Mt Rainier is ranked as one of the worlds deadliest volcanoes and here's why you might still go play on its slopes.

Luckily for us the volcano is currently classified dormant with the most recent significant activity happening in the 1800's. Let's be honest though, that's not that long ago... If it were to blow again it would be massively devastating for the residential areas surrounding it. It's effect would be seen and felt by most of the west coast hence its deadly classification. On a cl...

Hiking with kids adds an extra exciting element to exploring the outdoors. Things like elevation gain, miles covered, and steps taken are all entirely meaningless to the kids. They typically don't even care about the grand views and epic destinations. Kids are more concerned with exactly what's in front of them at the moment. So finding a trail interesting enough for them seems to sometimes be the biggest challenge. So picking a hike with minimal elevations, realistic milage, and also entertaini...

Friday Harbor is a quaint little town, were you are able to take a leisurely stroll from one end to the other with the coolness of the ocean breeze in your hair. Accessible by one of the most scenic ferry rides in the world! As soon as you offload the ferry you'll find yourself in the middle of  a tiny town full of historical store fronts, local farmers, and creative island artists. Many museums and beaches to access along with hiking trails and parks for exploring. 

The Port of Fr...

If you're after a few days of island paced life then Lime Kiln State Park should be on your list. It is part of San Juan County in Friday Harbor. When the time is right you can do a little shore side whale watching. May- Sept is the best time for whale viewing. The Orcas, Gray, Humpback, and Porpoises are some of the favorites for watching from spring to fall yearly. This is one of the best whale watching spots due to its location on the west end of the San Juan Islands, are the cliffs and the l...

If you're after a challenging and rewarding day hike with a view then Oyster Dome might be just right for you. Located in the Bellingham area right on the coast and neighboring Larabee State Park (one of our favorite State Parks on the Sound) you're going to get exciting views as you gain altitude along the few miles you'll have to travel to get to the top. You'll also have plenty of local eats and other water side parks and lakes to hike to while you're in the area. 

Once you complete the t...

Sun Lakes is a pretty magical little place for thousands of visitors each year. There is both a State Park and a small resort located on the same side of the Parks Lake. The Lake itself gets plenty of sun and warms up quick in the summer months. With multiple large swimming areas, and a full floating dock and marina it's a hot spot for boat lovers and families full of swimmers. 

For all the glampers out there the cabins available at the resort have AC, full beds, kitchens and showers. The re...

Palouse Falls is located inside the State Park and offers obvious spectacular views. This is Washington's official State Waterfall and is one of the few remaining Ice Age flood plain waterfalls. You've likely seen pictures of the place somewhere online and when you make the trip your pretty much guaranteed to find a few photographers smashing the buttons on their cameras. 

Palouse falls makes for a great picnic destination, is a great "stretch your legs" spot if you happen to be road tripping thr...

The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Enough history, that's not what this page is about after all. 

There's a few reasons you should add the maritime community of Anacortes to your destination list. For a day trip you'll find quirky island shops, fine dining, casual eats, coastal strolls, and a ferry connections to the other San Juan islands and Vancouver BC. Near by you also have camping at another...

Mt Erie is a great drive up destination located on Fidalgo Island just north of Deception Pass. Because of the communication towers located at the top there's a paved, but still fairly rough, road all the way to the top. You'll also find the eagle featured at the end of the video ;) A paved road to the top and being only minutes from Anacortes make this one of the best view-for-effort spots in our state. At the top you'll find a few different paths to take, all with a top notch camera worthy pho...

If you'd like to get your feet wet and learn to play in the Olympics a bit this year then the Lena Lake Trail is a good place to get introduced to these set of mountains. The trail provides access to some obviously gorgeous views, while taking you through some old growth forest, giant ancient boulder fields left by glaciers of the past, bridges, water falls, streams, and some epic lake views at the top. 

Up for more than just a day hike? Bring your gear and you can claim a camping site (first com...