Suitable weather months for hiking/roaming (Seattle, Spokane: moving to, vacation, activities)

[Spiritrunner]

Greetings, I'm planning to venture up to Bellingham for some hiking/cycling fun in October & staying for a few weeks.

Are consistent heavy rains & possible light snow common weather throughout October?

If they are I'm also open to visiting other PNW towns that have less rain in October.

Thanks!

[509]

The weather is usually awful in western Washington and Bellingham in October.

The weather is however, perfect east of the Cascades. Sunny, blue skies with lows in the 40's and high temperatures in the 70's. It is the best time of year.

Check out.Outdoors | The Spokesman-Review for the Spokane area. Do a search on Spokane outdoors for other sites. Spokane is the best outdoor city in the US.

For Wenatchee: Wenatchee Outdoors | Muscle-powered outdoor sports

Both areas are known for the cycling. Tri-Cities is also close to lots of outdoor stuff, but you will have to search on the internet for sites.

Anyway, stick to east of the Cascades in October. Really the only time you want to be in western Washington for outdoor activities is July, August and parts of September.....and even at those times....remember your rain gear.

[mishigas73]

Originally Posted by Spiritrunner

Are consistent heavy rains & possible light snow common weather throughout October?

No, consistent heavy rains are not common in Western Washington in October.

Neither is snow- unless you are planning to be higher up in the Cascades or Olympics.

Originally Posted by Spiritrunner

If they are I'm also open to visiting other PNW towns that have less rain in October.

Thanks!

As has been stated, places in Eastern Washington might be an alternative. In terms of terrain and the overall "feel", it tends to be very different than west of the Cascades, so bear that in mind as you plan if such things are important to you.

[Ruth4Truth]

October is really the wrong choice of month for hiking and outdoor activity in Western Washington. With luck, you might find some dry weather in the first 1/3 of the month, but there's no guarantee. It sounds like you didn't do your research before planning your trip. Also, the weather in the area has been more rainy in that month than in the past. May through September are usually best, but a couple of years ago, even September was rainy. Warmer oceans means that more water evaporates into the sky and comes down as rain in the Autumn months.

[Spiritrunner]

Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions! I will look into east of the Cascades for more details

[mishigas73]

Originally Posted by 509

Anyway, stick to east of the Cascades in October. Really the only time you want to be in western Washington for outdoor activities is July, August and parts of September.....and even at those times....remember your rain gear.

Wow, it's amazing how experiences can be so different.

OP, why did you choose Bellingham initially? That may help for suggestions of other places you might want to check out.

[509]

As you gain in elevation the weather gets much worse.

Remember the reason eastern Washington is desert is that ALL the moisture is dumped in western Washington!!

So in October a light raining day in Bellingham can easily be a downpour, foggy, cloudy mess on the hiking and bicycling trails at higher elevation. I have spent enough days working in weather like that....I would not want to do it on my vacation.

[Hemlock140]

What's a little rain? We hike all year, except in most years when November brings a windstorm with heavy rain. Most of the year it's a steady but very light drizzle. Just wear a waterproof jacket with a hood. Here in Sammamish we have a lot of great trails, some paved like along th lak, but more rain than Bellingham.

[509]

After 35 years in eastern Washington I finally bought a rain jacket. I don't intend to use unless it is an emergency.

[pikabike]

The rain jackets I had before moving to western WA only got used to break cold wind or snow. After moving here, they got used for wind, alright, as well as rain. Lots of it from mid-October through December, with a fair number of rainy days beyond those edges also.

You will definitely need a rain jacket with hood or waterproof brimmed hat. The Seattle Sombrero is popular for GOOD REASON! Your shoes or boots should waterproof, too. Not necessarily full-coverage waterproof like Boggs neoprene, but at least up to the ankles. Think along the lines of Keens--the waterproof versions; they make waterproof and non-waterproof versions of the same shoe, in many models.

Light snow in October would be a higher-elevation event. Depends where you hike.