Travel Diary: Seattle, Washington (with trips to the Enchantments, Leavenworth, and the Gorge)

At the end of August 2021, I had the opportunity to visit one of my best friends in Washington state. I've said it before in other travel diaries, but after visiting New Zealand in 2020, I knew I wanted to see more of the beauty of the United States. This was my first time visiting the state of Washington -- before 2021, the farthest west I'd been in the U.S. was L.A., Las Vegas, and Denver -- and it did not disappoint!

You can see Mt. Rainier rising up in the distance in the top left of the photo!

There were so many things I wanted to do during my trip that it was hard to narrow it down. The only thing that I knew for sure was that I wanted to do a hike -- my friend Amy goes on incredible hikes in Washington and nearby states. Luckily, after I completed Yosemite earlier this year, she felt more comfortable taking me to the Enchantments, a 19-24 mile hike. I was thrilled because this was the hike I most wanted to do!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

tips and advice:

• I visited Washington for 10 full days at the end of August/beginning of September, and I couldn't have asked for better weather. I think my only knowledge of Washington/Seattle came from the Twilight series and a Baby-Sitters Club book (affiliate link), but it was nothing like I expected. And according to the pilot on my flight, Seattle actually gets less rain than NYC or Houston -- so check the weather before automatically packing rainboots and umbrellas.
• We spent my first weekend in Washington camping at Lake Wenatchee (where we hiked the Enchantments!). Read my Enchantments travel diary here (or tap any of the hike photos in this post).
• Not a tip but a general observation: I couldn't believe how many companies are headquartered in Seattle.
• Pack comfortable shoes -- it's definitely a walkable city.
• There are so many great day trips (and great hikes!) from Seattle! Definitely save some time/days for at least one -- I've included some at the end of this post.

itinerary + photo diary:

I arrived Friday afternoon and spent two full weekends in Washington, leaving Tuesday morning a week and a half later. I wish I'd had more time to stay and explore -- but my time was also more limited because I was working during the weekdays (until at least 3pm or so) rather than taking full vacation. As a result, I'm going to combine the itinerary and photo diary into one section. (Let me know if you prefer this format, with the itinerary and photos together, or if you like the itinerary in one place and the photos in another!)

View from the flight in... I kept seeing other mountains rising above the clouds and wondering if they were Mt. Rainier, but the second I saw this one, I knew this was it.

On Days 1, 2, and 3 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), we camped at Lake Wenatchee for the weekend so we could hike the Enchantments! We arrived at our campsite Friday, hiked Saturday, and floated in the lake and visited Leavenworth on Sunday before heading back to Seattle.

Towards the beginning of our Enchantments hike -- all smiles at this point :-)

Colchuck Lake on the Enchantments trail. Click here to see more photos from the Enchantments!

Hat: Pink Lily (affiliate link) | Tank top: Old Navy (affiliate link) | Long-sleeve sun shirt: REI | Shorts: very old bike shorts! | Socks: Darn Tough (affiliate link) | Boots: Merrel (affiliate link) | Backpack: Rupumpack (affiliate link) 

My friend in the bottom right corner helps provide perspective on the size of this lake!

I split the Enchantments hike into its own post because there were so many photos -- click here to see them all.

Sunset at Lake Wenatchee.

Visiting the Bavarian village of Leavenworth.

Dress: Lulus (affiliate link) | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link)

Looking out at Seattle from Kerry Park. Mt Rainier is always looming in the distance!

Day 4 (Monday) was a recovery day from the weekend! My legs were a bit wobbly after hiking 22+ miles two days before, so my friend and I had a low-key day, making lunch and dinner at her home and watching The Bachelor in Paradise (which I'd never seen before... whew!).

By Day 5 (Tuesday), I realized that that I kind of love working on Pacific Coast Time -- it was worth waking up 3 hours early to finish my work day 3 hours early! I ran the Golden Gardens Park, then we had dinner reservations at RockCreek. Afterwards, we visited the iconic Fremont Troll (under the George Washington Memorial Bridge) and Gas Works Park for the sunset and to people watch.

Those aren't just clouds in the distance... they're also mountains!

A statue of Leif Erikson, at Shilshole Marina.

Oysters at RockCreek 

The troll!

View from Gas Works Park

Jacket: Old Navy | Dress: Lulus (affiliate link)

Tried to capture how pretty it all was on my cell phone... not sure I succeeded...

Day 6 (Wednesday) was another lazy day. We ordered poke bowls to go for dinner and ate them at Discovery Park for the sunset.

