10 Ways to Explore the Great Outdoors in Seattle and the Puget Sound Region

Discovery Park Checubus/Shutterstock

1. Take a Scenic Hike

It would be hard to dream up a city better suited to hikers than Seattle, which not only has dozens of leafy parks laced with serene footpaths but is within day-tripping distance of hundreds of gorgeous trails. Many of the best local urban hikes overlook scenic waterways, such as North Beach Trail in Discovery Park, which passes beside a dramatic lighthouse, and the Pipers Creek Trail in Carkeek Park, with its views of Puget Sound. Along Seattle’s lakefront, you can embark on rewarding hikes at Union Bay Natural Area (try the lush Yesler Swamp trail) and in rugged Seward Park, where the Sqebeqsed Trail is a favorite for bird-watching and soaking up panoramas of Lake Washington. With its miles of well-marked paths, 230-acre Washington Park Arboretum is another beloved sanctuary for trekking on foot.

A short drive east of Seattle, the Issaquah Alps comprise three small peaks traversed by rugged trails leading to spectacular vista points. It’s only a little bit farther to access the popular nature treks in the Cascade Range, around North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, including Mount Si, Twin Falls, and Rattlesnake Ledge. It’s a short ferry ride west to access the myriad trails of Bainbridge Island, the Kitsap Peninsula, and Whidbey Island. And from Seattle, you’re within a two- to three-hour drive of the vast trail networks in three amazing national parks, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic.

For details on these and other great trails around the city, check out the Washington Trails Association as well as the Outdoor Recreation Information Center at the Ranger Desk inside the flagship REI store in South Lake Union.

Kayaking on Lake Union Oksana Perkins/Shutterstock

3. Play On, or In, the Water

Seattle has more than 200 miles of shoreline, much of it fringing saltwater Puget Sound and freshwater Lake Washington. Whether your idea of a waterfront adventure involves paddling a kayak or sitting back on the deck of a sightseeing boat, you’ll find a wealth of both thrilling and relaxing options.

Plenty of local outfitters rent kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs), and some even offer guided tours and personal instruction. Good bets if you want to get out on generally calm lakes include Seattle Paddle near Seward Park, the University of Washington Waterfront Activities Center by Union Bay Natural Area, the Agua Verde Paddle Club on Lake Union, and the Green Lake Boathouse on Green Lake. Near Magnuson and Matthews Beach parks, you can rent SUPs and Hobie s from Sail Sand Point, along with a variety of sailboats. And on Puget Sound, both Ballard Kayak & Paddleboard and Alki Kayak Tours are reputable options. At The Center for Wooden Boats, which is filled with informative nautical displays, you can rent boats (or borrow them for free some weekends by reservation) to enjoy on Lake Union.

You can captain your own little ship on Lake Union with a rental from the Electric Boat Company, which describes their covered 10-passenger boats as being as easy to drive as a golf cart. Or let an expert navigate—while you and up to 17 buddies sip drinks and take in city views—on a pontoon ride with Seattle Tiki Boat. In one of their floating spas that you can rent from Lake Union Hot Tub Boats, enjoy the 104-degree water as you cruise Lake Union and soak in the heat—and the views.

On virtually any of the many Seattle boat tours that venture out onto Puget Sound, there’s a decent chance of spotting colorful wildlife. This is an ideal destination for whale-watching, and many of the region’s outfitters have trips devoted to this activity, including FRS Clipper and Puget Sound Express.

Salish Sea Tours offers memorable cruises on a custom-designed catamaran, and Seattle’s Tall Ship, the Bay Lady, is an 85-foot traditional gaff-rigged schooner that whisks passengers through Puget Sound using the power of the wind. Seattle Sailing is another terrific company with scenic trips on a gorgeous sailing yacht. Bring your appetite for one of the festive dinner or brunch excursions around Lake Union and Lake Washington presented by Waterways Cruises. Whatever your interest, from whale-watching trips to informative tours of the Ballard Locks to culinary adventures, Argosy Cruises has an excursion just for you.

And then, of course, there’s the fleet of handsome green-and-white Washington State Ferries that transport people and cars all around Puget Sound, including from downtown Seattle to the picturesque waterfront downtowns of Bainbridge Island and Bremerton.

