Best cool weather places in the US to spend summer and fall?

[spartana]

Like everyone else, Covid put a halt to my plans to travel to a Northern European country during the hot SoCal late summer and fall. So looking at alternative places in the US that have cooler weather to rent an inexpensive place for approx 3 months. I strongly adhere to covid masking and social distancing so will be avoiding crowds but still want hiking, biking, climbing, etc outdoor recreation. Any suggestions?

[Roadrunner53]

When I was a kid my parents and I took a trip to Canada and on our way back drove and stayed in Maine. It was August and very cold in the morning. My Mom, who always prepared for everything, thought to bring wool sweaters in August! We wore them too! It was so cold. It warmed up in the later hours.

With global warming I don't know if that still holds true.

[SunnyDays]

Don't come to the Canadian prairies!  Weather has been sweltering this summer.  Plus the border is closed to non-essential travel.  However, in future years, you could consider Atlantic Canada - their summers are generally cooler and fall can be very nice anywhere.  Even here, there's a noticeable cooling of mornings in early August and September is usually lovely, especially once the leaves start turning.

[OtherJen]

Ordinarily I’d recommend northern Michigan but right now I’m hesitant to tell people from hotspots to come here, especially as the medical infrastructure is limited in that part of the state. Plus, if our case numbers keep going up, we’ll end up shutting back down.

Like most of us, you may be stuck in place this year.

[GoCubsGo]

In the Midwest, Door County in upper Wisconsin is popular in the fall if you like woods, Lake Michigan, hiking, dunes etc.  Wisconsin is a pretty open state and that might freak you out a bit coming from California as people are less affected by it (and thus more lax on covid prevention measures) Edit-  I looked it up, Door County has 73 cases TOTAL since it began which is pretty crazy coming from an urban market perspective

[norajean]

Colorado, Utah, and Idaho would be good places to start.

[iris lily]

I was thinking about cool weather escapes for 2+ weeks in August or Sept.

All of the Covid limitations mentioned above are killing that idea.

While I would love to go to the NE, that is just too damned far to drive. And
I wont fly. But I could drive straight North for 8 hours and been in a land of cool(er.) Michigan is an attractive option.

But then, yeah, bringing the virus to N. michigan, not cool.

[markbike528CBX]

While we would welcome you @spartana,  here in the everbrown section of the Everegreen state it is NOT cool.

My first thought is So Cal ocean without a wet suit.

If it is cold enough to be used as a SEAL training refrigerator, that's pretty cold. :-)

The Coumbia River near my place has max 65F temps even when it is 100+F,  3ft above the surface.
I got hypothermia once by being immersed for several hours.

Any place over 5000ft altitude along the west coast should be cooler.

[FINate]

Get high... in elevation I mean!

Any mountain town between 6000'-8000' will have fantastic summer/fall weather. Mid-eighties during the day, cooling off to forties or fifties overnight. Summer thunderstorms are a bonus :)

A few ideas off the top of my head: Flagstaff AZ, Stanley ID, Lake Tahoe CA, Jackson Hole WY

Lower in elevation but further north: Coeur d'Alene ID, Spokane WA, Bozeman MT

[HPstache]

Get high... in elevation I mean!

Any mountain town between 6000'-8000' will have fantastic summer/fall weather. Mid-eighties during the day, cooling off to forties or fifties overnight. Summer thunderstorms are a bonus :)

A few ideas off the top of my head: Flagstaff AZ, Stanley ID, Lake Tahoe CA, Jackson Hole WY

Lower in elevation but further north: Coeur d'Alene ID, Spokane WA, Bozeman MT

Spokane?  Hmmm not cool in the summer

How about Alaska?  Maybe on a ferry from Bellingham?

[FINate]

Get high... in elevation I mean!

Any mountain town between 6000'-8000' will have fantastic summer/fall weather. Mid-eighties during the day, cooling off to forties or fifties overnight. Summer thunderstorms are a bonus :)

A few ideas off the top of my head: Flagstaff AZ, Stanley ID, Lake Tahoe CA, Jackson Hole WY

Lower in elevation but further north: Coeur d'Alene ID, Spokane WA, Bozeman MT

Spokane?  Hmmm not cool in the summer

How about Alaska?  Maybe on a ferry from Bellingham?

