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Seattle’s Great Outdoors - 2

Seattle’s Great Outdoors

Dig for clams, rent a sailboat or hit the hiking trails in the hills for some memorable outdoor adventures on your next Seattle family vacation.

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If you’re really ambitious, you can continue from the lake along the ship canal that heads all the way to the Ballard Locks on one side, and enormous Lake Washington on the other. Another great way to get on the water, and take in some maritime history, is to check out a sailboat or dinghy from the Center for Wooden Boats (1010 Valley St., tel. 206-382-2628) on the south end of Lake Union. Joe had his first ride in a historic replica catboat we rented from there.

Leisure Time at Seattle's Lakes

Seattle’s version of New York’s Central Park is Green Lake Park, located in the Wallingford neighborhood that boasts a glacial lake and has a paved, three-mile path where the city’s walkers, joggers, rollerskaters, and stroller-pushing mommies convene during daylight hours. 

Enter from anywhere around the park to reach basketball courts, playfields, and a fine playground adjacent to the Green Lake Community Center on the north end of the lake (Joe says try the swings: Best in town). Get there early in the morning to watch the rowing teams pull their shells across the lake.

The old West Green Lake Beach bathhouse now houses the Seattle Public Theater, and there are plenty of cafes and restaurants near the park.

While Green Lake looks pretty, it isn’t so great for swimming. Instead, let your kids enjoy the wading pool, or on hot days, head to Golden Gardens Park beach in Ballard, where the water is absolutely freezing, but clean, or to Matthews Beach in the Sand Point neighborhood of Northeast Seattle, which has a sandy beach on warm Lake Washington, with lifeguards in the summer.

  • Kayaks and paddleboats are available for rent at Green Lake.
  • Ricardo Martins

Urban Hiking Trails

Hiking is everywhere in the Seattle region, and for guided hikes you can contact The Mountaineers organization (tel. 206-284-8484), which conducts thousands of activities every year.

A favorite place to escape the city and get away from it all is the “Issaquah Alps,” the suburb on the east side of the city in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

At Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park there are 36 miles of woodsy trails, and cool things like old mining camps (see www.metrokc.gov/parks/parks/cougarmountain.html for access information).

In the winter, the closest ski area is Snoqualmie Pass, on I-90 about 45 minutes due east from Seattle, but locals prefer the runs at Stevens Pass, off Highway 2, about an hour’s drive northeast of the city.

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1 Comments on this article | read all comments
speckle614

Activities abound

by speckle614 on April 5, 2008

wow, thanks for all the options! i had no idea there was so much to do in Seattle--and you didn't even have to mention coffee.

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