Some cities might be all about pounding the pavement, but Seattle is truly special in that it’s home to both the cultural spoils of an urban center and the gateway to the Great Outdoors.
With three national parks, five national forests, endless mountain ranges, lakes, streams, and rivers, there are plenty of places to go off the beaten path into nature, and more green spaces than you can count in Seattle. It’s safe to say you could live in this Washington city your whole life and still not see it all.
That said, there’s certainly more than one place to take a lap if disconnecting from your phone is a huge priority (isn’t it always?). Because it’s such a hilly city, hiking is guaranteed to happen whether you want it to or not. Seattle is famous for its snow sports, particularly at legendary parks like Stevens Pass, Crystal Mountain Resort, and Summit at Snoqualmie. A low-key afternoon wandering Discovery Park, Golden Gardens, or Washington Arboretum is an easy stroll, but there’s plenty of outlooks for experienced climbers, too, on Rattlesnake Ledge, Mt. Si, and Mt. Rainier. Seattle also happens to be surrounded entirely by water and there are so many ways to experience it: taking a locks cruise of Elliott Bay to Lake Union or one of the Washington State Ferries, not to mention whale-watching, a necessity when visiting the Pacific Northwest.
So much nature, so little time. Here are 10 ideas to get you started.
