I decided to go on a hike this weekend. It was kind of last-minute - I didn’t really plan for it, I just woke up at a reasonable hour to nice-ish weather and decided I wanted to get outside for a bit. So I packed up my car and took off to one of my favorite hikes off of Highway 2.
It was relatively busy, but because it’s a lesser-known hike, I was able to enjoy the view at the top alone for a few minutes before turning back down.
Once I was in my car heading back home, I realized what day it was (Sunday), what time it was (about 3pm) and what time of year it was (summer now, I guess). It all hit me when I reached the stop-and-go traffic about ten minutes down the road. Summer traffic on westbound Highway 2 on a Sunday. Everyone who spent the weekend boating on the east side of the mountains were now heading back home. I had a long time to reflect on my mistake (about an extra 90 minutes, thanks to traffic), and I thought about how this experience compared to my visit to the Puyallup Tulip Festival a few months ago.
The Puyallup Tulip Festival is a beautiful, popular, and exciting traffic jam for about a month and a half every spring. It can take hours to get from the I-5 exit to the parking lot, just to try to find a couple feet of personal space in the fields to enjoy the blooms. The crowds are really the main reason I hardly ever go. But one day after work, a spring storm rolled through town, and I was avoiding going back home to the apartment I desperately needed to clean, so I opted for a little adventure.
When I rolled into the parking lot after a quick 30 minute drive south from Bellingham, there were just two other cars there. I changed into my hiking shoes that have a permanent home under the back seat of my car (for emergencies like this, ya know) and strolled up to the garden.
I got to appreciate the entire 50 acres of tulips and daffodils in peak-bloom completely alone. Looking back on this little excursion on a stormy Wednesday, I have a few tips for people trying to avoid crowds while embarking on their own PNW adventures.
Avoid Weekends.
Okay, this is barely even a tip, considering how obvious it is, but it’s true. A lot of people do nothing but work during the week, and save all of their social activities, fun events, or little getaways for the weekend (which is totally fair by the way). But because most people take this approach, there will always be crowds on the weekends, especially in the summer or for a popular event like the Puyallup Tulip Festival.
Even if you work a 9-5, the longer daylight hours in the summer here in the pacific northwest are a perfect reminder that you can do things after work. Truly a crazy concept for some people (my old self included). You could try to work a half day, or just take off some random day to do a day trip or local event. If it’s at all possible, avoiding weekends is the easiest way to skip the crowds.
Go Early. Like Really Early. Like 4am.
If it’s absolutely impossible to go on a weekday instead (which I get, some things are just too far away or long or complicated to do in the middle of the week), another option is to avoid the peak times. If it’s something you can plan on your own (like a hike or road trip, not a specific ticketed event), consider stretching your concept of a “reasonable” wake up time is. I’m no stranger to a 2am alarm so I can drive 4 hours to that one hike I just have to do this summer. Is it crazy? Maybe. Have I ever regretted it? Not once.
If the idea of going early just sucks all of the joy out of your plans, then consider going late. Turn that day-hike into a sunset hike to make sure you can still get a parking spot at the trailhead. Consider taking the last ferry back from the San Juans to enjoy Friday Harbor with a bit less chaos. The point is to avoid that mid-day timing that everyone else happens to have.
Plan to be flexible.
If you have a list of several outings or events that interest you, you can hop on any opportunity that pops up. I knew I was relatively interested in the Tulip Festival, but I just didn’t want to deal with the crowds. So I did my research, and found out they sell tickets at the garden, weekdays are less expensive than weekends, and the fields are always muddy, even when it’s sunny out. When the rain came, I was able to take advantage of the opportunity when so many others canceled their plans, without wet feet.
Don't let the weather get you down.
Speaking of rain, although it seems like most PNW adventures happen in the summer, rain does still happen. As does smoke, mosquitos, and road closures. All of these things reduce crowds, and some of them are workaround-able. A rainy hike can be a ton of fun if you know you have new socks and a warm snack to look forward to back in your car. A hazy forecast of smoke can make the light within some wooded hikes more interesting (I’m showing my photography bias here, aren’t I?). While there’s no upside to some things (I’m talking to you mosquitos - fuck you in particular), an attitude adjustment is sometimes all it takes to help you still enjoy a situation that other people don’t want to put up with.
Embrace shoulder seasons.
Mountain hikes have an unavoidably short season. That’s just the way it is. But other hikes are more accessible throughout the year. Learn how to look up mountain weather forecasts (the weather in the Enchantments is almost always drastically different from the weather in Leavenworth) so you can confidently tell if a hike is still accessible and safe, when others wouldn’t chance it.
You can apply this to some seasonal events as well. Sure, there’s about a two week period when those tulips were in peak-bloom, but they still looked lovely two weeks after. You can go to a pumpkin patch after Halloween or to the beach before July. As long as you’re aware of how it might impact your experience and you come prepared, shoulder seasons can be a lifesaver when it comes to avoiding crowds.
Summer in the PNW is undeniably beautiful. It’s my favorite season for a reason. But unfortunately, that’s a popular opinion. Things are still worth doing when they’re crowded, but if you get anxious around a lot of people, or you just want to avoid the crowds, hopefully these tips can help.
