Camping around Seattle this time of year?

May 29, 2009 11:43 AM

I want to go camping this weekend somewhere inside a 3 hour drive (or so) from Seattle. I'd prefer backcountry camping so I've got some isolation. But I don't particularly want to hike and camp in the snow, so I need to stick to a low elevation. What are some good options?
posted by grammalvsu to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

Deception Pass might not be isolated enough, but I'll mention it anyway.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:04 PM on May 29, 2009

Go out to forks and head for Rialto beach, hike north until you find a nice spot. isolation nearly guaranteed. might take more time due to the closure of hood canal bridge, but backcountry on the western side is high country so snow will kill your buzz this early in the year.
posted by OHenryPacey at 12:17 PM on May 29, 2009

We've backpacked overnight in Yakima Valley in mid-May, I believe. We had a great time (and it ended up being a pretty strenuous hike due to our 16 mile "shortcut"), but if you are looking for spectacular views, you won't find them there.
posted by halogen at 1:04 PM on May 29, 2009

I love Olympic National Park.

I don't do elevation. So, I stick to the river valleys, which aren't far above sea level--definitely no snow.

We've done Hume's Ranch and the Hoe River Trail. Both of those are awesome. They have day hikers for the first couple of miles. But, the pack thins out considerably as you get in farther.

The Hoe trail is mad popular, though, especially when the weather gets drier. If you aren't opposed to mud and rain, this is the time of year to go to beat the mob.
posted by Netzapper at 1:22 PM on May 29, 2009

My husband has hiked in the Cascades in the summer without running into snow. I don't know exactly where he goes (he is a man of mystery), but I've dropped him off and picked him up at Snoqualmie Pass. I could ask him for details if you're interested.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:58 PM on May 29, 2009

Anything above 3500-4000 feet near Snoqualmie will still have snow -- I was in the vicinity last week and had to hike to about 4000 feet before I got to put my skis on.

Blewett Pass is probably thoroughly melted out, since it gets much less snow than Snoqualmie. I'll bet there's some beautiful spots back there, with views of the Stuart Range.

You could also go to the Longmire area around Rainier and head in somewhere between there and Paradise.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 3:23 PM on May 29, 2009

Any of the many trails along the I-90 corridor would be snow free for a while as well. Tiger, Mt. Si, Tenerrife, Granite, Bandera, Talapus Lake, etc... Depending on how much elevation you wanted to gain before camping, you could go up Teneriffe or Si and camp somewhere along the long ridge-trail that connects the two. Mind you, I've not been up that particular one, but the maps of the area that I've studied show some neat terrain back there. You'd leave the hordes behind at Mt. Si.

http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=13447.0

That has a few pictures from the Snoqualmie Pass area last Sunday. You could hike back up toward Silver Peak, on the backside of Mount Catherine.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 3:30 PM on May 29, 2009

Also, at Olympic national park you can hike on the beach. I went last June and it was low numbers of people, and plenty warm.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 6:06 PM on May 29, 2009