UW is a ways from baker, but 1 hour and a half away from stevens, which has some sweet terrain and a nice park. You can make college as hard as you want, what are you planning or majoring in? Everything else you can figure out for yourself, best programs, whether its too expensive etc, do your own research. There are a few buses, but its also very easy to get a ride, we have one of the strongest regional NS scenes. Washington skiing is highly underrated, we just dont like these things to get around.~
If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask~