French
DeutschSequim is a small city on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The rain shadow created by the Olympic Mountains makes Sequim is the sunniest place in Western Washington, receiving much less rain than even nearby Port Angeles. This unique climate makes it an exceptional place to grow lavender, surpassed only by Provence in France. You may want to bring a bucket to pick lavender, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Sequim is also famous for the flavorful native Dungeness crab.
The city's name is pronounced SKWIM, as one syllable.
Get in
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By car
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U.S. Highway 101 (US-101) is the main route into Sequim. Sequim is 17 miles (27 km) east of Port Angeles and 104 miles (167 km) north of Olympia.
From Port Townsend, take WA-20 west for 13 miles (21 km), and then US-101 west for 18 miles (29 km).
By bus
[edit | edit source]- Clallam Transit, ☏ +1 360-452-4511, toll-free: +1 800-858-3747. Operates public transit bus services in Clallam County. $1.
- From Port Angeles, take Route 30 or 123 from Gateway Transit Center.
- From the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal, Clallam Transit also offers Route 123, The Strait Shot, an express bus which is timed to connect with the ferry from Seattle. It runs twice a day Monday through Saturday, once on Sundays and holidays. Including the ferry ride, the total time from Seattle is 2 hours and 10 minutes.
- Jefferson Transit Rt 8, ☏ +1 360-385-4777, toll-free: +1 800-371-0497, custserv@jeffersontransit.com. Provides the #8 bus to Sequim, from Haines Place Park and Ride in Port Townsend. $1.50.
- Dungeness Line (Greyhound Connector), (bus stop) JCPenney's at 651 W Washigton St, ☏ +1 360-417-0700. Provides service to Sequim from Seatac Airport, Seattle, Port Townsend, and Port Angeles. $10-42.
- Rocket Transportation, ☏ +1 360-683-8087, toll-free: +1 877-697-6258. Offers shuttles, by reservation only, from Tacoma, Seatac, and Seattle. $74.60 one way, $126.80 round trip; companions $52.20 one way, $88.80 round trip; children ages 2-14 37.30 one way, $63.40 round trip.
By bicycle
[edit | edit source]- Olympic Discovery Trail. A bicycle trail running all the way from Port Townsend, on Puget Sound to the east, to La Push, on the Pacific Ocean to the west. The portion from Port Townsend to Port Angeles is paved.
By air
[edit | edit source]- 1 Sequim Valley Airport, 468 Dorothy Hunt Ln, ☏ +1 360-683-4444, sequimairport@gmail.com. General aviation airport.
- The nearest airport with commercial service is Paine Field in Everett. The nearest major airport is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
By boat
[edit | edit source]- 2 John Wayne Marina, 2577 W Sequim Bay Rd (west side of Sequim Bay), ☏ +1 360-417-3440, jwm@portofpa.com.
Get around
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Sequim is rather sprawling, and a car is the best way to get around. Although the core town is so small that you could walk the length of town in under an hour, many of the highlights - such as the lavender farms - lie on the outskirts. So if you're without a car, you should at least bring - or rent - a bicycle.
Washington St, running east-west, is the main commercial street. There is a small, somewhat walkable downtown, centered around the intersection of Washington St and Sequim Ave.
By bicycle
[edit | edit source]- 3 Ben's Bikes, 1251 W Washington St (at River Rd), ☏ +1 360-683-2666. Local bicycle shop which offers rentals.
- 4 Pedego Electric Bikes, 213 E Washington St Ste 3 (at Sunnyside Ave), ☏ +1 360-683-0635, info@pedegosequim.com. Local outpost of an electric bicycle chain which offers rentals.
By bus
[edit | edit source]- 5 Sequim Transit Center, 190 W Cedar St (at 2nd Ave). All buses stop here.
- Route 30 goes west from Sequim Transit Center, along Washington St, continuing south on River Rd, and then on to US-101 and eventually to Port Angeles. Runs every 45 minutes between 6:10AM and 9:36PM on weekdays, and hourly on Saturdays between 8:15AM and 7:55PM.
- Clallam Transit Interlink. On-demand transportation that allows customers to book a shared trip. This replaces route 40.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 Olympic Game Farm, 1423 Ward Rd, ☏ +1 360-683-4295, toll-free: +1-800-778-4295. Features 200 animals including the African lion, American bison, American black bear, bobcat, llama, peacock, sika deer, and zebra. Visitors drive through the game farm to see the animals.
Do
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- 1 Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, 554 Voice of America Rd, ☏ +1 360-457-8451. 7AM to one half hour before sunset. The highlight of the refuge is the Dungeness Spit, a narrow strip of land extending 5 miles (8.0 km) out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The long beach is a popular spot for beachcombing and wildlife viewing, and the bay is good for fishing, sea kayaking, windsurfing and powered paragliding. $3 per family, children under 16 free.
- 2 New Dungeness Lighthouse, ☏ +1 360-683-6638, scheduling@newdungenesslighthouse.com. 9AM-5PM. Lighthouse on the end of Dungeness Spit. Access is by a 5 mi (8.0 km) beach walk or a paddle across the bay. Free.
- 3 Graysmarsh Farm, 6187 Woodcock Rd. U-Pick berry farm open during the Summer
- 4 7 Cedars Casino, 270756 Hwy 101.