Yes, not as cool as higher elevation, but it's low humidity and 'cool' means different things to different people. If spartana is in inland SoCal then a dry mid eights to low nineties will seem cool.

[seattlecyclone]

Western Washington and Oregon are cooler in the summer than most other places in the US. Get to a smaller town far enough from Seattle and Portland and you should be able to find some reasonable deals on rent.

[ysette9]

West coast pretty much anywhere from central ÇA up to Canada. We had a lovely trip years ago on the Oregon coast and in Seattle right now it is perfect and the scenery is gorgeous.

[Dave1442397]

Upstate New York is nice too. Definitely cool until the sun warms things up. Lake Placid area is really nice.

[HPstache]

Get high... in elevation I mean!

Any mountain town between 6000'-8000' will have fantastic summer/fall weather. Mid-eighties during the day, cooling off to forties or fifties overnight. Summer thunderstorms are a bonus :)

A few ideas off the top of my head: Flagstaff AZ, Stanley ID, Lake Tahoe CA, Jackson Hole WY

Lower in elevation but further north: Coeur d'Alene ID, Spokane WA, Bozeman MT

Spokane?  Hmmm not cool in the summer

How about Alaska?  Maybe on a ferry from Bellingham?

Yes, not as cool as higher elevation, but it's low humidity and 'cool' means different things to different people. If spartana is in inland SoCal then a dry mid eights to low nineties will seem cool.

I'm sticking with it... Someone looking for cool weather is going to be severely disappointed if they choose Spokane in the summer.

[FINate]

Get high... in elevation I mean!

Any mountain town between 6000'-8000' will have fantastic summer/fall weather. Mid-eighties during the day, cooling off to forties or fifties overnight. Summer thunderstorms are a bonus :)

A few ideas off the top of my head: Flagstaff AZ, Stanley ID, Lake Tahoe CA, Jackson Hole WY

Lower in elevation but further north: Coeur d'Alene ID, Spokane WA, Bozeman MT

Spokane?  Hmmm not cool in the summer

How about Alaska?  Maybe on a ferry from Bellingham?

Yes, not as cool as higher elevation, but it's low humidity and 'cool' means different things to different people. If spartana is in inland SoCal then a dry mid eights to low nineties will seem cool.

I'm sticking with it... Someone looking for cool weather is going to be severely disappointed if they choose Spokane in the summer.

To each their own, I suppose. An average daily high of 65 (e.g. Newport OR) isn't cool, it's downright chilly for summertime weather. If that's what's meant by 'cool' then take my other suggestions with a huge grain of salt.

[Poeirenta]

Port Angeles, WA would fit the bill nicely. Or the south end of the Olympic Peninsula around Westport or Long Beach. Depends  what kind of home base you are looking for. If you go east of the Cascades you will have to go higher up than Spokane for cool summers. Priest River and Sandpoint ID are nice enough but my reference point is friends on top of a 4000' mountain. And you'll have to be aware of fire season when in the inland NW.

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[Caoineag]

Higher elevation for the win. We are currently above 10000 feet (Rocky Mountains) but before you do high elevation you better be sure you don't have it. Higher elevation means less oxygen and if you aren't fully adapted and get covid, you are probably not going to make it. The natives were being shipped to lower elevation when hospitalized because it kept them from needing a ventilator. However its hard to beat the temperatures. We see 80 every once in awhile but 70s is more common and the afternoon storms have made it so we need sweaters and pants for part of the day.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I'll add my vote, although disclaimer that my definition of cool might be "cooler" than you expect. I love the Oregon coast. Plenty of good recreational options, LOTS of possibility for full social distancing. Temps in the upper 60s this week.

