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Sarah VaughnExplorer

Here's to now

We hiked/snowshoed up to the High Hut for Thanksgiving with friends and it is such a nice warm cabin to seek shelter from the elements. We arrived in a mild snow storm and heated up with the propane fueled hut pretty quickly. Only had visibility of the base of Rainier the next morning, but had around 2ft of snow at the hut. The views on the trek back down were beautiful as well!

I love love loved this hike/overnight trip. It was an easy hike up, although raining and foggy for my first night, the next morning was crystal clear with the world below in the clouds. There are several established campsites around the vicinity. I stayed at Cathedral Camp, and there are 3 established campgrounds along the Railroad Grade trail as well. Forest Roads leading up were the smoothest I have seen in WA so far!

We just did this hike on a Sunday-Monday overnight, they have changed their policies for the backcountry campgrounds during peak summer season that you now must have a reservation completed online to camp. As for the hike, it was amazing. The final scramble to the top is as Matt said very steep, however we did find another way we could have taken that was not as exposed to drop offs and not as steep. Once you are at what seems to be the last stretch, part of the beaten trail goes right, and part goes straight/left. Following to the straight/left at this option is the safer choice. Also a couple snow packs to cross during the ascent to the ridge in mid August so best to just expect snow whenever doing this hike :)

Posted up about 3pm on a Thursday in July to make sure we secured a spot. There were still a handful of fire pits left at that time. Such a fun night, definitely a Seattle staple!

Did an overnight backpacking trip here on a Saturday night in the summer so needless to say it's not your typical tranquil experience being so close to Seattle. Felt like camping in a car campground once up to Lila Lake. One group had a blow up couch, and two other groups had fires despite them not being permitted in Alpine Lakes Wilderness at the moment, another group used a hefty bag as a bear bag and hung it next to someone else's campsite. If it weren't for these things it would be such a great destination and is absolutely beautiful. Probably better to be saved for the off season!

Did this hike on our way out to Leavenworth from Seattle, the drive to the trailhead may not be suitable for all cars as much of it is a gravel road wide enough for one car with some spots having significant road damage. Once at the trailhead it's a quick pop up to the lookout and a good chance you will have it to yourself as it is a fairly remote spot to access.

Explorer

05/16/16

Eagle Creek is a great place to hike even in rainy weather. The amount of views and waterfalls make 12 miles fly by, and with the elevation spread over those miles is a very easy hike. Make sure to pack some snacks to enjoy along the creekside!

Can make a quick little stop when driving on 99 towards Whistler. Easy parking and a very short trek to the viewpoint of the falls!

Sea to Sky Gondola/Viewpoint is something everyone should do at least once. To save money and make the view more worth it you can hike up and ride down as well as it's pretty pricey for a roundtrip. A really awesome campground nearby is Klahanie Campground in Squamish!

Old Man's Cave is definitely the most popular portion of Hocking Hills, especially due to the easy access. To avoid crowds make sure you head here early!

Explorer

03/31/16

Cedar Falls is a must stop when visiting Hocking Hills. With only a short hike down you can lounge and swim either by the falls, or a little down the creek.

Very close proximity to Palouse Falls State Park, so easy to tack on to a trip. Arrived around 7am and coyotes were howling near by which made gave the bus even creepier vibes. Very cool setting, worth the quick stop!

This was a very enjoyable hike that is not very far detour off of i-90, with often sunnier weather than Seattle. There were already signs of wildflowers springing up at the end of March, and as Randy mentioned it gives great views of the Yakima river and surrounding hills. It is a very steep hike so be sure to wear appropriate footwear so you are not sliding all the way down :) Highly recommended!

Palouse has a very unique landscape from the rest of WA echoing sights you would see in maybe Utah and Texas mixed together. We arrived fairly early around 8am on a Saturday and the park wasn’t too crowded. I love that marmots are everywhere in this park, very fun animals to watch! They are also trying to get an official trail system in place so it will be interesting to see how the park evolves.

Love this park. Don't be afraid to go in the rain! Rain often means much less crowds and more of the park to yourself! During the winter months they introduce "Canyon Lights" and the whole park is decorated with Christmas lights...so beautiful!

After stop by to either the Miir Flagship store or Stone Way Cafe for a beer after!

Lady Bird Lake is such a fun active locale in downtown Austin. We stopped and rented kayaks and a SUP one weekend before heading back to Houston, and we could not have spent a sunny afternoon in a better way. Afterwards go to P. Terry's Burger Stand on S Lamar right around the corner for some of the best burgers & milkshakes in TX...or to Shady Grove if you have more time to spare for delicious chips & queso!

Such a beautiful hike with the snow. As mentioned, it is a very popular hike being so close to Seattle, but even with a full parking lot we still had some moments to ourselves of the best views. We did the hike in only hiking boots, but having microspikes would have been very helpful since so many people have hiked it recently that the packed down snow had turned icy. Pay attention to trail conditions so you know if you will need snowshoes, microspikes, hiking boots etc!

Pace Bend gives you the beautiful opportunity to camp right on a cliffside to Lake Travis or some sites are even on the beach. If you're into mountain biking it has some of the best singletrack in TX apart from Palo Duro. For road bikers many like to ride the loop of the peninsula to take in all the views the park has to offer.

Cannon Beach is a very cute town, and the beach is amazing with the views of Haystack Rock..not to mention the Goonies nostalgia!

Went in the Winter, which was still fairly Fall like, but did not disappoint. Very quaint and peaceful spot to visit.

The Mangrove Tunnels are very scenic to paddle through, you can bring your own kayak, or reserve through rental companies who meet you at the launch. They also have SUP rentals to take through the tunnels as well. Once you are going through the tunnels look up at the trees overhead and you will see tiny little crabs called Mangrove Tree Crabs. They are fun to watch skitter around and don't pose a threat to you so no worries. Once you've gone through the maze of tunnels head out into the inter-coastal waterway and there's a very good chance manatees will make their way to the surface to greet you!

Explorer

10/09/15

Super short hike to this, which equals lots and lots of people visiting, but that's just because the views really are that good!

Explorer

10/09/15

This hike will definitely give you your workout for the day, but as mentioned before the views are worth it. May want to bring some extra layers if planning on eating a snack or staying up at the lake. We did it in early September and it was very cold up by the water compared to the rest of the hike.