Part of Rainier's 'furniture,' Whittaker's is the home base of legendary Northwestern climber Lou Whittaker, who first summited the mountain at the age of 19 and has guided countless adventurers to the top in the years since. Down-to-earth and comfortable, this place has a good old-fashioned youth-hostel feel, with cheap sleeps available in six-bed dorms.
The alluring on-site Whittaker's Café & Espresso is a fine place to hunker down for breakfast – no cling-wrapped day-old muffins here. It's open weekends only in winter.