Visit Sequim for the holiday season

Here is still some additional information on Hurricane Ridge Winter Season, which our Sequim visitors should know about. For the holidays, Hurricane Ridge will be open daily December 19 through January 4. Hurricane Ridge will also be open on January 19 for Martin Luther King Day and February 16 for Presidents Day. So plan your stay in Sequim for the holiday season ahead. There are plenty of things to do during the festive season. Get away from the big city and relax in Sequim town.

Here are Sequim Christmas traditions with holiday bazaars which we tried to arrange according to the dates they will happen:

Enjoy the 10th Annual Yoletide Bazaar Nov. 15th, 9a.m. - 3p.m. at Dungeness Valley Lutheran Church. Unique handmade gifts for the Season, Heavenly baked goods for the palate.

Annual Holiday Bazaar & Bake Sale Nov. 15th 9a.m. - 3p.m. at Sequim Elks Lodge

Raffle, Crafts, Bake Sale, Lunch

2nd Annual Holiday Nature Mart, Nov. 22, 10a.m. - 4p.m. at Dungeness River Audubon Center

Crafts for kids & adults, door prizes, bird carvings, music, refreshments and more.

Sequim Open Aire Market, Indoor Home Holiday, Nov. 29, 9a.m. -4 p.m. Boys and Girls Club

Great local vendors, Live music, good food, fresh produce.

Down Home Holiday Bazaar by Sequim High School, Nov. 29, 9a.m. - 3p.m. Sequim High School

Featuring handmade gifts and crafts.

Christmas Arts & Crafts Show, Dec. 6 & 7, 9a.m. - 5p.m., Vern Burton Community Center, P.A.

Over 50 Northwest artists and craft people offering: baskets, bath & body products, candles, Christmas, decorations, Jewelry, Pottery, Stained glass, table lines and more. Bake Sale!

30th Annual Handmade Christmas Fair, Dec. 6th, 9a.m. - 3p.m., Sequim Prairie Grange

How better can you enjoy the holiday season? Enjoy the great outdoors of Sequim wonderful surroundings, get a taste of Christmas and relax at SARC swimming pool, fitness, saunas and jacuzzi.

Here is just a short update on Sequim weather. The recent storm passed Sequim without getting hit by high winds. We had some rain but nothing compared to West Washington areas which were experiencing lots of flooding. Here are the uptodate numbers of Sequim precipitation of 2008.

Sequim residents and all those who consider moving here will love those rain numbers:
Port Angeles 16.81 inches YTD

Forks 76.98 inches

Seattle 25.11 inches

Port Townsend 11.40 inches

Sequim 8.32 inches!!!

Today Sequim enjoys blue skies and sunshine all over. Keoki is palying tennis on the courts at Sequim high school and I am off for a walk through wonderful Carrie Blake Park. Greetings from sunny Sequim.

Tags: Sequim, Sequim vacation, holidays in Sequim

Hurricane Ridge Road Reopened

This is great news for all our Sequim visitors who love outings to Hurricane Ridge at the Olympic National Park. Friday last week the completion of Hurricane Ridge - a $12 million road reconstruction project - was celebrated. To encourage visitors to visit Hurricane Ridge, no park entrance fee was charged. We never expected the project to be done so fast. Hurricane Road reconstruction was completed a year ahead of schedule. That's such good news for residents and visitors alike.


So let those visitors from Seattle and surrounding areas come for an extended weekend Sequim vacation. Trails and hikes at Hurricane Ridge offer magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and the open meadows of the ridge, before the winter snows cover it all. Hurricane Ridge is worthwhile a visit at all times of the year. Just get dressed warmly - even when Port Angeles and Sequim are bathed in sunshine - and bring a thermos with warm tea and some sandwiches. The snack bar will be also open for your convenience, if you are not into bringing your own snack.


Here is what you should know for visiting Hurricane Ridge during winter season. Winter season for the Ridge starts November 21. With exception of bad weather road closures, Hurricane Ridge Road will be open Fridays through Sundays from 9 a.am. to dusk through March 29.

Beginning December 13, the downhill ski tows will operate from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The ski and snowshoe rentals will be open as well. Tubing and sliding will be permitted at the Sunrise Family Snowplay area. There will be snowshoe walks offered at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The walks are 90 minutes round trip and cover a bit more than a mile.

This is very important to know: Winter season drivers to Hurricane Ridge are required to carry chains in their cars. For more information on Hurricane Ridge, visit their website
or phone the Park's hotline 360-565-3131. Sequim is worthwhile a visit during holiday season. We will tell you all about Christmas traditions and Sequim Holiday Bazaars in our next Sequim Vacation blog post.
p.s.
Don't miss our Lake Crescent photos taken by our guests from Texas during their 2008 fall vacation in Sequim.

Tags: Sequim, Sequim vacation, Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Best of Sequim