Issaquah sits about 16 miles east of Seattle at the base of the Cascade foothills, right off Interstate 90. It's an easy day trip or overnight stop if you're heading into the mountains, and it has more going for it than most Seattle suburbs.
The trails on Tiger Mountain and Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park start practically in town, making it one of the best places in the region to hike without a long drive. The Issaquah Alps — the local term for the three low forested peaks surrounding the town — offer miles of routes through second-growth forest with occasional views back to Puget Sound.
In fall, sockeye and Chinook salmon return upstream past town and you can watch them from the banks of Issaquah Creek at the Salmon Hatchery. Downtown has a genuine small-town feel with good independent restaurants and a walkable main street.