Photo: Meher Anand Kasam, CC BY-SA 3.0
Waterfall · 34 min east
Snoqualmie Falls
A 268-foot falls with an overlook a short walk from the parking lot.
- 1 hr
- Year-round
- Free upper lot (cross the sky bridge); the lower lot charges for parking
Day Trippin' › Washington › From Seattle › Within 3 hours
Places within 3 hours of Seattle
113 places are worth the drive within 3 hours of Seattle, counted by road time from ZIP 98101: 20 under 1 hour, 28 1 to 2 hours and 65 2 to 3 hours.
The mix leans toward hikes, small towns and beaches & lakes, mostly to the east and southeast. Three hours each way makes a long day trip, or an easy overnight if you would rather not drive back the same day.
The headline places are Snoqualmie Falls, Point Defiance Park and Skagit Valley tulip fields, and the closest real day trip is Snoqualmie and the Northwest Railway Museum (32 min).
Map: places within 3 hours of Seattle
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours
Under 1 hour from Seattle 20 places
Photo: Turtleey, CC BY-SA 4.0
Park · 49 min southwest
Point Defiance Park
A huge Tacoma park with old forest, beaches, gardens, a zoo and an aquarium.
- Half day
- Year-round
- Free park; zoo has a fee
Photo: ItsDaDoc, CC BY-SA 4.0
Museum · 32 min east
Snoqualmie and the Northwest Railway Museum
Ride a vintage train and see the old depot in the town from Twin Peaks.
- 2-3 hrs
- Year-round; trains run seasonally
- Train ride fee
Photo: USFWS Pacific, Public domain
Wildlife refuge · 56 min southwest
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
A boardwalk out over the delta with herons, eagles and huge flocks of ducks.
- 2-3 hrs
- Year-round; birds best fall-spring
- Refuge entry fee or America the Beautiful pass (Discover Pass not accepted)
Photo: Steven Pavlov, CC BY-SA 3.0
Town · 59 min northwest
Poulsbo
A Scandinavian-themed harbor town with bakeries and a waterfront park.
- 2-3 hrs
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Kgrr assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY 2.5
Trail · 36 min east
Little Si
A shorter, kid-friendly climb past mossy boulders to a rocky top.
- 2-3 hrs
- Year-round
- Discover Pass
More under 1 hour from Seattle, by type
- Hikes
- Mount Si (37 min), Rattlesnake Ledge (40 min), Carbon River (43 min), Snoqualmie Tunnel (46 min), Bloedel Reserve (52 min)
- Waterfalls
- Twin Falls (35 min), Franklin Falls (52 min), Wallace Falls State Park (1 hr)
- Beaches & lakes
- Point Ruston and the Ruston Way waterfront (44 min), Vashon Island (50 min), Gold Creek Pond (57 min)
- History
- Museum of Glass (37 min)
- Family fun
- Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (48 min)
- Mountains & views
- Snoqualmie Pass (49 min)
1 to 2 hours from Seattle 28 places
Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0
State park · 1 hr 26 min north
Deception Pass State Park
The famous bridge, swirling tide currents, beaches and forest trails.
- 2-4 hrs
- Year-round
- Discover Pass
Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
Town · 1 hr 45 min northwest
Port Townsend and Fort Worden
A Victorian seaport town plus a fort with bunkers, beaches and a lighthouse.
- Full day
- Year-round
- Discover Pass at Fort Worden
Photo: Gina from Kent, WA, USA, CC BY-SA 3.0
Farm · 1 hr 8 min north
Skagit Valley tulip fields
Miles of tulip and daffodil fields in bloom.
- 2-4 hrs
- Late March-April
- Farm entry fees
Photo: pnwnature, CC BY 3.0
Zoo · 1 hr 7 min south
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Tram tours past bison, elk and moose roaming free near Eatonville.
- Half day
- Year-round
- Entry fee
Photo: Cody Logan (aka clpo13), CC BY-SA 3.0
Scenic drive · 1 hr 29 min north
Chuckanut Drive and Larrabee State Park
A cliffside road over Samish Bay with tide pools and trails at the state park.
- 2-4 hrs
- Year-round
- Discover Pass
Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Viewpoint · 1 hr 41 min southeast
Crystal Mountain Gondola
Ride the gondola to a summit restaurant with a close-up view of Rainier.
- 2-3 hrs
- Year-round
- Gondola ticket
More 1 to 2 hours from Seattle, by type
- Small towns
- Langley (1 hr 3 min), Index (1 hr 6 min), La Conner (1 hr 11 min), Roslyn (1 hr 23 min), Anacortes and Washington Park (1 hr 33 min), Ashford (1 hr 39 min), Concrete (1 hr 40 min), Ellensburg (1 hr 42 min)
- History
- Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad (1 hr 28 min), Coupeville and Ebey's Landing (1 hr 28 min), Longmire (1 hr 57 min), Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake (2 hr)
- Hikes
- Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Serene (1 hr 5 min), Big Four Ice Caves (1 hr 26 min), Iron Goat Trail (1 hr 27 min)
- Waterfalls
- Tumwater Falls Park (1 hr 6 min), Silver Falls (Ohanapecosh) (1 hr 56 min)
- Scenic drives
- Mountain Loop Highway (1 hr 32 min)
- Wildlife
- Skagit River bald eagles (1 hr 44 min)
- Beaches & lakes
- Tipsoo Lake (1 hr 47 min)
- Family fun
- Port Townsend Marine Science Center (1 hr 47 min)
- Food & wine
- Sequim lavender farms (1 hr 51 min)
2 to 3 hours from Seattle 65 places
Photo: Roc0ast3r, CC0
Town · 2 hr 11 min east
Leavenworth
A Bavarian-style village with river walks and mountain views.
