Day hikes near Seattle

[+dcrep]

Hello,

 

Will be on a honeymoon in the Seattle area soon, and will spend time near Mt. Ranier and the Olympics. I guess I'm looking for good day hikes (<8 miles roundtrip) along the lines of the Three Lakes Hike cache. My wife isn't the cacher I am, so if I'm going to drag her away from a National Park, I'll need a good reason.

 

Much appreciated.

-D

[+Fuzzywhip]

If you are going to be north of Seattle, then I would recommend the Lime Kiln series (the trailhead is GCMC14).

 

Lime Kiln - Trailhead

 

This is a series of 5 caches starting just outside of Granite Falls. I did 4 out of the 5 caches last summer (during the heatwave) and enjoyed the hike. Better to get there early in the morning before the heat builds!

 

Read the signs at the trailhead about local plants and the rules for parking.

[+Criminal]

I have several Day-hike caches:

 

Big Hump

 

Echo Lake

 

Marmot Pass

 

Mt Ellinor

 

Mt Col Bob

 

There are dozens of fantastic day-hike caches in the area.

[+hydnsek]

Ebey Bluffs on Whidbey Island north of Seattle. Widely considered one of the most scenic caches in our area, and site of many milestones. You can look across the water and see the San Juans, the Olympics, and Vancouver Island.

 

There's a 3.5 loop that nets you three caches; see my cache Perego's Lagoon for details.

 

Plus, Whidbey Island has tons of other caches, with great views, nice rural scenery, and some nice little towns with good food (try the Mad Crab in Coupeville - local color and great eats!).

 

Edited to add: ...And, none of these will be as grueling as Criminal's caches.

Edited June 6, 2007 by hydnsek