[ysette9]

Higher elevation for the win. We are currently above 10000 feet (Rocky Mountains) but before you do high elevation you better be sure you don't have it. Higher elevation means less oxygen and if you aren't fully adapted and get covid, you are probably not going to make it. The natives were being shipped to lower elevation when hospitalized because it kept them from needing a ventilator. However its hard to beat the temperatures. We see 80 every once in awhile but 70s is more common and the afternoon storms have made it so we need sweaters and pants for part of the day.

If you choose this option bring and wear TONS of sunblock. The UV up there is brutal and really dangerous.

[Mr. Green]

Get high... in elevation I mean!

Any mountain town between 6000'-8000' will have fantastic summer/fall weather. Mid-eighties during the day, cooling off to forties or fifties overnight. Summer thunderstorms are a bonus :)

A few ideas off the top of my head: Flagstaff AZ, Stanley ID, Lake Tahoe CA, Jackson Hole WY

Lower in elevation but further north: Coeur d'Alene ID, Spokane WA, Bozeman MT

Along with Bozeman, Missoula and Butte are Montana towns worth looking at. Missoula is a sizeable college town a bit larger than Bozeman almost surrounded by national forests. Butte is a little smaller than Bozeman but we stopped there for a couple days last year and it was a neat place we'd like to take more time to explore on a second go around.

[Mr. Green]

Port Angeles, WA would fit the bill nicely. Or the south end of the Olympic Peninsula around Westport or Long Beach. Depends  what kind of home base you are looking for. If you go east of the Cascades you will have to go higher up than Spokane for cool summers. Priest River and Sandpoint ID are nice enough but my reference point is friends on top of a 4000' mountain. And you'll have to be aware of fire season when in the inland NW.

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I would love to spend a month or two in the Port Angeles area of the Olympic National Forest. There were awesome rivers, waterfalls, mountains, a lake, and even beaches all within driving distance, and some off the beaten path camping spots if you wanted to spend a night or two away from home. I was having a very difficult time finding a place that wasn't a shared space (renting a room with others in the house) that wasn't a total budget buster. For us that was anything over $100 a night.

[iluvzbeach]

I’m currently at the coast in Bandon, OR and it’s a sunny & chilly 62°. Could be ideal for what you describe, if you don’t mind a little wind.

[Goldendog777]

The mountains in northern WY...check out the blog Fy Nyth.  It looks beautiful there and I’m pretty sure they don’t have a bunch of COVID cases.  Not sure what they have for rentals though.  https://fynyth.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

[Ecky]

Come to Vermont. The weather starts cooling off late August. Typically the trees start to change late October, and it gets a bit rainy in November, but before that it's paradise.

This year it has been particularly hot but most summers the average high is around 80-82 even at the peak of it.

[marble_faun]

You might find it challenging to find a nice short-term rental in a more scenic/cool-weather/rural place, unless you choose somewhere way off the beaten path.

Based on my experience trying to move permanently to such a place this summer, the rental and real estate markets are wild.  There are a lot of stir-crazy urbanites now telecommuting for the first time, and they're heading for the hills.  So you could face high prices and a lot of competition.

Good luck, though!

[Cyanne]

If you are willing to come to the upper Midwest you could try Duluth and the north shore of Lake Superior. Outdoor magazine has rated it highly for outdoor activities.

https://www.startribune.com/how-duluth-became-the-outdoor-capital-of-the-midwest/420664303/

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I'll add my vote, although disclaimer that my definition of cool might be "cooler" than you expect. I love the Oregon coast. Plenty of good recreational options, LOTS of possibility for full social distancing. Temps in the upper 60s this week.

Oregon coast temps would be perfect. I'm in coastal SoCal a few miles from the beach and by most peoples standards its cool here (and foggy in the morning). But the Santa Ana winds come up in Aug thru Oct with very hot temps so pretty intolerable for me after 9 or 10 am - unless in the cold water as mentioned above. BUT... Sosososo crowded now and that has me worried even going out for a solo hike or walk. Large groups of unmasked people everywhere. So a bit fewer people in.a cooler place would be great.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Any particular town suggestions?

