Seattle Vacation Ideas

Yes, it does, within the city limits, too!  It’s an extinct volcano called Mt. Tabor and is inside a park, named  aptly Mt. Tabor Park. This is one of about 50 extinct volcanoes in the greater Portland/southwest Washington Area. The hours are 5:00am-midnight and you can do any number of park activities here including picnic and hike.  The park is almost 200 acres. The trail is moderately steep, but if you walk all the way to the top, you’ve got stunning views of the surrounding area!

Other amenites include a basketball court – outdoor, disabled access picnic area, disabled access play area, disabled access restroom, dog off-leash area, horseshoe pit, paths paved and unpaved, oudoor stage, tennis courts, volleyball courts, and a wedding site. 

If you like the idea of going on some hikes this summer, but you’re not sure where to go or you don’t have any outdoor-enthusiast friends interested in going with you, a guided group hike may be the perfect way to get some exercise while seeing the Great Outdoors. Pick up any town’s catalogue from the Parks & Recreation Department, and you can find trips, but they’ll usually cost you money. If you’d like an inexpensive way to join a group hike, check out the Washington Trails Association.

The organization hosts several “Wildland Discovery Hikes” each year, where you’ll get a chance to “venture out to explore public lands issues right where they unfold.” And I imagine you’ll get a chance to see some trees and wildlife too. You can find beginner hikes (such as their introduction to backpacking one) and more advanced ventures.

Some of the hikes they’re featuring this summer include the Wenatchee Foothills, Navaho Pass, Anderson and Watson Lakes, and a family hike to Bridal Veil Falls. For more information, visit the Wildland Discovery Hikes page.

Lots of people head up to the Cascades for wildlife viewing and scenic hikes of varying degrees of difficulty, but maybe soaking in a tub of naturally heated spring water is more your style (of course, there’s no reason why you can’t combine both: hike then soak).

The Goldmyer Hot Springs flow from a cave in a cliff along a boisterous stream located at the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road, which is approximately 25 miles east of North Bend. The cave entrance is dammed to create a 110-degree pool and two lower rock pools of about 102 degrees.

The springs are on privately owned land, which is controlled by the nonprofit group Northwest Wilderness Programs. The fee to use the hot springs is $12 per day (children are free), and you can bring your tent to stay overnight on the property if you wish.

Since access is limited to 20 people per day, it’s best to call ahead for a reservation: (206) 789-5631.

http://www.goldmyer.org/

Anyone who has been in Portland has probably been asked if they’ve been to the Portland Saturday Market.  Half-street fair, half rummage sale and local artesian shops, it combines a whole bunch of vendors under the awning on the edge of China Town.. Take the MAX to get here from any of the 3 lines in Portland.  Wander around, eat falafel, buy some jewlery, a new lamp, or anything else that you might want.

The market runs Saturdays and Sundays, March-Christmas Eve.  Hours for Saturday are 10-5 and Sunday 11-4:30. The market is definitely crowded, but it’s a great excursion for anyone, be it families, singles, hikers, hipsters, hippies and more!

Link: http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/

How many floating cabins are you aware of that are only accessable by boat?  For years, I’ve wanted to go to Ross Lake and stay at thesefloating cabins.  You drive north from Seattle and then take Highway 20 east about 65 miles to Diablo Dam and then have to catch a boat that will ferry you about an hour up the lake to the resort.  Board the boat which departs at 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. daily, and takes you to the end of Diablo Lake.  There are four styles of cabins, and they are fully furninshed and have hot and cold water as well as electricity. This is a place to get away, no roads or stores are nearby so be sure you bring your own.  The resort is open from mid-June through October. 

Recreation includes fishing, boating, hiking, camping (although be sure you get a back country pass from the USFS).   You can rent fishing poles, kayaks, canoes, and small motor boats. On the weekends, you must rent a boat on the weekeends if you’re staying in a cabin.of Diablo Lake

Link:  Ross Lake Resort

You’ve probably ridden a train at least once in your life, but chances are you’ve never been on an old-fashioned steam-powered locomotive. If you’re thinking about heading up to Mt. Rainer for the weekend, you might enjoy stopping in the small town of Mineral on the way. That’s where you can catch a ride on the sort of trains that Pacific Northwest loggers once used to haul trees down to the sawmills.

