Looking for a warmer, sunnier getaway in WA. We want to find somewhere that's scenic, lots of trees/forest, on a lake, where my family and I can rent a cabin for a few days. We're in Bellevue, WA, so looking at somewhere no more than a 4-5 hr drive, if possible.

We have 2 young children (4 yrs and 1 mo.), looking for some fishing, swimming, and easy hiking. A cute little town where we could get supplies, or occasionally eat out and walk around would be a plus.

Is there a place like this?

Thanks for any help.

Lake Quinault on the Olympic peninsula is a delightful place: http://rainforestgetaways.com/html/l...t_lodging.html

If you you want to go where it is certain to be really hot, investigae Lake Chelan:
http://www.cometothelake.com/home.html

Both these lakes are less than four hours by car.

HTTY

Thank you HTTY for your reply, I'll look into both those places.

Which in your opinion is more scenic? Which drive would be more interesting?

Thanks again!

My Mom and Stepdad are taking my 12 year old daughter here: http://www.lakecrescentcottage.com/

She lived in Seattle for a number of years and loves Crescent lake.

All three of these lakes are scenic, but in different ways. I prefer Lake Crescent and Lake Quinault, which are small lakes surrounded by mountains and lush woods. Lake Chelan is a large lake in a much dryer part of Washington State.

Lake Crescent is my personal favorite, but Lake Crescent Lodge is the only good lodging option there and it fills up fast. Lake Quinault Lodge is also extremely pleasant and popular, and nearby are other lodging options.

The drive to Lake Crescent is scenic if you go the long way, up the west side of Hood Canal on Highway 101. The drive to Lake Quinault via Olympia and Aberdeen is not designated scenic by anybody I know.

However, since you want a "warmer, sunnier getaway," Lake Chelan is the obvious choice. In June, July, and August, the average high in Chelan is 77, 84, and 85, compared to 65, 69, and 69 at Lake Crescent and Lake Quinault. Also, Chelan has a little town and many dining options compared to the other two lakes.

The drive to Lake Chelan is scenic no matter which way you go. You could do a loop: 90 and 97 one way and 97 and 2 the other.

All these places are family friendly. I suggest you go Lake Chelan this summer and in September spend a night at Lake Crescent Lodge, driving there (or back) as I suggested. Book a room in the Marymere building, and you will have two queen beds right on the lake and a big grassy area in front for your children. You can take a delightful 2-mile roundtrip easy hike to Marymere Falls while you're there.

Thank you MomDDTravel for the Crescent lake suggestion. The cottage looks lovely, but our kids are too young to stay there. The pictures were beautiful though!

happytrailstoyou, I like the idea of trying out both places. The heat sounds good, and I saw they have a Water Slide Park in Chelan, but the pictures of Lake Crescent and Lake Quinault seem to be more scenic.

Thank you both!