Golden Gardens Cavan Images/Shutterstock

4. Explore a Park

You can choose from among nearly 500 municipal parks in Seattle, from tiny slivers of greenery in the heart of downtown to expansive swatches of leafy forest where it can be easy to forget you’re in a city. Many of the most beloved parks are set along the waterfront, including West Seattle’s Lincoln Park, with its curving biking and walking path and Olympic-size heated saltwater pool, and laid-back Alki Beach Park, known for its dazzling Elliott Bay and downtown views and an inviting promenade that attracts dog walkers, cyclists, bladers, and joggers. Farther north up the city’s shoreline, Golden Gardens Park stands out for its awesome Olympic mountain range vistas and pristine wetlands, beach boardwalk, and access to kayak rentals and boat tours.

Built on a 19-acre gas plant from the early 1900s, Gas Works Park juts out into glorious Lake Union and features a playful design that incorporates parts of the plant, creating a cool steampunk vibe. Close to the shopping and dining of hip Capitol Hill, 48-acre Volunteer Park was designed in the early 1900s by the famous Olmsted Brothers. In addition to fragrant gardens and verdant lawns, the park is home to notable cultural draws, such as elegant Volunteer Park Conservatory and the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

Many of the city’s parks are notable for having features geared toward families and kids, including whimsically designed playgrounds and refreshing spray parks. Consider Meridian Playground, with its well-designed play structures and grassy lawns with picnic tables, and Yesler Terrace Park, which is anchored by a colorful spray park. For more ideas about how to enjoy the Emerald City’s network of gorgeous green spaces, see our list of Seattle’s Top Parks.

Capitol Hill Block Party Taylor McKenzie Gerlach

6. Attend a Festival or Arts Event

One of the most enjoyable ways to spend time outdoors is by mingling with others at one of Seattle’s many annual arts and music festivals or participating in a race. In this fitness-minded city, several popular races take place throughout the year, including late autumn’s UW Medicine Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon, the oldest such event in the Pacific Northwest. Other races coincide with the arrival of spring—consider the St. Patrick’s Day Dash in March, and the Fiesta 5K Ole Run in May.

Speaking of spring, from mid-March through early April, the entire city bursts with color during cherry blossom season. With its 29 Yoshino cherry trees, The Quad on the stately campus of the University of Washington is a beloved spot for viewing this spectacle, but you can also attend the vibrant Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival, held on the South Fountain Lawn of Seattle Center over three days in early April.

During the warmer months, you can also watch films under the stars at several venues, including a huge screen at Seattle Center during Movies at the Mural. Also great fun is the summer-long Movies at Marymoor Park, which presents major Hollywood releases, along with great food from several food trucks. Theater fans will want to catch one of the free GreenStage productions of Shakespeare in the Park, which take place at more than 20 different green spaces around the city; the organization also presents the Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival in mid-July at Volunteer Park.

It’s only fitting that in a city with a highly acclaimed local music scene, outdoor concerts are tremendously popular. Some great ones to check out throughout the summer months include the Spotlight at Waterfront Park concert series that will take place along the new waterfront starting in 2025 and the ZooTunes music series set in a picturesque green space at Woodland Park Zoo. In mid-July, dozens of nationally known musicians perform during the three-day Capitol Hill Block Party, held in one of the city’s most diverse and dynamic neighborhoods. And over Labor Day weekend, Bumbershoot takes place at Seattle Center and always features an impressive roster of performers.

Stevens Pass Julian B Tracy; Courtesy Stevens Pass

7. Make It a Snow Day

Few cities offer more convenient access to fantastic skiing and snowboarding than Seattle, which is a mere 50 miles from the world-class slopes of Snoqualmie Pass and also relatively close to other resorts in the Cascades. Depending on conditions, the winter sports season kicks off from somewhere between mid-November and mid-December, and it typically lasts until around mid-April.

Located just off Interstate 90, Snoqualmie Pass receives well over 420 inches of snow annually and is made up of four different ski areas, three of which are lighted for evening fun (the resort has more night-skiing terrain than any resort in the country). This expansive resort offers a little of everything for every style: there’s also snow tubing, cross-country skiing, Sno-Go ski biking, and snowshoeing.

Reached via US 2 en route to the festive Bavarian-inspired resort community of Leavenworth, Stevens Pass also stands out for its impressive snowfall totals (about 460 inches per year) and extensive night skiing. Experienced skiers appreciate the rather steep terrain, with more than half of the 37 runs rated as difficult, but there’s plenty for intermediate skiers and boarders to enjoy as well. The resort is also popular for sledding, tubing, and snowshoeing.

