Unique Stays in the Pacific Northwest

Washington's mountains are about an hour or two from Seattle and feel a world away: old-growth forest, glacial rivers and peaks that hold snow well into summer. The homes on this page were built by owners who know that landscape well.

At Index Cabins, on the North Fork of the Skykomish River beneath the granite Index Town Wall, geologist Nick Pietsch has designed every cabin himself, from a home made of two shipping containers to The Adventure Frame with its indoor climbing wall. Near Mount Rainier, Fjellsangin is a Nordic-inspired cabin ten minutes from the park's Nisqually Entrance, with a cedar sauna and hot tub.

Every home on Locèlle is listed by its owner, and you book with them directly, without added platform fees.

• Built by the owners. Cabins designed and largely built by the people who host them.
• Rivers and peaks. The Skykomish River, the Index Town Wall and Mount Rainier.
• Saunas and cold water. Riverside and forest saunas made for the Northwest climate.
• Book direct. Locèlle introduces you to the owners so you can book with them without platform fees.

July through September is the driest season and the best time for high-country hiking around Rainier. Winter brings skiing at Stevens Pass and the coziest sauna weekends. Spring and fall are quieter, greener and good for waterfalls.

Index is about an hour from Seattle by car via US-2, with Stevens Pass about 20 minutes further east. Ashford is roughly two hours south of Seattle and about ten minutes from Mount Rainier National Park's Nisqually Entrance. Seattle-Tacoma International is the nearest airport.

• Index: Bridal Veil Falls, river swimming and climbing on the Index Town Wall.
• Stevens Pass: skiing and snowboarding in winter.
• Mount Rainier: Paradise, Comet Falls and the Skyline Trail.