Seattle’s six best day trips

Nicknamed the Emerald City due to the verdant landscape which surrounds it, travellers get the best of both worlds in Seattle.

Spend a long weekend exploring the city before swapping the city skyline for a mountain, forest or epic Pacific Ocean landscape.

Whatever the interest, Seattle’s borders have them covered.

Island Hopping 

San Juan Island

Across the water from Seattle are the San Juan Islands, an archipelago of 172 different islands and accessible via a ferry from downtown Seattle. San Juan Island offers a picturesque harbor, sweeping fields with livestock and vineyards where visitors can sample a variety of different wines.

Bainbridge Island

Entirely surrounded by salt water and famed for its outstanding natural beauty, Bainbridge Island is a popular destination for day trippers. Travellers can wander around the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, visit one of the six wineries, or try watersports such as kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding. Bainbridge Island also has a fantastic dining scene, with everything from farm-to-fork restaurants to local coffee roasters.

Forest Finds

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Just an hour outside of Seattle, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest lets visitors get fully immersed in nature. Located on the west side of the Cascades between the Canadian border and Mt. Rainier National Park, the historic site boasts breathtaking greenery. The year-round recreational opportunities are endless but summer is a particularly good time to visit, offering hiking, fishing, river rafting and bird watching.

Hoh Rain Forest: Olympic National Park

Located within the Olympic National Park peninsula opposite Seattle, Hoh Rain Forest is one of the largest temperate rain forests in the US. Tucked away from highways and commercial flight paths, Hoh Rain Forest is the quietest spot in all of North America, meeting the criteria of having a noise-free interval of at least 15 minutes. The rainforest is home to towering trees covered in moss and ferns, and multiple trails.

National Parks 

Mount Rainier National Park

For a quintessential Pacific Northwest experience, a day trip to Mt. Rainier National Park offers some of the best opportunities for adventure, all just a two-hour drive from the city. At 14,410ft, Mt. Rainier has more than 130 trails to explore on foot, ranging from easy to challenging, but all with scenic views.

North Cascades National Park

A 2.5-hour drive from the city centre, North Cascades National Park is home to more than a third of the glaciers in the lower 48 US states. With towering summits and broad lakes, the park boasts accessible waterfall hikes, alpine meadows and a range of wildlife. On the west side sits Ross Lake and Diablo Lake, with beautiful views whilst east is home to the green wilderness of Okanogan National Forest. Winding through the park are trails to trek through ageing forests. Here, visitors can spot wildlife, including chipmunks, marmots and pikas.