Anna Katz - Easy Weekend Getaways from Seattle: Short Breaks in the Pacific Northwest

1 Swim in Lake Crescent ().

2 Drink your way through the Skagit Farm to Pint Ale Trail ().

3 Go kayaking in the Salish Sea, where you might just see a whale or two ().

4 Ski the trails of Methow Valley ().

5 Get some of the best Chinese food in the world ().

6 Unplug at Trout Lake Abbey ().

7 Live the #vanlife in Bainbridge and beyond ().

8 Eat your food cart fill at Cartlandia, Portland ().

9 Sleep in a tree at TreeHouse Point ().

10 Soak in Soap Lake ().

Experience 1: Lake Crescent

Experience 8: Cartlandia, Portland

Experience 3: The Pint Ale Trail

From Seattle: approximately 27 miles Days here: 1

Do

wine tasting

Eat

prime dip sandwich at the Cut Shop

Drink

wine

Buy

wine

If youve voiced the opinion that good wine only comes from across the pond, in the distant lands of Italy and France, where a noble people wander their ancient fields under a golden European sun, then maybe its time you examine your biases. Wines in Washington are great, so quit being a snob and start drinking.

From Puget Sound in the northwest to Walla Walla (thats two Wallas) on the southeast, next to the WashingtonOregon border, Washington has 14 American Viticultural Areas. Many of the 55,000-plus acres of vineyards were established by Europeans and Australians who were looking for more space and less smugness. Theres a distinct climate difference between the western part and eastern part of Washington State, which can be attributed to the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Mountains, which run south to north and block precipitation moving east from the Pacific Ocean. The wee Puget Sound viticultural area is the only wine-growing region to the west of the Cascades, living the rain forest life under the rain shadow. The temperate maritime climate makes for some stellar pinot noir and riesling.

Eastern Washington has a much dryer climate, so dry in fact that its categorized as a semi-desert. That, in combination with it being so far north, equals 300 days of sun per year, which makes grapes happy (until they get sunburn, that is). Much of the wine in Woodinville comes from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley. These nearby wineries have done Seattlelites the favor of bringing Walla Wallas and Yakimas flavors close to home. It is highly recommended, however, that you make the longer trekapproximately five hours, or 260 milesto Walla Walla for wine tasting at the source.

According to the marketing website woodinvillewinecountry.com, Woodenville has 118 tasting rooms; 14 microbreweries, distilleries, and cideries; and 30 restaurants and eateries. All that epicurean mayhem is located just 30 miles northeast of Seattle, and its easy to get to by car or bike. The BurkeGilman Trail ride from Seattle to Woodinville is a popular one, and many people make the trek come summer for some good drinking sans car. Plan to either stay overnight or hire a shuttle to get you home.

Getting There

By car | Take I-5 N, or take either 520 or I-90 to I-405 N for approximately 27 miles. Travel time: approximately 40 minutes.

By bike | Ride the BurkeGilman Trail. It starts in Ballard and runs approximately 19 miles. Get the full route (plus itinerary if you want to make it a thing) at www.traillink.com.

Shuttle | Hire a shuttle so you dont have to worry about getting to and from (woodinvillewinecountry.com/play/book-a-tour).

>> Bikers, take a right at the Aurora Avenue Bridge and stop for a photo op with the Fremont Troll at his residence under a bridge, 3404 Troll Avenue N, Fremont.

Highlight Reel

woodinvillewinecountry.com/passport

Get a free tasting at more than 50 wineries, plus a dozen or so breweries and distilleries, with the Passport to Woodinville. This hotcake goes up for sale at Costco on Black Friday and, at $99.99 for a two-pack, sells out quickly. Passports are valid for one year, from January 1 to December 31, and are valued at $600.

woodinvillewinecountry.com/woodinville-districts

The city is divided into four districts, each of which, the PR folks at Woodinville Wine Country claim, has a distinct flavor. The Warehouse District is made up of around 20 wineries and a brewery packed into a few industrial parks, qualifying it as the home of more boutique wineries per square foot than anywhere else in the world; the