Do you want to be able to walk into a small town, or are you comfortable driving to get everywhere? That would help narrow the recommendations. I'm a big fan of the area between Cannon Beach & Rockaway.

[Dave1442397]

Upstate New York is nice too. Definitely cool until the sun warms things up. Lake Placid area is really nice.

Is NY still open for us outsiders? Ibe never been to that area and no nothing about it but it looks beautiful. Like Vermont.

It seems to be open. I have a cycling buddy who takes his family up there on a regular basis (from NJ) and was there a couple of weeks ago.

Vermont is really nice too. We spent a week in a cabin on Lake Champlain once, and it was beautiful. We were in the Shelburne area, a short drive from Burlington.

[freeat57]

Have you ruled out staying in CA?  I would suggest coastal Sonoma or Mendicino county.  When I lived in those parts, I used to marvel that it could be 95 degrees in Santa Rosa, and a after short drive north to redwood country, I'd want a sweater or jacket and would see smoke coming from the chimneys of houses heated with wood fires.  There are tons of small cabins in the redwoods and the Russian river towns.

[Steeze]

Wyoming, Colorado, Montana in the summer is gorgeous if you are in the small mountain towns - 70s-80s during the day, 40s-50s at night. Plenty of remote places in short distances from town. Check out Big Sky / Bozeman area in Montana- check out Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Laramie also has some world class granite climbing, Colorado - any of the ski towns are great - easy access to the national forests and plenty of big rural hiking / camping / climbing to be had.

Can’t beat Vermont / NH / upstate New York in the fall.

I just went backpacking for a couple days on the AT in western MA near Mt. Greylock and it was beautiful.

[FINate]

Get high... in elevation I mean!

Any mountain town between 6000'-8000' will have fantastic summer/fall weather. Mid-eighties during the day, cooling off to forties or fifties overnight. Summer thunderstorms are a bonus :)

A few ideas off the top of my head: Flagstaff AZ, Stanley ID, Lake Tahoe CA, Jackson Hole WY

Lower in elevation but further north: Coeur d'Alene ID, Spokane WA, Bozeman MT

Spokane?  Hmmm not cool in the summer

How about Alaska?  Maybe on a ferry from Bellingham?

Yes, not as cool as higher elevation, but it's low humidity and 'cool' means different things to different people. If spartana is in inland SoCal then a dry mid eights to low nineties will seem cool.

I'm sticking with it... Someone looking for cool weather is going to be severely disappointed if they choose Spokane in the summer.

To each their own, I suppose. An average daily high of 65 (e.g. Newport OR) isn't cool, it's downright chilly for summertime weather. If that's what's meant by 'cool' then take my other suggestions with a huge grain of salt.

Haha cool to me is 40s and foggy so 60s or low 70s and foggy is OK and more what I'm looking for.  Or 70s and lower if dry. Mountains are great though because they cool off so fast at night but the elevation has to be pretty high.

Sounds like you're looking at coastal PNW. Brrrr! There's something about the cold along the coast that makes it feel chillier than it really is. Humidity and wind, perhaps?

One other thing: summer and fall is a pretty large timeframe for most of the US with four seasons. Whereas fall is second summer for most of SoCal, snow very well may be flying in the Mountain West, especially at higher elevations. If you're looking for a single location with fairly consistent cool temps for both summer and fall then this is probably another reason to go coastal PNW.

[Cassie]

The Adirondacks in upstate New York is beautiful as is Northern Wisconsin such as Hayward and Ashland.

[Fomerly known as something]

UP of Michigan.

[lhamo]

Perfect hiking weather at Mt. Rainier earlier this week.

The trail we took was a bit busy.  Probably only 1/2 of people wearing masks, but those that weren't generally turned away as they passed and most places you could find a way to get some distance.

Regular toilets in the park were closed, but they had lots of sanitizer dispensers outside and inside the honey buckets.

Sadly the road that goes around the park is closed due to winter storm damage, so it isn't the best time to visit if you want to see both Paradise and Sunrise.

