walking through the streets, it's easy to forget that you're still in Washington. We had a great time walking around Poulsbo with Markus and stopping to try some of their food.

Bainbridge Island

From Poulsbo, we hopped back into the car and worked our way around to Bainbridge Island, our last stop for the day. Bainbridge Island is a regular destination for people who want to do a short day trip from Seattle. It's one of the cities with a ferry terminal, so Bainbridge Island gets a lot of visitors from downtown Seattle who spend the day here. There's a main street that you can walk along with shops and stores, but we didn't spend too much time here since we had a ferry to catch!

WSDOT Ferries

Markus smiling on a bench on the WSDOT Ferry with the skyline of Seattle behind him

This was our first time taking the WSDOT Ferries and we had a blast. Coming from British Columbia, we're used to the BC Ferries that we have here and the rules are slightly different. For starters, we were allowed to bring Markus to the top level of the ferry, which isn't something we can do on the BC Ferries! We were allowed to cut our way up the stairs to the top and where Markus stood outside with his fur blowing in the wind. We enjoyed the ferry ride together and because we were going from Bainbridge Island back into downtown Seattle, we got to see the skyline of Seattle as well.

Upon landing in downtown Seattle, we made our way back to Issaquah where we were staying and we called it a day!

Why did we start in Issaquah?

Of course it’s entirely up to you where you choose to start and if you wanted to go at a lighter pace, it might make sense to spend the night on one of the islands. The reason why we chose to start in Issaquah was two-fold. First, we needed to be in Seattle the previous day for another event and didn’t want to relocate for the sake of one day. Second, when we were booking hotels, the cost of staying on one of the islands was considerably more expensive and with Markus, it really limited our options. For this reason, we decided to just stay put in Issaquah.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.