Savvy Exploring

I am not a Pacific Northwest or Washington native, but I moved here for the mountains and have done a fair bit of exploring with well over 100 hikes ranging form easy to a couple of Washington’s volcanoes. These are my picks for the best!

This backpacking adventure had phenomenal mountain views and stunning lakes, laced with delicious berries. At night we had the beautiful milky way shining brightly overhead, along with some other strange lights. We found solitude on High Pass and friendly comradery everywhere else. The fall colors were particularly spectacular. If you have been wanting to try backpacking, but are scared of sleeping outside with the animals, I think the number of people here should alleviate your worries some and this is a nice easy place to give it a try.

The Enchantments is a wildly popular hiking area and camping permits are difficult to get for most zones. The Eightmile Caroline Zone seems to be a bit of the ugly duckling. As the least loved area it is the easiest to get permits for and the best if you are looking to avoid the crowds. Just because it is the least loved doesn’t mean it isn’t stunning. The Eightmile Caroline Zone offers views of a glacier, jagged mountain peaks, clear alpine lakes, vibrant meadows, and a couple optional mountain scrambles if you wish to challenge yourself.

This one day itinerary has a great mix of activities and sights. The Icefield Parkway has infinite options and enough variety to suit most nature lovers. From hardcore climbing and mountaineering to stunning roadside lookouts and gentle turquoise lake paddling, it has it all! Everything on this itinerary is also dog friendly too!

This was my first-ever true backpacking trip and it was fantastic! Lake Chelan is a narrow strip of icey blue water surrounded by snow-cover peaks and it reminded me of a fjord. This is not a beginner hike, but the campsites have a lot of amenities that make backpacking easier and allow for a lighter pack. Trailhead access is by boat only, and a reservation is needed, so a little planning is required.

With our Grand Canyon trip I did a decent amount of reading but also had the impression that I have been to enough of this part of the country and enough National Parks that I knew what I was doing. I was wrong! Here is my list of lessons learned and things you should know if you are planning a trip, with a bit of our adventure mixed in.

Of the couple hundred miles we hiked in 2020 only 10 of those miles were without our pup. Washington is home to three incredible National Parks and several other recreation areas that prohibit dogs, but there is so much more! These are some of my top picks for dog friendly hikes without sacrificing the views.

This hike is mostly tree covered, with just small glimpses here and there, so when you pop out of the trees at the top it takes your breath away. On a clear day you can see Seattle and all the way to the Olympics. There are several possible routes, with Kamikaze being the more challenging by far and in my opinion the most fun.

The right supplies and gear can make all the difference between an enjoyable outing, a miserable slog, or even a dangerous situation. I’m one of those people who always agonizes over what I forgot so I feel better when I have a list.

This is one of those shady trails that is perfect to shield you from the sun on a summer day, or even the rain. The mountain ringed lake at the end with its unique coloring is well worth the trek to see it.