Any greater King Co. area better for climbers?

[blackheart3a]

I may be possibly moving to the King County area from Montana. Is there any community there that would be better for a climber to live in or is more conducive to our lifestyle than any other there? Thanks for any info anyone could provide.

[DPS]

I like Issaquah due to its proximity to trail running, (Cougar, Tiger, Squak, Grand Ridge), rock climbing (North Bend), and accessible back country skiing, alpine rock, ice climbing and winter alpine climbing (Snoqualmie Pass).

 

The downsides are no climbing gym in town and it is not exactly a hip place for young people. Mostly family types.

[Pete_H]

Very different in king county than montana. Lot fewer sheep for one.

[wayne]

For socializing the epicenter is around the Fremont area. Gyms on all sides. Good access to hiways. Ballard is nice, climbers tend to like it.

[blackheart3a]

Thanks for the info everyone. What about the Maple Valley area? Too far out of the way?

Edited November 19, 2014 by blackheart3a

[obwan]

Thanks for the info everyone. What about the Maple Valley area? Too far out of the way?

 

Yeah - definitely way out of the way.

It depends a lot on what/where you'll be working, mode of transportation - traffic and commute times are at their extreme worse in King County.

Depending also on social life - most outlying areas don't qualify as any type of climbing community. As mentioned though, the Issaquah area is on the I-90 corridor, and easy access to the Pass for outdoor endeavors - again depends what you want to get done.

[blackheart3a]

I do all disciplines of climbing but tend to lean toward the ice/alpine stuff. I ski the backcountry and like to hike as well. Sounds like Issaquah is pretty centralized as far as all that goes.

[DPS]

There are quite a few folks in Issaquah who climb whom I have met through this website. I climb and ski with a couple of strong young alpinists who moved from Seattle to Issaquah and North Bend specifically for the proximity to climbing.

[jakedouglas]

North Bend is closer to Snoqualmie Pass and Leavenworth than Issaquah but further from the city and has fewer jobs, stores and amenities. It has a small community of trail runners, climbers and skiers, but not many people who do more than one of those. Issaquah has plenty of high quality trails, but I personally think the trails further east are a little more interesting.

 

It really just depends on how much you want to live in the city vs. a smaller town and whether you are going to be commuting to a job. I moved to North Bend from Seattle a year ago and I love it, but it doesn't work for everyone.

[genepires]

assuming you have a job already lined up, shouldn't you live near your work?

 

Biased here but I like Snohomish county much more. Index, leaven-worth, stevens pass, plenty of hiking around, mtn loop hwy areas and you don't have to drive through seattle to get to the n cascades park. Not driving through seattle is worth whatever redneck neighbor hassles I face.

[jon]

The traffic in greater king county has gotten orders of magnitude worse in the last 3 to 4 years. It's actually quite shocking having grown up here and coming back after moving away a few years ago. If you dare live further then 10 minutes from work make sure you live close to good public transportation options.

[Pete_H]

assuming you have a job already lined up, shouldn't you live near your work?

 

Biased here but I like Snohomish county much more. Index, leaven-worth, stevens pass, plenty of hiking around, mtn loop hwy areas and you don't have to drive through seattle to get to the n cascades park.

 

And way better meth!

 

Seriously though, Monroe seems to lack most of the community amenities one takes for granted in other towns. For example no brewpubs, no independent coffee shops. Starbucks near Albertsons and the T.G.I. Mcfuckwads seems to be the social hubs of the town.

 

Anyway, north bend and Issaquah seems to have more to them than strip malls. I do like the grocery outlet next to the stripper coffee box though.

[Bronco]

Baring could be the best of both worlds with its King County location (technically) and ok traffic. Plentiful banjo music and good access to Index.

[blackheart3a]

I'd have a company car and work weird hours so that doesn't necessarily matter much to me. (This coming from the guy who doesn't deal with traffic.)