A lot of the little resort cabin rental places on the road in had vacancies, but it was midweek.

[the_fixer]

Colorado is chaos right now with no one traveling and people looking to get outdoors.

We went camping above 10,000 ft this weekend to try and get away from the heat / crowds and it was so busy they shut the roads down and trails that normally had a couple of people on them had lines 2 or 3 wide of people hiking so no social distancing was possible.

Heck even the roads from the campground to the trailheads had so many people on them that I could not ride my bike through the crowds without constantly asking people to step aside it was shoulder to shoulder with people because the trailhead parking and overflow parking were full.

I cannot speak for the rest of Colorado but anything within a few hours drive of the front range is crazy busy :(


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[Ecky]

Right now Vermont is averaging ~7 Covid cases per day (for the entire state), and has not had a death in over a month. It's worth noting however that the state has achieved this largely by quarantining visitors from outside. I was just visiting Texas, and am now waiting at home to finish my 7-day lockdown, before I can go and get a Covid test, and only after a negative result can I go out in public or return to work.

This went into effect after it became clear that most of the outbreaks were from people fleeing other states with high numbers of cases. 

[ysette9]

Perfect hiking weather at Mt. Rainier earlier this week.

The trail we took was a bit busy.  Probably only 1/2 of people wearing masks, but those that weren't generally turned away as they passed and most places you could find a way to get some distance.

Regular toilets in the park were closed, but they had lots of sanitizer dispensers outside and inside the honey buckets.

Sadly the road that goes around the park is closed due to winter storm damage, so it isn't the best time to visit if you want to see both Paradise and Sunrise.

A lot of the little resort cabin rental places on the road in had vacancies, but it was midweek.

That photo just makes me ahhhhhh.

I see Mt Rainier on a good day from my roof deck now but we haven’t been close up. I’d love to go but didn’t realize about the roads in winter. I have been meaning to look at places for a long weekend for a family getaway. Would you recommend anything for a family with littles by chance?

[ysette9]

Interesting to read this thread and the difficulty finding short term rentals when we are struggling to find a 6-month tenant for our house. Hah. Just not quite well enough located apparently.

[Dicey]

I see Flagstaff was mentioned. I'd also toss in Prescott, AZ.

[JoJo]

If you're out and about in September, I LOVE eastern Oregon.  Perfect camping weather, dry, not too hot or cold.  Load of free camping and very remote.  Hot springs, some free. 

I have a few eastern Oregon guides for my favorite spots here:  https://thehotflashpacker.com/oregon/

[markbike528CBX]

Perfect hiking weather at Mt. Rainier earlier this week.

The trail we took was a bit busy.  Probably only 1/2 of people wearing masks, but those that weren't generally turned away as they passed and most places you could find a way to get some distance.

Regular toilets in the park were closed, but they had lots of sanitizer dispensers outside and inside the honey buckets.

Sadly the road that goes around the park is closed due to winter storm damage, so it isn't the best time to visit if you want to see both Paradise and Sunrise.

A lot of the little resort cabin rental places on the road in had vacancies, but it was midweek.

That photo just makes me ahhhhhh.

I see Mt Rainier on a good day from my roof deck now but we haven’t been close up. I’d love to go but didn’t realize about the roads in winter. I have been meaning to look at places for a long weekend for a family getaway. Would you recommend anything for a family with littles by chance?

Given that your location indicates Bay Area CA, I 'd doubt greatly that you could see Rainer.   Other location, other mountain?   The closest stratovolcano to the Bay area is Mt. Lassen, but I'd doubt you could see that either.

[ysette9]

Perfect hiking weather at Mt. Rainier earlier this week.

The trail we took was a bit busy.  Probably only 1/2 of people wearing masks, but those that weren't generally turned away as they passed and most places you could find a way to get some distance.

Regular toilets in the park were closed, but they had lots of sanitizer dispensers outside and inside the honey buckets.

Sadly the road that goes around the park is closed due to winter storm damage, so it isn't the best time to visit if you want to see both Paradise and Sunrise.

