I'm comparing Bellingham, Bend, Missoula, Fort Collins, Boulder, and Reno for summer/early fall backpacking, for a couple weeks of stay where I'll be backpacking during the weekends (1-2 nights).

My priorities:

Truly spectacular alpine scenery (non-negotiable and most important).

Reasonably sized city or bigger town with reliable Uber/Lyft, food delivery, car rentals, and everyday amenities. Smaller mountain towns like Leavenworth or Durango or Bishop , while beautiful, are a bit too isolated for my preferences (poor coverage for food delivery and rideshare wait times etc)

Plenty of 1–2 night backpacking options within a 2–3 hour drive.

Flexible permits (either easy permits or last-minute releases where I can secure permits 1-2 weeks ahead)

A big town or a city with decent restaurants and amenities.

I've previously backpacked/hiked in the North Cascades, Olympics, Wasatch, Uintas, Wind Rivers, and Tahoe, near SLC (LCC/BCC)

Which base would you pick, and why?…