Walking Trails To Find A Little Nature and Get Outside Without Heading to the Mountains
Now a days you need to get outside and smell the fresh air so you don’t go too crazy being cooped up during quarantine. Whether you need just a fun quick walk or you want to do some exploring rain or shine these picks are never a dud. We have so many great parks and places that surround us here in the Greater Seattle Area, but if you’re looking for something close here a couple of my favorites and some helpful tips along the way!
North End:
A well known spot up in Seattle, but even on a cloudy, rainy, or sunny day this place never gets old because of it’s almost 3 miles worth of forest, meadows, lighthouse, and water views. There is a visitor center on site where most people start their walk, bike, hike, or jog and they do have maps as the trails are a bit confusing for first-timers. It’s a loop trail so any starting point you eventually get back to where you started. There’s tons of wildlife around this area from eagles to herons, ducks, and plenty of cute dogs along the trail. On a sunny day you can see the Olympics and also Mt Rainier peaking through in the distance. But most people know Discovery park for the Lighthouse, which you can walk down the beach and see the infamous light house! If you’re looking for a good trail with biking, running, walking, and a pretty decent mile count I’d head here!
Another amazing trail we have is right along the shoreline starting in Downtown Seattle and honestly you can run, walk, bike to Discovery Park from here. I usually start by Pike Place Market, run or walk down 1st Avenue until you hit the Olympic Sculpture Park. Once you hit there it’s smooth sailing down the path — you’ll pass Myrtle Edwards Park, Centennial Park, Expedia headquarters, towards Elliott Bay Marina you’ll see Smith Cove Park, Magnolia Park and then Discovery Park. I think it’s like 10 miles total, but hey if you are training for a half marathon this might be a good place to run. Either way it’s a beautiful place to walk, run, or bike, but beware there are not many bathrooms so either go before you run or you might have to find an alternative. The views along this trail are stunning though so if you haven’t visited this trail please make sure you do!! And there’s lots to do around it too. You can always park at one of the parks and walk to downtown Seattle, Interbay golf course, Holy Mountain Brewery, Magnolia, Queen Anne, and more!
Green lake is known for being a staple to Seattleites and it is honestly a great place to go if you are up in the north end. There’s tons of food, stores, and things to do at Green lake. It’s great for a walk, run, bike, rollerblade around or even to float or paddleboard in the warmer months. You can throw some food together from home or grab some picnic items or takeout from PCC or a local café and just eat next to the water. You can also fish, play basketball, kickball, or honestly anything outdoorsy here.
Tips: Parking is a bit of a pain so leave some time if you are meeting people. It’s typically easier to park on the side streets further away and just walk.
One of the most overlooked parks in the Greater Seattle Area is Magnuson. Most people know it because of it’s big off leash dog park and beach area, which is amazing, but it’s on the edge of Lake Washington so most people don’t realize how much Magnuson has to offer. There’s a huge wetlands area where you can walk along the Frog Pond Trail; there’s the swim beach, boat launch, and the beach walk. There’s tennis courts, baseball fields, a community garden and amphitheater, sailing classes, arena sports and more! Definitely a must see…usually lots of events and tons of parking.
Alki trail has always been a popular route for many half marathon and marathon events and obviously it’s for this amazing view above. Walkers, runners, and rollerbladers get to take in many views as they go up and down the trail from views of the Puget Sound, Olympic mountains to the ferry leaving the West Seattle Dock. From boating, restaurants, sports, and beach views to picnics, family time, and fun a plenty! Where most of the beachgoers are the parking tends to be more crowded, but the farther away from the main strip of restaurants the easier parking is. Make your way to Salty’s for happy hour if you can — a gorgeous spot at sunset! It’s definitely better to go to Alki on a sunny day too so you get the beautiful views, but Alki honestly is gorgeous even on a cloudy day too!