A lot of the little resort cabin rental places on the road in had vacancies, but it was midweek.

That photo just makes me ahhhhhh.

I see Mt Rainier on a good day from my roof deck now but we haven’t been close up. I’d love to go but didn’t realize about the roads in winter. I have been meaning to look at places for a long weekend for a family getaway. Would you recommend anything for a family with littles by chance?

Given that your location indicates Bay Area CA, I 'd doubt greatly that you could see Rainer. Other location, other mountain?   The closest stratovolcano to the Bay area is Mt. Lassen, but I'd doubt you could see that either.

Haha, I forgot about location being in my profile here. We moved to Seattle a month ago from the Bay Area.

[lhamo]

I see Mt Rainier on a good day from my roof deck now but we haven’t been close up. I’d love to go but didn’t realize about the roads in winter. I have been meaning to look at places for a long weekend for a family getaway. Would you recommend anything for a family with littles by chance?

A few years ago we had an extended family weekend (with my brother and his family and my sister) at this place, which was great:

https://mounthaven.com/

You'd want to look closely at reviews/layouts -- the cabin we stayed in had a loft and would not have been suitable for really little kids (ours were probably 7-10ish at the time?).

There is a great restaurant a short walk away that has amazing Nepali food as well as yak burgers -- the people who run it immigrated via their connections to the big mountaineering orgs that are in the area.

[nereo]

I'm in Calif now and we are getting very close to full lockdown again so may have limited options if other states are the same. I'd love Maine (favorite state) but my understanding is that they are still not allowing long term vacation rentals to people from "away" - especially if they are coming from a state with high infection rates.

And Canada is off to because of border closures. Unless I want to hone my climbing skills on their soon-to-be-erected wall keeping us diseased 'Mericans out ;-).

FWIW, Maine's current guidelines allows visitors to either a) get a recent negative Covid-19 test or b) self-quarintine for 14 days.  It's all based on self-reporting, and I recently had a friend from Seattle come stay with her parents and complete her self-quarantine by renting a lakeside cabin, getting curb-side pickup for groceries and otherwise avoid interacting with people face-to-face.  She thought it was a lovely vacation.

more info here:
https://www.maine.gov/covid19/restartingmaine/keepmainehealthy/faqs

FWIW, our state has way down in terms of vacation rentals - many areas by more than 60%, and the crowds are way down too (thankfully).  IMO fall is the best time to visit, as the weather is great (fewer bugs), foliage is amazing and in a typical year the tourists start to retreat while most everything remains open through October.

[markbike528CBX]

Perfect hiking weather at Mt. Rainier earlier this week.

The trail we took was a bit busy.  Probably only 1/2 of people wearing masks, but those that weren't generally turned away as they passed and most places you could find a way to get some distance.

Regular toilets in the park were closed, but they had lots of sanitizer dispensers outside and inside the honey buckets.

Sadly the road that goes around the park is closed due to winter storm damage, so it isn't the best time to visit if you want to see both Paradise and Sunrise.

A lot of the little resort cabin rental places on the road in had vacancies, but it was midweek.

That photo just makes me ahhhhhh.

I see Mt Rainier on a good day from my roof deck now but we haven’t been close up. I’d love to go but didn’t realize about the roads in winter. I have been meaning to look at places for a long weekend for a family getaway. Would you recommend anything for a family with littles by chance?

Given that your location indicates Bay Area CA, I 'd doubt greatly that you could see Rainer. Other location, other mountain?   The closest stratovolcano to the Bay area is Mt. Lassen, but I'd doubt you could see that either.

Haha, I forgot about location being in my profile here. We moved to Seattle a month ago from the Bay Area.

While it is acceptable to have superpowers on this forum, they are usually limited to financial superpowers.

[mm1970]

Colorado is chaos right now with no one traveling and people looking to get outdoors.

We went camping above 10,000 ft this weekend to try and get away from the heat / crowds and it was so busy they shut the roads down and trails that normally had a couple of people on them had lines 2 or 3 wide of people hiking so no social distancing was possible.

