Outdoors
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The North Cascades Institute’s Learning Center Is for the Birds
Head to the woods and bring your binocs for a weekend of migration and song.
WHERE: The North Cascades Institute’s Learning Center, which offers a plethora of educational and inspiring nature programs amid the mountains, glaciers and rivers of the North Cascades. WHY: To partake in the migration and song: spring birding weekend (6/3–6/5; $215–$455, lodging included; ncascades.org), featuring local avian experts who teach visiting bird enthusiasts about Clark’s nutcrackers, meadowlarks and Bullock’s orioles spied in the trees. (Binoculars are provided.) SIDE TRIP: Extend your stay at the nearby Colonial Creek Campground, in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area, where you can explore the gorgeous surroundings via numerous hiking trails, or BYO canoe and fishing gear to make full use of the lake. GETTING THERE: Head north on Interstate 5 to State Route 20 East (exit 230). Drive approximately 65 miles and watch for signs at milepost 127.5.
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The Northwest’s Gateway to Wine, Culture & Adventure
Escape the crowds. Slow down. Savor fall in the Lewis Clark Valley. As autumn paints the hillsides in gold, crimson, and amber, the Lewis Clark Valley becomes a picture-perfect place to slow down and savor the season. Where Washington and Idaho meet, fall brings crisp days, colorful landscapes, harvest among the vines, and plenty of…
Meet West Seattle’s “Freelance Beaver Detective”
A group of urban beavers helped Pamela Adams through a tough time. Now she’s returning the favor.
Pamela Adams was living in Port Townsend when her marriage fell apart. Little did she know at the time that she would soon find love again while doggedly pursuing the Five Families—not the ones of Mafia lore, but a four-legged sort living along the Longfellow Creek Watershed. Prior to moving to Washington, Adams resided in…
A Wellness Pilgrimage to the Olympic Peninsula
Two hours from Seattle, a new kind of luxury is taking root—one built on stillness, old-growth forests, and the subtle art of slowing down.
There is a school of thought among the overworked and overscheduled that the most subversive thing a person can do is stop. Put down the phone, close the laptop, and go somewhere that actively resists attempts to stay plugged in. The Olympic Peninsula has always offered this, in its blunt, mossy way. For some city…
Seabrook Is a Little Coastal Utopia
This walkable beach town gives families room to roam, relax, and leave the car parked.
There’s nothing quite like finding an edible mushroom in the forest with a five-year-old. The excitement and pride my son displayed when we found chicken of the woods were contagious, and after battering and frying the mushrooms, our wonderful day got even better. The dark, wet forests in which our mushrooms grew are part of…