Sunset at Discovery Park

My best friend, my nephew Beauford (nicknamed Bobo), and me at Discovery Park

Sunglasses: Illesteva in purple/pink (affiliate link) | Shirt: Brick House in the City | Shorts: BLANK NYC

On Day 7 (Thursday), I tried to run to Carkeek Park but unfortunately got a little lost. The nice thing about Seattle is that there are so many walking/running trails. And we wanted to visit Pike Place Market that evening but we didn't check its hours and unfortunately got there right as all the stalls were closing down! So we got yogurt from Ellenos, piroshkis from Piroshky Piroshky, and a seafood platter, fries, and flights from Old Stove Brewing Company.

Pike Place Market

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link) | Romper: Amazon (affiliate link) | Purse: Longchamp (affiliate link)

I love this kind of basic photo... but usually I have my nails painted!

The first remaining Starbucks location!

Old Stove Brewing Company.

On Day 8 (Friday), we had dinner at Sawyer and then drinks at Percy's.

At Sawyer for dinner

Sunglasses: Illesteva in purple/pink (affiliate link) | Dress: Lulus (affiliate link)

Duck fat tater tots... I saw these on the menu and had to try them.

Gnocchi

Dessert!

For my second and last weekend in Washington (Day 9 and 10 - Saturday and Sunday), we drove to the Gorge for a Dave Matthews Band concert at the Gorge Amphitheatre on Saturday. The Gorge is consistently voted one of the best outdoor concert venues in America -- and it was an awesome experience! After the concert, we camped out for the night in the lot before driving home Sunday.

At the campground for Dave Matthews Band, dressed in our very best 90s flannel :)

Tank top: LOFT | Flannel: Old Navy | Shorts: BLANK NYC | Shoes: Allbirds (affiliate link)

Probablyyy the coolest music venue I've ever been to.

Day 11 (Monday) was my last full day in Washington :( We hiked the Poo Poo Point trail before renting paddle boards on Lake Washington. And for dinner, we visited the Walrus and the Carpenter.

I'm still so confused by this hike's name.

One of the views from Poo Poo Point

Perfect way to cool down after a hike -- paddle boarding on Lake Washington

Hat: Pink Lily (affiliate link) | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link) | Swimsuit: Amazon (affiliate link)

Had to end my Seattle trip with one last round of seafood... Oysters at the Walrus and the Carpenter

where to eat and drink:

• Rock Creek
• Sawyer
• The Walrus and the Carpenter
• Ballard Pizza Company (highly recommend the troll and either eating there or picking it up fresh!)
• Pink Door
• Sea Wolf Bakery
• Salumi
• Taylor Shellfish
• Piroshky Piroshky
• Percy's (cocktails)
• Starbucks Reserve (with cocktails!)

what to do:

• Seattle has so many parks to explore! Some of the ones I visited were Golden Gardens, Carkeek, Discovery, and Kerry Park (which overlooks Seattle -- including the Ferris wheel and Mt. Rainier).
• Buy tickets for the Space Needle
• Visit the Ballard Locks (near Commodore Park and the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden)
• Get out on some water -- kayaking, paddle boarding, renting a boat!
• Day trips
• Bainbridge Island (30 minutes by ferry)
• Snoqualmie Falls (30 minutes by car)
• Mt. St. Helen's (2 hours by car)
• Sequim lavender fields (2 hours by car)
• Leavenworth (2-3 hours by car)
• North Cascades National Park (2-3 hours by car)
• Mt. Rainier National Park (2 hours and 30 minutes by car)
• Olympic National Park (under 3 hours by car)

links I used or recommend:

Since I was staying with a Seattle resident, I followed her lead when it came to restaurant and activity recommendations, but here are some links and blogs I would find helpful!

• The Blonde Abroad: "The Ultimate 3-Day Seattle Itinerary"
• Olivia Rink: "Seattle / Camano Island Trip"
• Earth Trekkers: "The Washington Travel Guide" (geared to visiting the three national parks in Washington state: Olympic, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades)

My trip to Seattle was everything I wanted -- from reuniting with one of my best friends after 2 years, to completing a challenging and stunning hike, to delicious seafood, to seeing as much of the state as I could fit in in a week and a half! I already know this won't be my last time visiting this city (or state) -- I'm planning a return trip with my husband some day so he can hike the Enchantments, and I'd love to see the village of Leavenworth during the holidays! But in the meantime, I may have to get my Seattle fix by catching up on Grey's Anatomy...

love from