So I grew up in Montana And I have spent some time in Seattle but mostly just in the city. Wife and I want to go somewhere to camp at the end of the month and we are leaning toward Estes Park in Colorado but I am thinking about flying into Seattle and seeing what is within 3 hour drive or so. We want to be fairy isolated with access to hiking. Access to a small town small town (so we arent cooking all meals) preferred. Any recommendations?
i dunno about the wildlife there, but after listening to the (reenactment) audio of tim treadwell being eaten alive by a grizzly, i am never camping again.
North Cascades National Park is an underrated gem. Just a gorgeous place. The national forest around Leavenworth is cool and has some great hikes.
Leavenworth is fantastic at Christmas time. The family and I glamped a few years ago in Olympia National Park. Absolutely stunning and fits all of your requirements. Although I would say anywhere at least an hour outside of Seattle will be a beautiful place to camp. Maybe check out the San Juan Islands? We ferried through those before and they are also stunning.
I'm heading to the enchantments next week. Oops, didn't read the part about being near a town to eat.
I love the area around the HOH rain forest. I'm sure there is plenty of camping around there. Not too many places to eat though. I stayed a few days last summer in the national forest around Forks. WA is great in the fall.
I've done both. For the outdoors, prefer Estes Park. Quaint. And you're not missing anything skipping Denver. But the actual city of Seattle is cool, despite what you see on Fox News. Whale watching was fun.
I've decided to venture out of the house for the first time in months and booked a ticket to Seattle. Should I stay downtown or one of the suburbs? I couldn't resist after seeing the weather forecast. Screw this weather over here.