Since joining Seattle Met in 2011, Allison Williams has overseen the magazine’s travel and outdoor coverage, including deep dives into Olympic National Park, the Columbia River, and a Burger King drive-thru in Canada. She edits the travel-focused blog Tripster and contributes service, news, interview, and narrative pieces to the magazine, including long-form features about mountain mysteries and puppies in prison. She’s earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and been nominated for a City and Regional Magazine award. 

Allison was raised here in Olympia and studied writing at Duke University, Oxford University, Columbia Journalism School, and University of Alaska. She began her career in New York City in the newsrooms of Metro newspaper and Time Out New York, then hightailed it back to her native habitat so she could write guidebooks and climb mountains.

Frozen

Ways to Play in the Snow near Seattle

Tubing hills, fat bikes, and where to take a sleigh ride.

01/03/2025 By Allison Williams

Let's Go

Where to Travel from Seattle in 2025

New nonstop flights, new hotels, new reasons to get out of town.

01/02/2025 By Allison Williams

Inspiration

Winter Road Trips from Seattle

Crank up the car heaters.

01/02/2025 By Allison Williams

Been There

The Best Places I Traveled in 2024

Islands, mountains, and the best roast duck I've ever had.

12/31/2024 By Allison Williams

Tickets to Ride

Seattle-Area Ski and Snowboard Shops

Where to gear up for a wild, snowy winter.

12/26/2024 By Allison Williams and Taylor McKenzie Gerlach

California Style

Catalina Island Is Dreamy. Especially When You Get Out of Town

It's an easy escape a few hours from Los Angeles, but it takes a little work to find the best corners.

12/16/2024 By Allison Williams

Explainer

Where Does the Snow Go?

How Seattle and surrounding cities keep their streets and freeways plowed.

12/10/2024 By Allison Williams and Eric Nusbaum

silver medal status

Vancouver, BC: The Backup City

How our urban neighbor serves as Seattle’s plan B for Taylor Swift, sports, flights, or a night at the craps table.

12/06/2024 By Allison Williams

What Lift Line

Skiing by Helicopter in Canada’s Big White North

Where we’re going, we don’t need chairlifts.

12/02/2024 By Allison Williams

Boarding Pass

Every Nonstop Flight from Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport and More

Head straight to London, Tokyo, Costa Rica, or Wichita, Kansas—no connection required.

11/25/2024 By Allison Williams

Lumberjacked up

How to Cut Down a Christmas Tree in the Woods

Free-range evergreens from our national forests await tinsel. Just grab a permit first.

11/21/2024 By Allison Williams

Muddy Boots

Shoulder Season Hikes for National Take a Hike Day

No, we don't know why it's in November.

11/15/2024 By Allison Williams and Seattle Met Staff

Lifted

Washington Ski Areas Debut New Chairlifts and Lodges

The snow is already falling. Here's what's new this ski season.

11/08/2024 By Allison Williams

The Ballot Cure

Where to Go Off-Grid (Ish) During Election Week

Run as far away from cable news as you possibly can.

11/01/2024 By Allison Williams

In Shape

Where to Rent an A-Frame Cabin in Washington

And why they’re so appealing in the first place.

10/14/2024 By Allison Williams

Pack Light

Short Fall Day Trips from Seattle

Get out of town for a bite-size adventure.

10/11/2024 By Allison Williams

Molecule School

Nobel Prize Winner David Baker Is Using AI for Good at UW

Building proteins takes a groundbreaking computer program and a lot of free bagels.

10/09/2024 By Allison Williams

Walk This Way

The Waterfront's New Elevated Walkway Finally Opens

It really ties the whole place together.

10/04/2024 By Allison Williams

Branching Out

Where to Hike to See Larches near Seattle

It's the golden season in the Cascades. Here's where to find fall's most beautiful trees.

09/30/2024 By Allison Williams

Pow Time

Ski Movie Season Hits Seattle

It's the on-screen party before the snow falls, with plenty of stoke to go around.

09/27/2024 By Allison Williams