Bartender Cindy Young pours a "Red Chair" IPA nitro beer from Deschutes Brewery at Louie's Bar in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, April 10th, 2014.John Storey/file photo
This sign on one of downtown Winthrop's distinctive ersatz western buildings points the way to Hwy 20, the road through the North Cascades, and the signposts below right list some of the classic destinations in the area.PAUL JOSEPH BROWN
Mazama – For visitors who can’t get over Winthrop’s cowboy-ness, Mazama is the elegant alternative. City dwellers will find all their PCC essentials at the Mazama Store, as well as beer and ice cream served in a courtyard complete with dog run. A small outdoor shop and a host of trails round out the experience.
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
a cruise to Stehekin Lodge aboard the Lady Of the Lake is offered in the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce;s VIP passport programseattlepi.com file photo
Participants pose for a photo on the first weekend of the annual Leavenworth Oktoberfest Saturday, October 4, 2014, in Leavenworth, Washington. The first Leavenworth Oktoberfest was held in October 1998 which was attended by about 400 people. Today more than a million tourists come to Leavenworth each year to celebrate. Leavenworth Oktoberfest continues on October 10-11 and 17-18.JORDAN STEAD/SEATTLEPI.COM
Kimbrough Mauney of Bellingham samples wine at the DaMa Wines tasting room in downtown Walla Walla. There are at least a dozen tasting rooms in and around the city center.Dan DeLong/Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island (not on NYT list), the highest point in San Juan Islands, part of 5,000-acre Moran State Park. Accessible by road or trail, the summit offers vistas of the San Juans, Mt. Baker, and distant Coast Range and Tantalus Mountains in British Columbia. (Robin Layton/Seattle P-I)
Robin Layton/Seattle P-I
Competitors watch the sheep herding competitions from the shade at the Vashon Sheepdog Classic on Vashon Island, June 10, 2016.LACEY YOUNG/SEATTLEPI.COM
Transient Orcas near Salt Spring Island, BC(Captain Jim Maya/www.mayaswhalewatch.biz)
33. You don't have a second home on Whidbey Island or somewhere scenic and Northwesty, like your native Seattle friends have had for generations.Arthur Meyerson/Getty Images/Aurora Creative
Seagulls on Second Beach at sunset near La Push, Olympic National Park, Washington, USAImage Source/Getty Images/Image Source
Suncadia Resort. Roslyn, WAGeorge White Location Photography/Suncadia
The summit ridge of Iron Peak, in the Wenatchee National Forest, offers an outstanding view of 9,415-foot Mount Stuart, at left. (seattlepi.com file)
Dennis and Karen Erickson of Beaverton, Ore., walk the Salmon Art Interpretive Trail in the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.
Evening sun lit lenticular clouds over the Northern Pickets (Crooked Thumb, Ghost, Phantom, Spectre). Aerial photo, February 15, 2013. Photo Steph Abegg.
Steph Abegg, Photographer/Climbe, Provided courtesy Burke Museum
A climber ascends the mountain as the sun rises during a summit of Mount Rainier on June 30, 2015. The iconic Pacific Northwest volcano is a popular challenge for mountaineers. (Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com)JOSHUA TRUJILLO/Credit
UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1970s: A mountain climber on the north-east side of Mount Hood, looking north to Mount Rainier (left) and Mount Adams (right), Washington State. The Columbia River is in the background.H. Armstrong Roberts/Getty Images
Hood River – Blazing sun and cold, cold Columbia River make
Hood River a national destination for water sports. Après-sun activities in
town round out the experience. And White Salmon is probably nicer than you
remember.
Jeff Larsen/Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Portland's Royal Rosarians wave to the crowd during the 2016 Seafair Torchlight Parade in downtown Seattle on Saturday, July 30, 2016.GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM
Bend – Beer? Yes. River floating? Yes. An intimate zoo-museum just south of town? Yes. Other beer? Oh yes.
KRT TRAVEL STORY SLUGGED: OREGON KRT PHOTOGRAPH BY EUGENE GARCIA/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (KRT - June 26) The view towards the central Oregon coast from Cannon Beach on the Northern coast. A place of many contrasts, rugged beauty and unassuming people, Oregon is best seen during the summer. (OC) PL KD 2000 (Horiz) (mvw) -- NO MAGS, NO SALES --EUGENE GARCIA/File
The Belmont Building, Union Club and Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, c1900s. Published by Valentine & Sons.Print Collector/Getty
David Faulk aka Mrs. Vera, has been creating costumes with his partner, Michael Johnstone, for themselves and friends, for San Francisco's LGBTQ Parade for 22 years now. Each year, they outfit lots of friends. Shown are photos of the group, known as Verasphere, from parades past. This photo was taken at the Folsom Street Fair.
Which means that for this last stretch of summer -- right between when the air is hazy and the beautiful, cold Seattle gray returns -- is a perfect time to head out and make the most of our region.
It won’t be long now before the 8 a.m. sunrises and 45-degree mist returns. The sweet sunscreen smells will soon make way for musky fleece and musty Gortex. Drinking will again be an indoor thing.
So before that happens, take a gander at the slideshow above to see where to make an escape to. Be careful: Many of these suggestions make the most of our state and take you to Eastern Washington, and just over our Canadian border, where fires are still burning.
But the air quality index is looking good across the board, so take those "good" readings and turn them into green lights for last-minute getaways from Seattle.
Click through the gallery above to see some suggestions.