“Experience the Golden Age of Steam as you chug across spectacular bridges, clickety-clack through lush tall forests. All trains are pulled by vintage steam locomotives. We offer a variety of open window and enclosed coaches for your enjoyment.”

Rides are starting up soon, and the schedule for 2007 is already online. There are two or three departures a day on weekends starting in April (in the summer, there are some trains leaving on weekdays too). You can call to reserve tickets ahead of time, and it looks like they’re in the process of setting up an online reservation system too.

As long as you’re in town to ride the rails, you can also take the “shop tour,” where you’ll be able to “visit our shops and view the locomotive maintenance and restoration facility. You’ll also visit the locomotive storage facilities, including the ‘Gear House’ which holds our collection of rare geared logging locomotives.”

Sounds like something interesting to do on a Saturday, don’t you think?

Mount Rainer Scenic Railroad

The Methow Valley is in North Central Washington, if you take Highway 20 over the Cascade Mountains, you’re in for a stunning drive.  If your purpose in checking out Windthrop (and it’s well-known Blues Festival), you might also consider poping your bike in the car. 

Last summer, a friend and I stopped in Windthrop en route to Spokane for the night.  With no forknoweldge of the area, we were able to take our bikes out for a nice, leisurely ride on paved roads with very little traffic on them.    If we’d been more prepared, we could have taken any number of the routes offered here by the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association.  Most of these range from 30 to  100+ mile rides (if you put several loops together) and range from easy, to much more difficult if you choose to climb Washington Pass.

Now that the weather is getting nice, it’s time to start thinking of some trips you can take that involve the great outdoors. I don’t know about you, but I always got a kick out of horseback riding. Whether you’re experienced or you’ve never been on a horse, it can be a fun way to see the wilderness.

There used to be lots of horses all around the Seattle area, but as the city has grown up (and out), it’s gotten harder to find a place to ride. If you’re willing to head over to eastern Washington, however, there are quite a few ranches and stables that offer trail rides and even overnight camping trips.

The Eagle Creek Ranch in Leavenworth (about 2 1/2 hours east of Seattle) has 4-mile and 6-mile trail rides where adults and children are welcome. The rides explore the “miles of trails climbing gently through sunlit evergreen forests to alpine meadows and spectacular views of the snow-capped peaks of the Cascades.” Prices start around $28.

And if sitting in the saddle doesn’t excite you (or your rear end, more likely), you can also sign up for a wagon ride (these are available for groups of 10 or more). In the winter, the outfit offers sleigh rides too.

So, if you’re heading over to Leavenworth, and you enjoy horses, check out a local ranch for some fun.

If you’re from Washington, you doubtlessly know that Walla Walla produces onions, lots and lots of sweet onions (and if you’re not from Washington and you’ve never chanced across a Walla Walla Sweet Onion, now you know something new). What you might not know is that in the last ten years or so Walla Walla has been earning recognition for something else it grows: wine (okay, it grows grapes, but those are made into wine, and that’s what’s getting the recognition).

Walla Walla might not be the first place that pops into your head as a vacation destination, but if you like bicycling and you enjoy wine, it may have something for you. If you can imagine yourself cruising past scenic vineyards full of grapes ripening under early summer sun, you can sign up for a bicycle tour through the town’s wine country.

Various outfits offer these tours, which typically include overnight accommodations, meals, and entrance into wine tasting events. If you’re looking to save money or can only get away for a couple days, you could check out the June 3-4 2007 (Sunday/Monday) bicycle tour put on by the Spokane Parks Department: “You will be amazed at the great wines, wonderful riding, and beautiful scenery of this area. Your lodging is in the historic and elegant Marcus Whitman Hotel located within walking distance of some outstanding northwest restaurants.”

The price is $199 and registration can be done online:

http://www.spokaneparks.org/

Remember, the nice thing about bicycle tours is that anything you eat (or “taste”) is burned off on the next day’s ride, so there’s no need for the usual vacation guilt about indulging yourself too much.

Seattle Vacation Ideas is run by two Washington natives who enjoy exploring without spending a fortune.