Get outdoors—but not too outdoors—on the cheap
Welcome to the Pacific Northwest, where we say stuff like “the mountain is out” and people wear their Gore-Tex to the symphony. For someone who doesn’t have a lot of outdoorsy experience—or just isn’t equipped, or isn’t feeling it—it can be easy to feel left out.
Fortunately, Washington State Parks has made it pretty easy to do an outdoor getaway with a few creature comforts intact—and no tent, sleeping bag, outdoor know-how, or behaving weather required. And many of them are just a hop, skip, and a jump from the city. (Bonus: most are available to book online.)
Pro tips: These cabins, while getting you off the hook for some outdoor supplies and setup, are still BYO-everything—so don’t forget stuff to eat and bedding stuff for when you bunk down. You don’t need a Discover Pass, which grants admission to state parks, if you rent a cabin, but you’ll still need one if you’re doing an adjacent hike. Some cabins allow pets, and some don’t—there’ll be an extra fee if they do. And while it’s the most tempting to rent a cabin during the peak of summer, it’s a little cheaper to go outside peak season.
Whether you want a comfy base of operations for outdoor adventuring, are short a tent, or just don’t want to rough it too much, here are 10 state parks that will rent you a cabin, all within two hours of Seattle. (Want something further out? Washington State Parks has a whole list of locations with cabins here.)
Just looking for a day trip? We’ve compiled the area’s most essential hikes—plus a few that are transit-accessible.
Don’t have a car? Here are six camping trips reachable by public transit, including a few with cabins.
Map points are ordered north to south.