Gilbert Peak in Goat Rocks Wilderness is a classic Washington scramble.
Why look back? Personally, I reflect back in my year of travel—both trips for Seattle Met coverage and just for fun—for reasons beyond simply gathering photos for my Christmas card. I like to catalog the best places I visited, bookmarking them so I can recommend them to my friends and celebrate great places. To remember why I drove three hours for a hamburger. And, most importantly, so I can remember to go back.
Mount Yotei, as seen from Niseko United ski resort, has a familiar shape.
Japan
Scenic Hot Springs has, ironically, views of mostly trees.
Skykomish
While the stretch of US Highway 2 over Stevens Pass remains closed after December’s devastating rains, I think about the stunning Scenic Hot Springs I visited early in the year as I reported our list of the region’s best hot springs. The historic site had been rebuilt by Skykomish locals who wanted to capture the forest’s hidden charms; I hold out hope that the area can recover quickly.
The antique stores of Snohomish are full of American classics.
Snohomish
In another area hit hard by floods, the town of Snohomish has plenty of relics to protect. I wandered the string of antique stores that make up the town’s main blocks in September, giggling over the strange collectibles. This town is so close to Seattle that it almost counts as a suburb, but it has maintained its own identity by embracing ephemera, knickknacks, and oddities. It’s worth the day trip.
Caldwell, Idaho
The best meal I ate in the entire year was a half hour outside of Boise, on a downtown block filled with old brick and old-timey streetlamps. The tacos at Amano, a restaurant that earned a James Beard award for chef Salvador Alamilla this year, were a stunning parade of flavor and textures. I’d never heard of tiny Caldwell before this, but it looms large on my culinary map now.
Lake Louise becomes Canada’s most scenic skating rink in winter.
Lake Louise, Canada
We have big mountains here in Washington—or at least they feel big until you drive through Alberta and see the Rockies looming over the road. In a weeklong backcountry ski trip across the Wapta Icefield, I was struck by the immense beauty of Canada; in our launchpad of Lake Louise, I got to ice skate on some of it. There’s a reason this has been a vacation destination for more than 100 years.
A yellow-bellied marmot finds his best angles at Palouse Falls.
Palouse Falls
I stopped by one of the state’s best known waterfalls in March, and at first I trained my camera on the water. After all, I was including it our Washington State Bucket List for the awe-inspiring 180-foot cascade. But it was the resident yellow-bellied marmots that immediately stole the show, posing as if they’d been paid to do so.
Sometimes pit stops are exciting.
Ridgefield, WA
My trip to the state’s first In-N-Out location wasn’t very scenic, and since it was built around a fast-food meal, it was hardly a cultural deep dive. But I will say this about my August trek south on I-5: It was the trip that drew the most comments and queries from my friends this year. Everyone loves a double-double.
Goat Rocks Wilderness
This wasn’t my first time in the mountains south of Packwood, an area well known by Pacific Crest Trail hikers and a great option when Mount Rainier feels crowded. But in one of my favorite trips ever to this wilderness area, I scaled Gilbert Peak for big, sweeping views of Washington forest and craggy rock. Also, we saw almost no one else.
My trip to Sayulita, Mexico, was one of the best last-minute decisions I made in 2025.
Sayulita, Mexico
It was sunny. It was beachy. It was…the filming location for Bachelor in Paradise. My June vacation to Mexico was planned at the last minute but somehow turned out perfectly. Just how did I end up in a reality TV paradise? Look for the story coming in 2026.