Day hikes in Seattle area?

How far are you willing to drive? What distance do you want to hike? March can be tough weather-wise, you need to stick to the low lands. With a bit more information I could give you some ideas.

Hi Edward,

Thanks for responding! I had almost given up hope of finding something through this forum. We'll be staying in downtown Seattle. We're probably willing to drive up to about an hour and a half to two. As far as distance, I'd say a total hike of no more than 10 miles. Like I mentioned, nothing too strenuous.

Does that help?

Lots of parks on Lake Washington or Puget Sound

Trail along Ballard Locks is sort of cool – see boat go through locks – lots of yuppy stores North of it, micro brews etc.

Discovery Point

If you want something challenging, in the 75 Scrambles In Washington book they claim that all seven peaks in the Tatoosh Range (in Rainier NP) can be hit in one day. I've tried it twice and run out of daylight both times, and bailed out the Longmire Trail. (Before I went UL.) But I do believe that it can be done.

I saw mountain goats both times. And the views can't be beat.

EDIT– Oh, March. The snow will still be prohibitive in much of the high country in March.

Can you make it out to the Olympic peninsula? There's Hoh rainforest and the various beach hikes.

As mentioned above, March isn't a great time to get to higher elevation trailheads. That said, there's plenty to do.

In Seattle itself: Discovery Park and Alki Beach Park (West Seattle) both offer nice views of the Sound. Golden Gardens Park in Ballard has an actual sand beach that is nice for walking. Somewhere I saw a map for a hike/walk in Queen Anne that connected all the stairways that looked like a fun urban walk. You could get to and from the start on the light rail to Seattle Center.

Downtown Mulikteo is quaint and walkable including the rocky beach south of the lighthouse. You can always find giant purple and orange starfish, watch kayakers, etc. The ferry to Whidbey Island is short (if you are driving onto a ferry at rush hour or weekend mornings, be prepared to wait, sometimes up to a few hours. There are special lanes for cars waiting to get on ferries. However, you can always walk on any ferry without waiting and for just a few bucks) and you can walk around Clinton.

A fun driving day would be to take the Edmonds-Kingston ferry, maybe have breakfast in Port Gamble, go to the 101 south, stop at Dosewallips State Park and walk on the beach (you can often see bald eagles there)and follow south. There's an decent hamburger place at Hoodsport (the main SE Olympic ranger is there). If you had time, you could start a quick out-and-back hike at Staircase into Olympic but check with the rangers about snow. Then either cut up to Bremerton and ferry back to Seattle or drive I-5 through Olympia.

For dayhikes on the east side, check http://www.wta.org. There's a clickable map under "Find a Hike". Look at the Mt. Pilchuck area for hikes that might be accessible. Or along lower Hwy 2 near Wallace Falls State Park.

FInally, if Dale Wambaugh doesn't see this thread, you should PM him.

Good luck and bring a rain shells!

I think the term "Non strenuous" is important here, so my remarks will keep that in mind.

Also, if you are having breakfast at Salish you will be sitting right on top of the falls. The 1 mile hike to the bottom of the falls would be a letdown after your meal and view. It may be worth just going out there for breakfast and the view. Most of the good hikes in that area that are worth the effort might be over the "Non strenuous" type.

If you are new to the Seattle area I would suggest these:
Alki Beach walk, it’s a flat 2.5 miles one way walk. It will give you an almost 270* panoramic view of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, Ferries and the Olympics. And if it is raining, you still get great scenery with Puget Sound and Seattle.
If you want some more miles you can drive north to Discovery Park and do the beach hike there. That will get you close to your 10 miles and you will have bookended Seattle’s views.
There are a number of other hikes in the area that are not too difficult but for a real taste of the area, I think both of these are great.
Other options:
Seward Park loop, 2.5 mi
Green Lake loop, 2.8 mi

There are hundreds of hikes within 1.5 hours of Seattle but in March most will have Snow (hopefully but maybe not this year).

"As far as distance, I'd say a total hike of no more than 10 miles. Like I mentioned, nothing too strenuous."

I'm not sure about your definition of strenuous, but here are a couple of suggestions within 40 minutes driving time from Seattle, depending on traffic, that will give you a moderate workout and provide nice views as well: 1) Tiger 3 summit from the Tradition Plateau parking lot just off Exit 20 on I-90, ~1 mile east of Issaquah. It is 3 miles to the summit with 2000' of elevation gain on a very well developed trail, and is what I would call easy to moderately strenuous. It can be crowded on weekends, and requires a Discovery Pass to park. This can be purchased at REI or any Fred Meyer store, and probably other retail outlets as well. 2) Rattlesnake Mountain Trail, ~1/2 mile south of I-90 via Exit 27. Go right at the bottom of the off ramp and uphill 1/2 mile. The parking lot is on your right. The trail is very gentle but steady uphill for the first 2 miles, where you will find a side trail of ~100 meters to Stan's Overlook, which provides very nice views of Mt Si, North Bend and the front range of the Cascades as far north as Mt Baker on a clear day. You can turn around here for a 4 mile hike with ~1000' of elevation gain, or continue for another 2 miles of easy hiking to Grand Prospect view point. The view here are even better. You can see Mts Si & Teneriffe, and Mailbox Peak, and also Baker and others to the north on a clear day. Turn around here for an 8 miler with 2000' of elevation gain. This trail is much less crowded than the Tiger Mtn complex, and is one of my favorite venues when I am in the mood for an easy hike with relatively few hikers. You may encounter some snow in normal years, but the way things are going this year, it should be mostly snow free in March. This hike also requires a Discovery Pass to use the parking lot, but you can park on the shoulder of the road just outside the parking lot for free.

