Covid-safe Adventure Travel Ideas for 2021

If this was not a covid era then hawaii sounds PERFECT for you - though i will say i have still been seeing a ton of people travel there anyway

my friend lives somewhere near Guam .. i think Saipan or something like that and she said life was normal there. i don't think they even have been having covid cases on that island, i don't know for sure though. but it's really outdoorsy there, i believe.

The greater Seattle area (including Mount Rainier) satisfies all of your criteria, with the caveat that there will be rain on some days from September through November (August is pretty dry). But as long as some rain (it won't rain every day and most rainy days are only drizzly) doesn't bother you, you can be active, safe (very high vaccination rates here), see whales, etc. All in one metro region where the "great outdoors" is only a ~40 minute drive from downtown.

We are fully vaccinated so not too worried about traveling internationally if we can fly direct or through countries that also have good vaccination rates and appropriate restrictions. Obviously I'd prefer not to spend a lot of money traveling somewhere where half the attractions are closed or you can't enjoy everything there is to offer without a lot of restrictions.

I really want to sea kayak with orcas in Puget Sound! I'm not sure what else is out there (or how everyone is doing with all the heat) but it's on my list. Are there any must see/do things you'd recommend, or outfitters you've tried or heard good things about?

The heatwave only lasted 3 days, thank goodness! Now, we are back to glorious Seattle summer with hiking (anything from urban trails with old growth trees to Olympic National Park), beaches (lake, river, sound, ocean), swimming, etc. Basically, all the outdoor activities.

For whale watching, there are lots of good choices, depending on where you are staying. Puget Sound Express out of Edmonds and Port Townsend, or San Juan Excursions out of Friday Harbor (they have sea kayaking, too). We've had an amazing year for close-to-shore visits from the transient (mammal eating) pods. We have seen them from land in our neighborhood twice. The resident (fish eating) pods are up north for the summer, but they will be back (hopefully not deterred by increased commercial and tourist traffic)

Fall is so beautiful here with all of the tree color and [some] sunny days. Mostly mild temperatures until mid-November when it starts to get colder. And again, vaccination rates to be proud of!

Sounds lovely! I have never really spent any time in the specific northwest or done much exploring there (I grew up in the northeast and rode my bike across country, ending up in Florence, OR but ran out of money and couldn't stay longer to adventure more). But I'd love to see sea otters, kayak with orcas, and do some waterfall exploring and see some big old trees. My husband has a better sense of the area so I'll ask him some about it.

I appreciate all the great advice and will look into those vendors!