Heck even the roads from the campground to the trailheads had so many people on them that I could not ride my bike through the crowds without constantly asking people to step aside it was shoulder to shoulder with people because the trailhead parking and overflow parking were full.

I cannot speak for the rest of Colorado but anything within a few hours drive of the front range is crazy busy :(


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Same experience in Calif for me. I "tried" to do a short tent camping trip in the Sierras but it was so slammed with people I couldn't find a campsite and trails, which are normally fairly empty,  were packed so went home after a few days. I would really love to just do a road trip to many northern areas but am afraid everywhere will be too crowded and I wouldn't be able to find campsites (no way am I staying in nightly motels or AirBNBs) so I think staying in one place (one house) would be the best for now. Not seeing much availability for places online though. Might have to look at a longer term (6 months?) regular rental in order to find availability. Probably works out to the same cost as a vacation rental.

ETA I just saw that Calif, and especially the LA metro area, is likely to shutdown very soon and that means parks, beaches, trails, lodging, camping, etc will all close again. So anyone who is planning to travel here might be SOOL for awhile.

And now New York state says anyone from here has to quarantine for 14 days. 

[ysette9]

Perfect hiking weather at Mt. Rainier earlier this week.

The trail we took was a bit busy.  Probably only 1/2 of people wearing masks, but those that weren't generally turned away as they passed and most places you could find a way to get some distance.

Regular toilets in the park were closed, but they had lots of sanitizer dispensers outside and inside the honey buckets.

Sadly the road that goes around the park is closed due to winter storm damage, so it isn't the best time to visit if you want to see both Paradise and Sunrise.

A lot of the little resort cabin rental places on the road in had vacancies, but it was midweek.

That photo just makes me ahhhhhh.

I see Mt Rainier on a good day from my roof deck now but we haven’t been close up. I’d love to go but didn’t realize about the roads in winter. I have been meaning to look at places for a long weekend for a family getaway. Would you recommend anything for a family with littles by chance?

Given that your location indicates Bay Area CA, I 'd doubt greatly that you could see Rainer. Other location, other mountain?   The closest stratovolcano to the Bay area is Mt. Lassen, but I'd doubt you could see that either.

Haha, I forgot about location being in my profile here. We moved to Seattle a month ago from the Bay Area.

While it is acceptable to have superpowers on this forum, they are usually limited to financial superpowers.

I feel like you are being unnecessarily limiting here. My 6 year-old insists all the time that magic is real.

[ysette9]

I see Flagstaff was mentioned. I'd also toss in Prescott, AZ.

I love Flagstaff and Prescott but too hot and dry. Well once outside of town. Leaning toward going to the PNW (coastal) and hope to find somewhere up north we can stay for at least all of Aug. in one place. Then, if the world doesn't end in the Covid apocalypse, go thru the northern Rockies and northern mid-west states (I've never been except to drive thru) to Maine. As @nereo said its the place to be in late fall. Or home if things don't work out.

Be sure to wave at me as you do your adventure if you end up in the PNW!

[ysette9]

I see Flagstaff was mentioned. I'd also toss in Prescott, AZ.

I love Flagstaff and Prescott but too hot and dry. Well once outside of town. Leaning toward going to the PNW (coastal) and hope to find somewhere up north we can stay for at least all of Aug. in one place. Then, if the world doesn't end in the Covid apocalypse, go thru the northern Rockies and northern mid-west states (I've never been except to drive thru) to Maine. As @nereo said its the place to be in late fall. Or home if things don't work out.

Be sure to wave at me as you do your adventure if you end up in the PNW!

Will do. I'll be the blonde wearing a mask ;-). I also thought you were still in the Bay Area and wondered how you were able to view My Rainer but decided not to ask. Good luck with your house rental. I think short term (weekly and monthly) vacation rentals are very hard to find right now but regular 6 month and longer rentals are pretty slow due to the uncertainty of the job market. Rentals around here are unusually slow but AirBNBs are pretty solidly booked.

Perfect! I’ll be the blond in the mask waving back!  ;-)