The scenic day hike trails tend to be something like 2500' gain in 3-4 miles.

Check out http://www.wta.org for a searchable database of local hikes. The trip reports there and at http://www.nwhikers.net are priceless.

At that time of year, it depends on snow pack. Anything over 2500' could have lots of snow or snow patches.

Twin Falls State Park is close to the lodge and you can can connect with the John Wayne rail trail that parallels I-90 (http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/john-wayne-trail-snoqualmie-pass). The trail to the falls is easy with a short steep climb to the rail trail, then flat.

Rattlesnake Lake (there are NO rattlesnakes) is also close. From the lake you can go to Rattlesnake Ledge, which is steep but good views, or for a nice easy walk, there is the Snoqualmie Valley trail which is a rail trail that also starts at the lake (http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/trails/regionaltrailssystem/svt.aspx)

Lake Annette is off I-90 and steep for the first couple miles, but very nice. It may be snowed in.

Just outside the town of North Bend (very close to the lodge), there is the Snoqualmie River Middle Fork trail which is mostly flat and just beyond that trailhead is the Taylor River Trail that follows a closed logging road and flat as well. There are some stream crossings. Mount Si is a local classic, but steep and strenuous, as are the Tiger Mountain trails.

The Lime Kiln Trail is north of Seattle some, but very easy and very interesting historically: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/lime-kiln

There is a Mountaineers book that is a collection of cards that have small maps and trail information on winter hikes in the area: http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/Winter-Hikes-of-Western-Washington-Deck-P636.aspx

Send me a PM!

Somehow I didn't get notifications that there were more responses to this thread. Sorry, I just checked in.

Thanks folks for so many recommendations. I'll have to spend some time over the next few days including the weekend and read up on all the links you've posted.

Should I bring my Arizona Cardinals jersey? Just kidding. I don't want to be mugged and beaten by Seahawks fans. :)

Dale, I'll PM just as soon as I read through some of the links posted in this thread.

Should I bring my Arizona Cardinals jersey? Just kidding. I don't want to be mugged and beaten by Seahawks fans. :)

We just had 500,000 rabid Seahawks fans jamming the downtown streets. They are blind to anything that isn't blue and green and they know that everyone else is SECOND :)

We're a gentle folk, but don't ever cut in line at Starbucks.

No notifications on this website

I think you could wear any uniform you wanted to

Maybe don't wear Seahawks uniform in Denver?

"Maybe don't wear Seahawks uniform in Denver?"

Sounds like a basic survival tactic to me. My wife pointed out that one of my windshirts is Denver-ish orange. It will be okay come Spring :)

Maybe they're all smoking marijuana in Denver. They don't sell it in Washington yet.

Maybe that explains that first hike – over the head of Peyton Manning. "Hey man, where did the ball go???"

If you want a book, try the Squeeky Knees trail guide. It has good hikes that aren't as physically challenging. There are a couple volumes on "Best Hikes with Children in Western Washington and the Cascades." The kids books will have more lowland/snow free destinations. Just the chapter titles will provide research material.

I "watched" this thread, so I was supposed to receive an email anytime someone (other than myself obviously) posted here. No matter. I have a ton of info thanks to you guys.

This is my first time in Seattle and my wife's second time. The last time she was there she didn't really have time for anything but work.

We will be staying in downtown Seattle. I like suggestions for Alki Beach, Discovery park, Green lake and Seward Park for their easy access on the first couple days.

Point taken re cutting line at Starbucks. Lol.

I've had a busy weekend doing a ton of fun stuff with my dogs, so I wasn't able to go through all your suggestions yet. If anyone was wondering, your inputs are definitely being looked into. Still have a month before I head up there, so I have a little more time.

Thanks folks!

Here's a link to the latest Washington Trails Association web newsletter: http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe5c10757c66037f7116&m=fe6c15707660007e7716&ls=fde21c7977620d787c167573&l=fe8b1179736704787d&s=fe2717747365007a761375&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe22177873670d74701571&r=0

Dale,

Those are some beautiful hikes. So many beautiful locations to hike. Wow. Looks like I'm going to have to plan a return trip to experience more of what WA state has to offer.

You need to convince your wife that going up and down hills is a fun thing. It's really pretty up there and the crowds thin out. My "girl" will be 62 next month and I have to work hard to keep up with her since she got a new knee last year. We get senior deals on park fees this year!

This is in the Robe Canyon which is the companion hike to the Lime Kiln Trail, just outside the town of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway. The Robe Canyon is on the other side of the river from the kiln. My wide is standing on the old railway bed of the Everett-Monte Cristo Railway that ran through this canyon and on up to the ghost town of Monte Cristo. The lime kiln was built to make concrete to stabilize the rail bed from flooding where it passed through tunnels in this canyon. I would recommend the Monte Cristo hike, but March is probably too early.

All,

I apologize for the late update, but as usual life got in the way once we got back from the trip. But, my wife and I had a lovely time in Seattle. We ended up going to Wallace Falls near Gold Bar, WA and loved every second of it.

Thanks to everybody that responded. Much appreciated.

That is a day hiking classic, especially for families. I've gone all the way up to Wallace Lake for a ~12 mile jaunt. Those views are a great taste of the Western Cascades. Glad you had a good time!