In the Pacific Northwest, opportunities for adventures are growing exponentially; recreational participation is becoming increasingly popular, and attention to inclusion has made the outdoors more accessible than ever. Hopping on a plane to travel far away is no longer necessary in order to experience great adventures.
If you’re from the Pacific Northwest, you are most likely surrounded by an abundance of beauty and natural resources. Especially in Northwestern Washington, rivers like the Nooksack, Skykomish, Sauk, Snoqualmie, and Skagit rivers provide for notoriously epic scenery. Bodies of water cover about 4,842 square miles of Washington land which can ensure water exploration in almost any area in the state.
The diverse landscapes of Washington make it easier to find an assortment of activities in the outdoors to do. There are over 60 mountain ranges in Washington, meaning snow enthusiasts will always feel close to some powder. A seemingly endless supply of rivers and lakes web across the state for the river rafters and water lovers. Trails span almost 700 miles of Washington State parks, and that’s not even including trails in urban settings. The ocean, you ask? It’s only a road trip away from anyone in the state. Needless to say, Washington has a little something for everyone outdoors-wise.
Jasmine Goodnow, the associate sustainable tourism specialist at Western Washington University, in Bellingham, WA advocates for local travel. She calls it locavism a term meaning short-distanced, sustainable travel. In a 2020 interview, Goodnow explained the environmental drawbacks to travelling great lengths for fun.
“The minute we get on a plane, in my opinion, we really can’t call this sustainable tourism… The greenhouse gas emissions produced by planes due to tourism contributes up to 5% in the world's global greenhouse emission.”
Tourism, especially tourism involving plane rides, requires the heavy use of fossil fuels to travel far (unless you’re riding in a horse-drawn wagon). An experience close to home impacts the environment much less than traveling far for a similar activity.
Packrafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, and kayaking are among the countless sports that Washington’s beautiful outdoor features attract. The participation in these sports cultivate community within the locality. Goodnow advocates for adventuring in one’s local space not only to build relationships with people but to nurture a relationship with nature in one’s backyard. She said that one cannot develop a care and respect for the wild without firsthand experience. Often these experiences aren’t pursued because of the notion that a trip has to be located physically far away.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, travelling far away isn’t always possible anyway. Washington State’s tourism industry employed about 165,000 people in 2019 but accounted for 42% of all job losses in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is crucial to support local areas in the form of “micro-adventures” in order to invest in recreational opportunities that are so integrated into Washington State. Recreating is also a great outlet during this time period. Adventuring in your own backyard offers therapeutic exploration that has become harder to experience amidst the pandemic as many opportunities for excitement are on hold.
Not only are micro-adventures a sustainable way to make memories and have fun, touring your locale is available to everyone and costs much less than the far away vacations many associate with adventure. Many people experiencing poverty are at a disadvantage for enjoying the leisure of faraway vacations. Paid leave isn’t always accessible to everyone, and modes of transport to places outside of one’s local sphere can be expensive to achieve. Micro-adventures open up opportunities to find wonder and escape without needing to travel far when money is tight. The bus fare from Seattle to Snoqualmie Falls costs $6-7, the equivalent cost of two or three bags of beef jerky, which is much more affordable than a ticket to Hawaii.
Moral of the story: Pack a bag to explore the Pacific Northwest with the same gumption you would to fly to a different country. Don’t hesitate to visit that quaint brewery after a long day white water rafting on the Skagit River. Rent your gear from the local store owner that will remember your name months later.
Lastly, appreciate your home with a fresh pair of eyes: Experience Washington as a tourist would.
Sources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DwLMEGO15J8wBtvCIQp_rHKcBlnmNoEKtmo3kBxFIAQ/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DwLMEGO15J8wBtvCIQp_rHKcBlnmNoEKtmo3kBxFIAQ/edit
https://www.washingtoncountyinfo.com/for-tourists/how-many-mountains-are-in-washington-state.html