- Half day
- Year-round
- Paid parking
Photo: Cody Logan (aka clpo13), CC BY-SA 4.0
Viewpoint · 2 hr 48 min northwest
Hurricane Ridge
Drive right up into the Olympic Mountains for meadow walks, deer and big views across to Canada.
- 2-4 hrs
- Summer best; winter road open some days
- NPS entrance fee
Photo: Elwhajeff / Jefftaylor@xwb.com (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
Lake · 2 hr 39 min northwest
Lake Crescent
A deep, clear glacier-carved lake with a lodge, paddling and easy shoreline walks.
- 2-4 hrs
- Year-round; summer best
- None for the lake; NPS fee for some trailheads
- Confirm fees and hours before you go
Photo: laffertyryan, CC BY 2.0
Wildlife refuge · 2 hr 2 min northwest
Dungeness Spit
One of the world's longest sand spits, with birds, seals and a lighthouse at the end.
- 2 hrs to full day
- Year-round
- Refuge entry fee (federal passes and Duck Stamp accepted)
Photo: Thayne Tuason, CC BY-SA 4.0
State park · 2 hr 11 min east
Peshastin Pinnacles State Park
Sandstone spires with a short trail and orchard views.
- 1-2 hrs
- Spring-fall
- Discover Pass
Photo: Nadine Pavlov, CC BY-SA 4.0
Market · 2 hr 28 min east
Pybus Public Market
A food hall in an old steel warehouse on the Wenatchee riverfront.
- 1-2 hrs
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
More 2 to 3 hours from Seattle, by type
- Hikes
- Mowich Lake and Tolmie Peak (2 hr 2 min), Sauk Mountain (2 hr 3 min), Staircase (Olympic National Park) (2 hr 11 min), Icicle Gorge Loop (2 hr 15 min), Thunder Knob Trail (2 hr 24 min), Apple Capital Loop Trail (2 hr 29 min), Saddle Rock (2 hr 40 min), Cascade Pass (2 hr 44 min) and 4 more
- Beaches & lakes
- Lake Wenatchee State Park (2 hr 1 min), Baker Lake (2 hr 4 min), Reflection Lakes (2 hr 14 min), Ross Lake and Ross Dam Trail (2 hr 30 min), Picture Lake (2 hr 32 min), Colchuck Lake (2 hr 32 min), Salt Creek Recreation Area (2 hr 41 min), Potholes State Park (2 hr 48 min) and 2 more
- Mountains & views
- Sunrise (2 hr 4 min), Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park (2 hr 5 min), Frenchman Coulee (2 hr 15 min), Paradise and the Skyline Trail (2 hr 16 min), Diablo Lake Overlook (2 hr 24 min), Ohme Gardens (2 hr 24 min), Artist Point (2 hr 37 min), Coldwater Lake and Johnston Ridge (2 hr 44 min) and 2 more
- Small towns
- Newhalem and Trail of the Cedars (2 hr 12 min), Port Angeles (2 hr 13 min), Packwood (2 hr 13 min), Cashmere (2 hr 14 min), Westport (2 hr 24 min), Toppenish murals (2 hr 29 min), Cathlamet and Puget Island (2 hr 36 min), Soap Lake (2 hr 47 min) and 2 more
- Waterfalls
- Christine Falls (2 hr 4 min), Comet Falls (2 hr 4 min), Narada Falls (2 hr 11 min), Nooksack Falls (2 hr 14 min) and 2 more
Questions about places within 3 hours of Seattle
What are the best places within 3 hours of Seattle?
Our picks, by drive time, include Snoqualmie Falls (34 min), Point Defiance Park (49 min), Snoqualmie and the Northwest Railway Museum (32 min), Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (56 min) and Poulsbo (59 min). The full list on this page has 113 places, each with its drive time and direction from Seattle.
How many places are within 3 hours of Seattle?
48 places within 2 hours, 113 within 3 hours and 199 within 4 hours of Seattle, by road from ZIP 98101.
Are there free places within 3 hours of Seattle?
42 of the 113 places need no pass or fee, such as Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Soap Lake and Toppenish murals. Fees and passes change, so check each place before you go.
What can I do with kids within 3 hours of Seattle?
101 places are marked good for kids, including Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Simcoe and Frenchman Coulee.
How are the drive times worked out?
They are by real roads on a typical day, from the middle of ZIP 98101 to each place (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Traffic, weather and closures can change them. Places under 25 minutes from the city center count as in town, not a day trip, so they are left out.
Can I see places within 3 hours of my own home?
Yes. Type your ZIP code into Day Trippin' and it shows everything by drive time. Your ZIP is used for that one search and is not saved.
Keep planning
- Day trips from Seattle, by drive time
- All of Washington day trips
- Places within 2 hours of Seattle (48)
- Places within 4 hours of Seattle (199)
- Seattle weather by month
- Best hikes near Seattle
- Best waterfalls near Seattle
- Best beaches & lakes near Seattle
- Best mountains & views near Seattle
- Best small towns near Seattle
- Best history spots near Seattle
- Best wildlife spots near Seattle
- Places within 3 hours of Portland
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- Places within 3 hours of San Francisco
- Places within 3 hours of San Jose
- Places within 3 hours of Fresno
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- Places within 3 hours of San Diego
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.