State COVID-19 restrictions are expected to expire by June 30 and Washingtonians need a vacation. If you’re not ready to fly, or you just want to explore the Pacific Northwest, consider these 12 road trips from Seattle.
Almost Canada: Skagit Valley and Whatcom County
The Canadian border remains closed to nonessential travel, but your radio dial will pick up Vancouver stations in the Skagit Valley, where the Bow-Edison Food Trail is one enticing attraction. Breadfarm is among the best bakeries on the West Coast. Browse for home goods at Hedgerow or unique furniture at The Lucky Dumpster. Lunchtime? Edison for tacos at Mariposa or farm-to-table fare at The Rhody in neighboring Bow. Be warned: You can’t eat everything in these gastrotowns in a day.
Head north along Chuckanut Drive and work off the calories on a hike up to Oyster Dome, or go for a more leisurely beachcomb at Larrabee State Park. If you can stomach more food, a stop at Taylor Shellfish Farms is a must for some bivalves. Dip on down to Bellingham for the evening, where you can post up for happy hour at Aslan, Kulshan or one of 11 other breweries in the City of Subdued Excitement.
After breakfast at Homeskillet, take your pick: Rent a kayak from Bellingham Bay Community Boating Center, mountain bike world-class trails at Galbraith on a rental from Jack’s Bicycle Center, explore Chuckanut Mountain on foot, or swim in Lake Whatcom. Try Simmering Tava for lunch — don’t miss the homemade chai — then head to Birch Bay State Park, where you can see our neighbor to the north before zooming home on Interstate 5. So close, yet so far.
