Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to the
Pacific Northwest
Lush forests, a pristine coastline, awesome food, frothy
microbrews, and music and art galore - Pacific
Northwesterners have it good and they don't mind sharing.
Outdoor Adventures
You can't escape nature here. Even the big cities are punctuated by looming, snowy peaks:
Seattle's Mt Rainier, Portland's Mt Hood and Vancouver's North Shore Mountains. Not to
mention the raging rivers, rolling deserts, dense old-growth forests and glorious public
beaches that are never far from any urban landscape.
The region offers endless outdoor opportunities: camping, hiking, cycling, skiing and
mountaineering. And all that rain translates into a perfect storm of water sports; raft white
water, kayak lake and sea, and kiteboard through ripping winds.
Foodies & Locavores
Seattle, Portland and Vancouver are all rich in gourmet restaurants, as well as a wide range
of ethnic foods. Seattle boasts a long-established history of Northwest cuisine, while Port-
land's affordability has made it a relatively recent magnet for hot chefs. Vancouver offers
some of the best Chinese food outside, well, China.
There's an abundance of locally grown food, from berries and hazelnuts to wild mush-
rooms, seafood, cheese and grass-fed beef. Locavores abound, getting their fix in the
many specialty groceries, farmers markets and community gardens.
Beer, Wine & Coffee
In these parts, beverages are big. The nation's gourmet-coffee scene may have started in
Seattle, but dozens of artisan microroasters across the Northwest now produce some of the
best espresso in the world. In some coffee shops, pouring a latte is practically an art form.
Microbrewing also became famous here, within a stone's throw of the nation's highest
concentration of hop farms. Today, craft brewers pump out fragrant India Pale Ales (IPAs)
and more. Grapevines cover many hills, producing a harvest of intriguing reds and whites.