South End:
Located in Renton, this beach, boat, and lunch spot is a must see if you are in the south end. Coulon Park is the southern most part of Lake Washington so it’s boat launch is always busy in the summertime. The beach always has swimmers, families and kids around and a walking path that goes about 2 miles down Lake Washington Blvd for walking or running. If you get hungry don’t worry there’s some cute restaurants down by Southport, Hyatt Regency, and of course the famous Ivar’s and Kid Valley. Coulon has picnic tables, sand volleyball courts, tennis court, bbq’s, fishing pier, and tons of space to social distance. Always things to watch whether you’re settling in for a picnic on a sunny day or a sunset while watching planes land at Renton Airport. Coulon is definitely a great spot whether you have 30 minutes or 2 hours!
Tips: If you are going during the weekday it’s normally not crowded even on a sunny day, parking is pretty easy. On the weekend the parking lot gets busier so plan accordingly. If you are going to catch the sunset, bring a blanket — there’s tons of places to get a good spot! Ivar’s and Kid Valley are open and serving take-out, but you can always bring your own food. People are pretty COVID conscious so make sure you either mask up or stay more than 6 feet from people.
Not too far south is Seahurst Park which is a fun little park right off of the Puget Sound. Many people come for the picnic area and beach access, but there’s some good walking trails that are dog friendly as long as they’re on a leash and you can see some amazing natural forest areas with lots of wild berries! Many families love to come here and bring their kids to the water — it’s a fun place to find shells, see ocean wild life, and just get outside. There’s a parking lot that usually is never full so if you haven’t been here definitely come check it out.
For this park you do need a Discover Pass as it’s a state park, but you can enjoy some great views, see a bubbling geyser (even though it’s way smaller now), and be one with nature. The park gets heavy usage during the weekends and summer months, but otherwise the park isn’t too crowded and is a great place for a picnic! The trail is looped so either way you go you’ll get back to where you started. You’ll get views of the Green River — kayakers or rafters sometimes float by, sometimes views of the fall salmon runs, lots of swimming and fishing. The cool thing about this park is that there’s a remote-control model-airplane flying area and a big open field for equestrian use which is very different and makes this a very unique park!
A beautiful hidden gem of a park where again you need a Discover Pass. This state park practically has everything imaginable from kayaking to swimming, to hiking, biking, and kite surfing! There’s over 11 miles of biking/hiking trails to wander through, but the beach is where most of the action is. When the tide goes out you can see all the beautiful sea life right on the shores — pick up a sand dollar or see starfish and crabs. The beach is iconic for skim boarding and a favorite for local families especially ones with kids. There is a camping ground along with picnic shelters, cabins, and even a ranger station! Enjoy the amazing views and really take in all that nature has to offer here. You definitely feel like you’re on the coast here!
5. Jack Hyde Park to Ruston Way waterfront loop
Start your 10 mile adventure if you’re up for it at Jack Hyde Park — it’s the easiest place to usually park on a busy day as the rest of the loop might get crowded. There’s the Chinese Reconciliation Park nearby Jack Hyde Park too to explore, but that’s the very end of the trail. Head the other way towards Point Ruston and you’ll see many walkers, cyclers, and runners on your path. I trained for a half marathon with this trail because it’s pretty flat and offers great views of Mt Rainier! As you make your way along the waterfront you’ll run across people swimming, kayaking, fishing, but you’ll see restaurants along the way as well as a fireboat on one of the docks. You’ll come to all the Point Ruston shops and restaurants along with condos, but keep passing those and run all the way to the very point. Go around the loop and head towards Point Defiance Park and Zoo up a big foot bridge — the Point Defiance loop adds another 5 miles to your run/walk. You can go along the Five Mile Drive or through the trails on the inner or outer loops and come across the beautiful gardens. Loop back around and back down the bridge to Point Ruston and a long run back to Jack Hyde Park. Overall a great long run or like I said training for a marathon trail! Beautiful views especially with Mt Rainier as your back drop!
Take the time to explore all these places! They each have their own hidden charms and uniqueness! And best of all are all within a 35 mile radius! Most people do not realize the beautiful parks and green spaces we have. Now is the time to go explore and truly enjoy nature.
