Home › Forums › WSB Reader Recommendations › Any great “close to Seattle” hike ideas?
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April 18, 2009 at 11:28 pm #590546
WS4funMemberI just got back from a great hike with my kids. We hiked to Twin Falls up by North Bend.
The drive was 45 minutes from West Seattle and the hike was perfect. Just enough to get the old heart beating and make me a tad bit sore. Much better than spending time at the gym!
Any suggestions from anyone on other hikes that are close? I’m working up to making it to the top of Mt. Si…my first attempt led me back to easier hikes to work up my endurance!
April 18, 2009 at 11:48 pm #664664
dhgParticipantThe amazing thing about Seattle: We once got up at 5, got onto the ferry to Bainbridge, stopped at Port Orchard for breakfast and we were in the alpines on the Olympics at 9 am. I couldn’t believe how close they actually were.
April 18, 2009 at 11:57 pm #664665
trensuelaMemberDiscovery Park has some excellent hiking with decent elevation gains. The last time we were there we were blessed with a baby seal siting.
April 19, 2009 at 12:50 am #664666
AlkiMacParticipantTwo hikes near North Bend:
Rattlesnake Ledge
http://www.seattlepi.com/getaways/164117_hike11.html
Little Mt. Si
April 19, 2009 at 1:35 am #664667
addParticipantCougar Mountain in Issaquah has some really nice trails, too.
April 19, 2009 at 1:45 am #664668
EmmyJaneParticipantWS4Fun- There are some great EASY hiking trails right next to Newcastle Golf Course (Redtown trail head is right there.) Snow Lake at Snoqualmie Pass is good (although open yet?) and is easier than Mt. Si.
April 19, 2009 at 2:48 am #664669
inactiveMemberWe did a 9.9 mile hike today at Cougar Mountain. It was a great conditioning hike. Considering that it was a Saturday, we didn’t bump into very many people though there were lots of cars at the Redtown trailhead. It’s a big place. Lots of frogs, skunk plants and trillium galore. Highly recommend it!
April 19, 2009 at 5:56 am #664670
westwoodMemberThe suggestions for Rattlesnake Ridge, Cougar, and Little Si are all great ones. In addition, if you haven’t hiked the trails of Tiger Mtn–both lowland and uphill, you really should. Exit 20 on I-90, couldn’t be easier.
I would also add Wallace Falls to the north, and Snow Lake near Snoqualmie Pass this summer. Drive an hour and half to Mt. Rainier–the possibilities are endless. Staircase and Mt. Walker on the Hood Canal are fun and easy.
April 19, 2009 at 8:04 am #664671
JiggersMemberI’ve been to Wallace Falls, and it’s a steep climb not easy…
April 19, 2009 at 4:32 pm #664672
mrhinehMemberYou didn’t say how old your kids were but I’d recommend this book to be one of the better ones for W WA:
Also, if you have a dog, “Best hikes with Dogs Western Washington” is a great crossover with kids and dogs.
4http://www.amazon.com/Best-Hikes-Dogs-Western-Washington/dp/0898868297/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240158704&sr=1-1
April 19, 2009 at 5:42 pm #664673
WS4funMemberThanks for the great ideas! My kids are actually high school and college age so I was struggling to keep up with them. Funny how the old endurance changes once you hit 50!
The Twin Falls hike was actually perfect…and for those with small kids, it is great. The kids that were 4 and up were running up the hills and the little ones were in front and back backs being carried. Didn’t seem to bother the young parents at all…I was jealous!
My kids want to start doing more hiking again(like when they were young) and I’m jumping at the chance to make it fun. Won’t be long before they have their own families and move away so I’m going to enjoy every minute I can with them. Hiking has brought us many fun times and happy memories. Keep ’em coming!
April 19, 2009 at 8:31 pm #664674
mrhinehMemberI know books can be boorish and word of mouth is always great, but…try going to an outdoor type of store, or even a local book store, and start with books from The Mountaineers, and/or Ira Spring. They make a great collection of anything from overnighters to day hikes. The amount of material out there now is quite wide, specializing in types of hikes, places, destinations, etc. You can really dial down what you might like to explore, be it locally or a day trip to a National Forest or Park. I own several of the books, but I will also look at other books, jot down the trail once I find one that might be appealing, and then go to the related NF or NP site to look at a map and get trail conditions. The local Cascades have tons of great hikes, many less than 2-3 hours away, and several on I-90.
I-90 NF:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/recreation/activities/trails/i90.shtml
Books:
http://www.rei.com/search?search=books+washington&page_size=102&seq=1&hist=query%2Cbooks+washington
Washington Trails Association
Happy Hiking
April 20, 2009 at 3:35 pm #664675
CheriBerriMemberI kind of like driving to the point defiance park it Tacoma, they have some great trails and you work your way down to a very pretty beach!
April 20, 2009 at 4:09 pm #664676
RainyDay1235MemberI concur with the Snow Lake recommendation. That hike kicked my a** (granted, not that hard to do) but it was breathtakingly gorgeous in the summer. The trails are rocky but in good condition and wildflowers abound. The reward of a swim at the very end was refreshing too! I’m planning on doing Rattlesnake with the dog on Saturday.
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/snow-lake-1
(someone’s photos – not mine)
April 20, 2009 at 6:14 pm #664677
SueParticipantI also recommend the book that mrhineh mentioned (Best Hikes with Kids). I don’t have kids, but I have mobility issues from time to time, so I liked how they rated the hikes so I’d know what I’d be able to do before I got there. (Actually, now that I think about it, my book is Best Hikes with Children – Western Washington, but by the same author – I wonder if they just renamed it in a new edition?)
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