US Summer Road Trip Outdoor Adventure Destinations: Pacific Northwest
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.
We share five US Summer Road Trips that are in and near the Pacific Northwest in this article. All of these destinations have an Outdoor Adventure flair to them and all are within six hours of driving from Seattle Washington! US Summer Road Trip Outdoor Adventure Destinations Pacific Northwest awaits in this article.
WE WILL BE BREAKING APART THE US INTO REGIONS, AND FROM THE PLACES THAT WE HAVE LIVED AS NOMADS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, AND WE WILL SHARE OUR SUMMER ROAD TRIP GUIDES WITHIN SIX HOURS OF THOSE LOCATIONS! IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SUMMER ROAD TRIP DESTINATION IN THE Pacific Northwest WITH OUTDOOR ADVENTURE ENERGY THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOU.
Mailbox Peak Summit, North Bend WA.
Our full list will feature the summer road trip guide from these destinations that we have lived in:
1. Columbus Ohio (Midwest)
2. Traverse City Michigan (Great Lakes)
3. Grand Junction Colorado (Mountain West)
4. Seattle Washington (PNW)
5. Malibu/Joshua Tree California (SoCal)
6. Paso Robles California (Central Cali)
7. Sedona Arizona (American Southwest)
8. Tamarindo Costa Rica (Lower Central America)
Here is your Summer Road Trip Pacific Northwest Destinations List!
The Enchantments Wilderness, Washington
The very hard to snag overnight permits for hiking in the Enchantments are worth the hype. With three National Parks in its state you might be surprised to know that the Enchantments are the most beautiful place of all to explore in the PNW. (According to me.)
I did a four day backpacking trip with a base camp at Snow Lake and we went into the “Core Zone” each day from there. The alpine lakes, stunning peaks, and the wildly untamed area rank as my top spot I have ever been to in the US for sheer beauty.
Lottery permits go on sale each year via Recreation.gov in the winter. You can also day hike to Colchuk Lake and Snow Lake from the trailheads if you don’t manage to win a permit.
Distance from Seattle Washington: 2h 55m.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here: Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Leavenworth Washington Rafting Trip.
Inspiration Lake, The Enchantments.
Sisters, Oregon.
Close to its popular cousin Bend Rita V had this to say about her recent adventure in the area:
”Bend is amazing for several reasons: beer & nature are two of them. Crux Fermentation, Deschutes Brewing & others give you all the reasons to go for a hike, climb, kayak, bike ride so you can come back to town & drink. My favorite place to hike was Three Sisters Wilderness. We did the eight-mile Green Lakes Basin trail, which had waterfalls and lakes. Highly recommend!” @FoxAndCompass
The area is filled with great spots to adventure in and around beyond Sisters though, but this is our recommended place to set up your “base camp” and from here you can explore for a few weeks if you wanted and were able.
Distance from Seattle Washington: 5h 43m.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here: Smith Rock State Park, Oregon. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon.
Coeur d’Alene Idaho.
This town just east of the Washington/Idaho border features excellent hiking trails like the Lost Man, a great kayaking and SUP scene on the water, and while still a very popular place a bit less crowded in the summer than all of the WA National Parks. (Mount Rainier and Olympic plans need to be made FAR in advance.)
A fun downtown scene of art, breweries, coffee, and more make this a nice combination of outdoor adventure without being super removed from the amenities one might partake in on “vacation.”
Distance from Seattle Washington: 4h 53m.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here: Spokane Valley, Washington. Glacier National Park, Montana.
Lost Man Trail Idaho.
Winthrop Washington
North Cascades National Park and the neighboring Mount Baker National Forest are so large it’s hard to begin on what to do, see, and experience here.
I have enjoyed setting up shop in the small and fun town of Winthrop and taken in a plethora of hikes that exist on the eastern side of the Northern Cascades.
From Blue Lake (pictured above) to the super popular Diablo Lake to day hikes on the PCT to the imposingly named Cutthroat Lake (ironically a fairly level hike) there is no end to the beauty in this area of Washington.
While Bellingham is a major jumping off point on the West side of the Cascades the range has many different choices on the Eastern side and I love Winthrop as an option.
Distance from Seattle Washington: 4 h 26m.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here: Bellingham Washington, Take a Ferry to Alaska from B Ham!
Mount St Helens, Washington.
This one got away from me. We caught day passes to summit this famous volcano in the southwestern part of the state. However a sprained ankle, a business travel trip, an overnight drive, and iffy weather all contributed to different abort missions by our group and I wound up never visiting this iconic trail on the day our permits were available. (Some lucky ones snagged them at the ranger station I bet that morning!)
I also haven’t been to Washington since nor do I regret not going, I wound up doing a splendid day hike that supposed summit day 30 minutes from Seattle and enjoyed the outdoors all the same.
However if I lived in Seattle or WA again I would make a summit of this spot a MUST.
Learn about the permits here and what it’s like to traverse up the now famous volcano due to its 1980 eruption.
Distance from Seattle Washington: 3h 36m.
Road Trip Add On’s From Here: Astoria, Oregon. Seaside, Oregon. Cannon Beach, Oregon.
Northern Oregon Coast Trip!
The Pacific Northwest, PNW for short, has arguably the best summers in the entire United States. (Northern Michigan rivals it in my opinion.)
But fall is pretty rad in the PNW too and my two summers in the PWN and other trips here have gotten me to truly fall in love with the area.
If we could afford a house with a fenced yard in Seattle we would probably live there. Seattle boasts dozens of epic city parks, the nearby North Bend offers an array of hiking/skiing options, and we didn’t even list two of the best US National Parks (Olympic and Tahoma/Rainier) that sit in Washington State.
If you are lucky enough to live in Seattle and have time to explore the outdoors you could spend your whole life finding new gems within a six hour drive of the city.
Summers can’t be beat in the PNW and we hope you enjoy one or two or fifty in the region and immerse yourself in some of the reco’s on this list!
What would you add to our list? Comment below.
Thanks for reading!
Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike R
