We write weekend guides because we kept wasting our own.
Not in a dramatic way. We weren't miserable. We just kept ending up on the couch, scrolling, saying "we should do something" and then not doing it. Sunday would come, and we'd realize the weekend was gone and we had nothing to show for it.
It wasn't a motivation problem. It was a planning problem. Figuring out where to go, what to do, whether a place is actually worth the drive — that takes time. And by the time you've researched it, the weekend is half over.
So we started writing things down. Not reviews or listicles — actual guides based on things we'd done, places we'd been, and mistakes we'd already made. The kind of honest advice you'd text a friend who asked "Hey, what should we do this weekend?"
What makes us different
We're not a travel blog with sponsored press trips. We're not aggregating other people's reviews. Every guide on this site comes from personal experience — weekends we've actually had, trails we've actually hiked, restaurants where we've actually eaten (and sometimes sent food back).
Our Leavenworth guide? We own two places there and visit 15+ times a year. Our hiking guides? Written after years of dragging kids up trails and learning what actually works. We write from experience, we're honest about what didn't work, and we only recommend what we'd actually do again.
What you'll find here
- Destination guides — In-depth weekend getaway guides for PNW destinations, written by locals who actually go there. Starting with Leavenworth, expanding to Olympic Peninsula, San Juan Islands, Bend, and more.
- Activity guides — Practical guides for couples, families, and friend groups covering everything from date nights to game nights to family hikes.
- Seasonal ideas — Timely guides timed to holidays and long weekends so you don't waste another three-day weekend on the couch.
The person behind it
Weekend Basecamp is built by a software engineer, dad of two, and someone who takes weekends seriously. We're based in the Pacific Northwest, and most of our adventures happen within a few hours of Seattle.
We own a couple of vacation rentals in Leavenworth, which means we visit constantly. That insider knowledge is the foundation of our destination guides — and it's the standard we hold ourselves to for every place we cover.
When we're not writing guides, we're hiking with our kids, playing pickleball at the Y, planning our next camping trip, or arguing about whether the drive to Leavenworth should take Highway 2 or I-90 to 97 (it's Highway 2, and I will die on this hill).
How we make money
Weekend Basecamp is reader-supported. When we recommend a tour, activity, or piece of gear, we link to partners like Viator, GetYourGuide, and REI. If you book or buy through those links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We never recommend things we wouldn't use ourselves, and we're always transparent about affiliate relationships.
"The weekends you remember aren't the ones where everything was perfect. They're the ones where everyone was present."