Travel
The Best Hotel Bars in Seattle
As travelers swarm the city for summer fun, locals can play tourist year-round
Stoneburner at Hotel Ballard With bar manager Erik Carlson steering a stellar cocktail menu and sommelier Dawn Smith carefully cultivating a wine list that includes dozens by the glass, this is a good place to drink. And the eating is fine, too. Guests are spoiled by chef Jason Stoneburner’s menu, which features local ingredients (some…
Updated! Epic Summer Meals Worth Traveling For
!–paging_filter–pSummer’s a time for soaking it all in, eating every single thing at its absolute peak freshness, staying out late to watch the sun set after nine, the air still warm, cold drink in hand. To help you max out your summer supper plans, I’ve rounded up four special dinners that caught my eye. They’re…
Best Hikes with Views
Sweeping coastal and mountain views offer big payoffs on these hikes and walks.
Mount ConstitutionOrcas Island Difficulty: Moderate to difficult; 6.7 miles round-trip, 1,490-foot elevation gain. Or easy; a scant eighth-mile from parking lot to tower Location: In the San Juan Islands, about three hours from Seattle, via Interstate 5 and the ferry from Anacortes. Nearest town: Eastsound, about 20 minutes from the top. Discover Pass required; parks.wa.gov …
Best Hikes into Old Growth Forest
Grove of the PatriarchsMount Rainier Difficulty: Easy; 1.5 miles round-trip, 50-foot elevation gain Location: About a two-hour drive from Seattle, on the southeast side of Mount Rainier National Park, via Enumclaw. Nearest town: Packwood, 14 miles. $15 park entrance fee; dogs prohibited; nps.gov If you like your trees old—really old—this easy one-and-a-half-mile lollipop loop is a…
Best Hikes to see Wildflowers
Two hikes boasting riotous wildflower displays and gorgeous mountain views.
Sourdough Ridge TrailSunrise, Mount Rainier Difficulty: Easy; 2.5 miles, 400-foot elevation gain Location: Two hours from Seattle in the northeast corner of Mount Rainier National Park. Nearest town: Enumclaw, 60 minutes. $15 park entrance fee; dogs prohibited; nps.gov For subalpine meadows bursting with extravagant color, head to Sunrise, the highest spot you can drive to on…
Best Hikes for Wildlife Spotting
Hike these trails to find owls and marmots and nearly 200 species of birds—oh my!
Golden Gate TrailParadise, Mount Rainier Difficulty: Moderate; 3 miles, approx. 1,000-foot elevation gain Location: About two and a half hours southeast of Seattle at Paradise on Mount Rainier. Nearest town: Ashford, 23 miles. $15 park entry fee; dogs prohibited; nps.gov In late summer, this trail cuts through a meadow so awash with vivid wildflower color, it…
Lighthouse Keeper: The New Dream Job
The email got me dreaming: Seattle mag writer Joe Follansbee sent word that his new book, the Fyddeye Guide to America’s Lighthouses, is now available. Joe, a consummate storyteller and maritime expert, has a boundless enthusiasm for these beautiful and historic beacons, as do I, after a weird and wonderful week I spent living in…
RedTri: Enjoy Fall Colors in Seattle Parks
While ours is a more muted display compared to New England, there’s plenty for the whole family to see here in the Northwest, including brilliant colors not only found on deciduous trees and shrubs but also grasses, meadows, berries and even still-in-bloom dahlias. You don’t have to venture far, as our local parks have lots…
Two Reasons to Go to Puyallup
Fun ideas for taking a road trip down south.
WHERE: Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington. WHY: For the 31st annual Northwest Wood Carvers Association show and sale (11/12–11/13; $7, kids younger than 12 free), where carvers display some 300 original woodcarvings, many in the Northwest Native American tradition. Visitors can take part in woodcarving demos, and, of course, in buying original works of…
Climb a Mountain Without Breaking a Sweat
Take the new gondola at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.
Ski bunnies and snowboarders, prepare to be totally stoked: This month marks the opening of Crystal Mountain Ski Resort, where the new Mt. Rainier gondola awaits. Built at a cost of $8 million and open since January, it’s the first such high-wire act at any ski resort in Washington—and by all accounts, it provides unbelievably…