A weekend of Lake Diablo and Mt Rainier!

The best thing about Washington is you will never get bored here due to a variety of places to explore within. I had friends over from Dallas for 4th of July weekend which was a perfect weather to be outdoors. Seattle summers are something we all look forward to. The city is at it’s best during summer. We wanted a laidback weekend where we didn’t have to rush through things to do. 

Day 1: Seattle on foot.

You have to check out the city on foot to get a true essence of it and immerse yourself to really get to know it. Walking around Pikes Market, strolling in the Sculpture Park are some of my favorites among the other awesome things to do around. I have more details on my other post. You can also check out my column “Local in Seattle”.

Day 2: Lake Diablo

we decided to go to lake Diablo near Northern Cascades. it’s about 3hrs away from Seattle. We drove to the lake enjoying the view of Northern Cascades on our way. Summer is definitely a good time to go here as you can take a dip in the water. There are two sides to the lake one side is near the campground and the other one is on the other side of the highway from where you can take your own kayaks, paddle boards in the lake. We decided to swim in the water. It was freezing cold even during summer. However, we succumbed to its beautiful turquoise color and went anyway. I wouldn’t deny how refreshing it was even though my body went numb. It was totally worth it.  We spent about half day there by the lake swimming in the water and driving around the entire stretch.

We then left for Seattle from there another three hours drive back. You can also stay at the campground near the lake or hotels. However, advance booking is recommended as summer is the peak time. On our way back we stopped at Pioneer square for some Indian food. I would say Nirmal’s is the best Indian restaurant near downtown Seattle. It’s the best authentic Indian food experience in Seattle so far. You will definitely find great Indian restaurants near Redmond and Bellevue areas but the closest one in Seattle has to be Nirmals. It’s a little expensive but totally worth it. Definitely, try their Mangalorean Fish fry for starters and rasmalai for dessert.

Day 3: Mt Rainier

It’s about 2 hrs drive from Seattle to Mt Rainier national park. Our first stop was at Crystal peak overlook point. You take a Gondola ride which is around 15$ per person roundtrip. It takes you to the peak and you have a beautiful view of Mt Rainier and Mt Adams in front of you and on the left (Mt Adams). After a lot of pictures, we had lunch at crystal peak lodge dining. Sitting in front of Rainier and enjoying lunch was indeed a heavenly experience. After Crystal peak, we left for Paradise point to get a closer view. While driving you to this point you literally see Rainier up close and it’s an unbelievable feeling.  Paradise point is comparatively crowded so we didn’t really wait there for long but you can go up the mountain from this point and play in the snow if you like. We then drove to Reflection lake which is on the way back from Rainier. Usually, when the lake is calm you can see the reflection of Rainier in it. But when we went it was oddly windy so we couldn’t see the reflection. However, the view was still mesmerizing.

We left from there around 6:00 PM it was another 3 hrs drive back to Seattle. We stopped at Chocolati Wallingford cafe on our way back. I would definitely recommend this place for coffee lovers. This is the best coffee I have tasted in Washington. The owner of the shop especially makes coffee for you over here and it’s the best one I have had so far. Their drip coffee and their latter with some variety of handmade chocolates.

There are so many ways in which you can plan your weekend in Washington and I am just trying my permutations and combinations here and was never once disappointed 🙂