Hello all, I will be flying into Seattle next Wednesday morning. Can anyone recommend some good 3 night hikes within a couple hours of of Seattle? Going solo and have gear to get me down to 15 degrees. Unfortunately no gaiters but I do have some waterproof Montrail mid tops and wpb outer year. I will be bringing a six moon designs skyscape so heavy winds will be limiting. Looks like forecasts are calling for a couple of inches of snow at higher elevations. Also, I have a gossamer gear gorilla pack so trying to avoid bear canister areas. So far I've been looking at north cascades, wonderland trail and enchantment lakes. Some fishing would be nice too but not necessary. any info on weather for these areas would be helpful. Sorry this all appears jumbled but I'm typing on my phone as my ship is about to leave port. Thanks for the help everyone!

http://www.nwhikers.net/ is your best source of information.

A few items:
First, there are a lot of forest fires going on; where it isn't burning, it's smoky.
Second, the general hunting season starts this coming Saturday; plan to wear blaze orange.
Third, the long overdue rainy season is forecast to start this Friday. While we hate to see the end of our extended summer, we'd love to see enough rain to put out all the above-mentioned fires! Areas above 6,000 feet will see snow this weekend, so you probably want to avoid those areas. Be prepared for soggy conditions!

To avoid bear canister areas, skip Olympic National Park and North Cascades National Park (I don't know if NCNP actually requires them yet, but they have been talking about it.) Otherwise, no issues.

Edited by hikinggranny on 10/09/2012 23:45:05 MDT.

+1 to what Mary said

I'm afraid you're too late for all those great areas you mentioned. Too late in the season. There'll be lots of snow this weekend. See http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/weather/10_day.cgi

If you're here in a rainy period, East of the Cascades is often better. Or on the East side of the Olympics at lower elevation. I think there are some backpack trips there that don't require canisters.

FWIW, I was in NCNP a few months ago and they only required bear canisters in the sub-alpine areas. I went down the stehekin river valley and did not need one.

Thank you everyone for your input and advice! I'm still debating to cancel my ticket and save it for elsewhere. Mary D, I checked out NWhikers and it's a great wealth of information. A lady posted a trip report to the Enchantments and said it was perfect. Catch is that she went this past Thursday right before the front moved through. I've been monitoring these areas using www.mountain-forecast.com, a pretty good weather sight. I had booked my ticket on a whim hoping to get a last hoorah in out west before the weather went down but as luck would have it otherwise was proved. The forecast, however, is looking favorable in lower elevations (less than 6500'). I've been in contact with a couple of ranger stations and they seem optimistic. My only worry is I haven't used my SMD Skyscape yet and winds are blowing 25-35mph. I'll be doing the trip solo and am unsure if this is a comfortable wind range for the shelter without testing it in a more comfortable setting. I have faith in my skills but err on the side of caution. Again folks, thanks for helping make this community an informative place!

Pitch the tent in a sheltered location and you should be fine.

We could easily have another month or two, but you have to be increasingly watchful of the weather