- 5 Buckhorn Wilderness, ☏ +1 360-956-2401. This wilderness area abuts the eastern boundary of Olympic National Park. More than 54 mi (87 km) of trails provide access for backpacking, horseback riding, mountain climbing, hunting, hiking, camping, wildlife watching and fishing.
Lavender
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Sequim calls itself the "Lavender Capital of North America". Sequim enjoys long, warm summers and well-drained glacial soils that allow these ornamental and culinary flowers to thrive. The flowers bloom throughout July and early August, washing the checkerboard of small farms between Sequim and Port Angeles with waves of soft purple. Throughout the summer, most of these farms welcome visitors to tour their operations and buy all the boutique goods that they figured out how to color, scent and flavor with lavender.
- Sequim Lavender Festival (Carrie Blake Park), ☏ +1 360-681-3035. mid-July. Annual festival celebrating Sequim's best-known product, with over 200 vendors.
- Tour de Lavender, ☏ +1 971-704-1156, info@tourdelavender.com. first Sat in August. Annual group bicycle ride to visit the iconic lavender farms of the Sequim Dungeness Valley. adults $70, youth 12 and under $15, after-ride dinner $35, tent site reservation $20.
- Sequim Lavender Trail (Sequim Lavender Experience). A collective of lavender farms and gift shops publishes an agritourism driving/cycling map for the summertime lavender growing season.
- 6 Jardin Du Soleil Lavender Farm, 3932 Sequim Dungeness Way, ☏ +1 360-582-1185.
- 7 Purple Haze Organic Lavender Farm, 180 Bell Bottom Rd, ☏ +1 360-809-9615. Wander the fields at this certified organic lavender farm and browse its gift shop, which offers a variety of lavender products made from lavender oil distilled on-site.
Events
[edit | edit source]- Annual Irrigation Festival, ☏ +1 360-775-5814, info@irrigationfestival.com. Early May. Washington's oldest festival, celebrating the irrigation of Sequim using the waters of the Dungeness River, back in 1895. It consists of a parade through town, and various events near downtown.
Buy
[edit | edit source]There are many small quaint shops in downtown Sequim.
- Jamestown S'Klallam Indian Art Gallery (at Sequim Bay). Offers art & souvenirs.
- 1 Sequim Farmers and Artisans Market, 152 W Cedar (at Sequim Ave), ☏ +1 360-582-6218, manager@sequimmarket.com. May-Oct Sat 9AM-2PM.
Eat
[edit | edit source]- 1 Oak Table Cafe, 292 W Bell St (at 3rd Ave), ☏ +1 360-683-2179, info@oaktablecafe.com. 7AM-3PM. Breakfast ranges from the basic - eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, omelettes - to the fancy - eggs nicole, eggs benedict, Kijafa cherry crepes. Salads, sandwiches, burgers - plus quiche du jour, made with seasonal ingredients - are available for lunch. $9-17.
- 2 David Family Taqueria, 300 E Washington St (between Sunnyside Ave and Govan Ave), ☏ +1 360-681-5124. 11AM-8PM. Tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas, burritos, nachos, carne asada. $3-16.
Drink
[edit | edit source]- 1 Wind Rose Cellars, 143 W Washington St (between Sequim Ave and 2nd Ave), ☏ +1 360-681-0690. Tasting room of local winery, with food and live music.
- 2 Hurricane Coffee Co, 104 W Washington St (at Sequim Ave), ☏ +1 360-681-6008. Mon-Sat 7AM-5PM, Sun 8AM-4PM. $2-5.
Sleep
[edit | edit source]Many locally owned motels are available in the area as well a few large chains.
- The Farmhouse Vacation Rental at Purple Haze Lavender Farm, 180 Bell Bottom Rd (From US-101, take exit to John Wayne Marina (White Feather Way) and turn left on W Sequim Bay Rd), ☏ +1 360-809-9615, toll-free: +1-888-852-6560. Enjoy agritourism, where you stay in a beautiful rural setting, and can watch firsthand the operations of a working Lavender Farm. The Farm House can comfortably accommodate 8 guests. $275 for 6 guests.
- 1 Sundowner Motel, 364 W Washington St (between 3rd Ave and 4th Ave), ☏ +1 360-683-5532. Clean, no frills motel. $53.
- 2 Great House Motel, 740 E Washington St (at Brown Rd), ☏ +1 360-504-2629. Rustic, but clean motel. $50.
- 3 Olympic Railway Inn, 24 Old Coyote Way (at Sequim Bay Rd), ☏ +1 206-880-1917. Bed and breakfast where each "room" is in a caboose, each with its own theme, on its own track, all of them situated around a duck pond. The interiors are quaint, even kitschy, but with all the amenities you would expect in a modern hotel.
Go next
[edit | edit source]Take the Olympic Loop for a scenic drive back around the peninsula:
- Port Angeles — the largest city in the Olympic Peninsula
- Olympic National Park — wild beaches and some of the lushest temperate rain forests in the contiguous U.S.
Explore the islands and waterways of the Salish Sea:
| Routes through Sequim |
| Port Angeles ← Carlsborg ← | W  S | → Jct  E → Jct  E → Hoodsport → Olympia |