Sightseeing Part VI

The Natural World Part II

Beyond the national parks are many national forests with just as much beauty and not as much of the national recognition.

Perhaps at the top of this list is the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. There are plenty of hiking and camping opportunities in this land with some a much closer drive than the national parks. However, many parking areas in the national forests require a Northwest Forest Pass.

One of the highlights of the national forest is its namesake Mount Baker, an active volcano and the fifth tallest peak in Washington State. A drive up to the Heather Meadows Visitor's Center will get you high on the mountain in a car and give you excellent views of Mount Baker as well as Mount Shuksan. (About a 3 hour drive from Seattle.) The Ptarmigan Ridge Trail offers excellent views of the mountain without a whole lot of strenuous hiking.

More typical experiences in the park involve hiking many of the trails and peaks of the I90 corridor. Most of these have an hour or less of drive time from Seattle and offer hikes from strenuous mountain summits to leisurely strolls to lakes.

Other popular attractions are driving the Mountain Loop Highway. This offers many options for easy and popular hikes and viewing the jungles of the Puget Sound Convergence Zone. There is less than stellar (but nice) scenery on the highway if you wish to drive it. (Caution: half of the loop is not paved.) One of the highlights of the Mountain Loop is the Big Four Ice Caves. A short hike to see the lowest elevation year round snow in the lower 48 states. Mount Pilchuck is also another popular hike to an old fire lookout with excellent views.

Farther afield is the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Which will actually be having a salmon festival the weekend of our wedding. One of the jewels of the forest is The Enchantments. This is a wilderness area with spectacular views and mountains that requires a very strenuous hike and a permit to camp. Drives to this national forest usually require two hours.

Still yet further away in Central Washington are desert landscapes including the Ginko Petrified Forest and other natural wonders. Drive times to these locations start at 2.5 hours.