Seattle Area

Seattle

Being a Seattle resident for the past 9 years and an outdoor enthusiast, I’ve been able to explore the mountains and wilderness in the surrounding area. First off, if you like the outdoors, the northwest has so much to offer!

Seattle itself is an incredible city with about everything to offer. I personally think it’s the prettiest major city in the US and summertime, it is like “whoa”. In summertime, whatever you want to do can be done. Want to go boating, consider it done, surfing, start waxing that board, skiing, take a trip up to a glacier, hiking, close your eyes and just point, biking, some of the best single track in the world, you name it. Also, if you’re not an outdoor person, the city itself has one of the best foodie and brewery scenes. Don’t forget about all the wineries too that are in the state. Fun fact, it's basically a desert east of the cascades, gets very hot and is about the same latitude of Bordeaux, France which is a perfect climate for wine. Washington state is the only state in the US that has all 6 biomes. desert, tundra, grassland, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, and tropical forest.

Stevens pass

A great area that takes you right into the middle of the cascades. At the actual pass you have the mountain resort Stevens Pass. The place offers a lot of challenging terrain and a fairly large mountain for the area. Usually it gets a ton of snow but you have to watch the temperature. It could drop 2 feet overnight and then halfway through the morning it turns to rain and turns that beautiful powder to that infamous northwest concrete. For snowmobiling and offroad vehicles, there are a ton of trails around Stevens Pass and down the road by lake Wenatchee.

There are hiking trails galore in the area and one of the starting points for the sought after enchantments hike. Good luck getting a camping pass for that incredible hike, you need to be on top of it. You also have Skykomish river running west that has excellent kayaking and to the east you have the Wenatchee river which takes you through the German Bavarian inspired town named Leavenworth. The Wenatchee river eventually leads to the Columbia River and the Skykomish to the Puget sound.

Snoqualmie pass

The fastest mountain pass you can get to from downtown Seattle (pending traffic). The major highway i-90 runs right through it. At the top highway you have a couple mountain resorts. One is Alpental, which is made for the more advanced skier and snowboarder. The other is The Summit at Snoqualmie which is more of a beginner mountain but also has night skiing!

The Pacific crest trail runs right across Snoqualmie pass and will connect you to Stevens pass. There are 3 major lakes in the area which are Lake Keechelus, Kachess, and Cle Elum. Those offer an excellent wide variety of recreation during all the seasons. Take your choice of towns and tubing all along I-90 through the Snoqualmie pass area. Go further east and you're at the Gorge Amphitheater and some amazing floating.

Mount Rainier/Crystal

The gem of Seattle, the thing that inspired this website, Mount Rainier. Every day I think to myself, is Mount Rainier out? Then I have to find a high point somewhere around my place and see. This site is dedicated to the people all over the country who are curious as to what the mountains around them are up to. have taken thousands of that mountain and none have ever truly captured the scale and beauty of it.

Now for information of that area, stunning views and forests all around that mountain. Crystal Mountain resort near Rainier is probably my favorite resort close to Seattle. Just watch out, like all great places, they get popular so definitely plan ahead if you are looking to venture during the winter time. Incredible rivers and wildlife you can see throughout that whole area. Climbing Mount Rainier is very doable with the right gear and knowledge. Definitely don't attempt with no mountaineering experience and a guide is always recommended. If you want a taste, definitely don't be afraid to hike to the base camp, camp Muir. And like always, check the weather.