In the shadows of dramatic Mount Rainier, Crystal Mountain is known for its spectacular views and for having one of the most storied slope-side dining experiences in the state. Whether you’re looking to ski and snowboard or you simply want to experience a delicious meal with an amazing view, take the gondola up to the Summit House Restaurant, which sits at 7,000 feet in elevation. With a highly regarded ski and ride school and a good mix of trails and terrain for every ability, Crystal Mountain appeals to everyone from adrenaline-seeking shredders to beginners just getting into the sport.

An invaluable resource for getting to the slopes without having to rent a car and worry about navigating slick roads, the To The Mountain Shuttle offers daily bus service from Seattle (stops include Husky Stadium in the University District and some other locales, depending on the route) to all three of these stellar ski areas.

Mount Rainier Roman Khomlyak/Shutterstock

9. Visit a National Park

Washington is home to three of the most stunning national parks showcasing majestic peaks, ancient forests, secluded lakes, and more. And all of them can be reached from Seattle in under three hours.

The nearest, and perhaps the most famous, Mount Rainier National Park encompasses some 370 square miles. The 14,410-foot peak that rises over this unspoiled expanse of wildflower-strewn meadows, old-growth conifers, and rushing cascades is an active volcano (it last erupted nearly 600 years ago). Although open year-round, the park is most popular from mid-spring through mid-autumn. It offers everything from easily accessed scenic drives and short hikes to much more ambitious adventures (about 5,000 hikers ascend to the summit each year, an undertaking geared only to highly experienced hikers). The park provides several amenities, including museums and visitor centers with interpretive exhibits, and historic lodges with restaurants.

With its jagged peaks, driftwood-dotted ocean beaches, azure alpine lakes, and tranquil rain forests, Olympic National Park comprises a little bit of everything that the coastal Pacific Northwest is famous for. Beachcombing, soaking in hot springs, freshwater kayaking, and hiking through an incredibly diverse range of landscapes rank among the top activities in this 1,400-square-mile park that dominates the Olympic Peninsula. Although it’s an 80-mile drive to its headquarters in Port Angeles, the park’s lofty snowcapped peaks are easily visible to the west from downtown Seattle on clear days. Much of Olympic National Park, especially the lower-elevation areas, remains accessible year-round, and even mile-high Hurricane Ridge draws visitors in winter for skiing and snowboarding. There are several historic lodges and restaurants throughout the park.

The more remote and less well-known of the three, North Cascades National Park stretches south from the U.S.–Canadian border and covers nearly 800 square miles of rugged, mountainous terrain. This truly wild park contains about a third of the glaciers in the Lower 48 states and is an absolute hiking paradise.

Many of the most celebrated trailheads can be accessed by car from the beautiful North Cascades Scenic Highway, a.k.a Highway 20, which closes each year from around the end of October through about mid-April or early May, depending on snowfall. This dramatic road passes by the turquoise-blue waters of Ross and Diablo Lakes, accessing the main visitor center in Newhalem and most of the park’s other quite limited facilities.

One section of the park is at the remote end of Lake Chelan, anchored by the village of Stehekin and reached only by a scenic boat cruise. Pro tip: Unlike Mount Rainier and Olympic, there’s no entry fee at North Cascades National Park.

Ballard Urban Family Chona Kasinger

10. Savor Seattle’s Culinary Bounty

In Seattle, cultural and ethnic diversity complements a bounty of agriculture and local ingredients, making it a haven for foodies of all kinds to forage, fish, shuck, taste wine and beer, and explore the vibrant food scene. Many of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants—including Canlis, the Corson Building, Homer, and The Walrus and the Carpenter—specialize in seasonally sourced farm-to-table fare. And you can stock up on fresh produce, handcrafted gourmet goods, and internationally inspired bites at the city’s popular farmers markets, including famed Pike Place Market, which is open daily and is one of the longest running in the country. Other great (mostly weekly) gatherings include the Fremont Sunday Market, Capitol Hill Farmers Market, and Queen Anne Farmers Market.

The city also abounds with restaurants, cafes, and bars where you can dine alfresco, taking in dramatic views of Elliott Bay, Lake Washington, or the distant peaks of the Olympic and Cascade ranges. The chic rooftop space atop the Thompson Hotel, The Nest gives bird’s-eye views of the downtown waterfront, and you can sip martinis on the 14th-floor rooftop terrace at mbar, with firepits and dazzling skyline vistas.

Several acclaimed restaurants along the city’s newly revitalized waterfront showcase the region’s incredible wealth of locally harvested seafood and offer outdoor seating with spectacular views of sailboats and ferries plying Elliott Bay, from historic Ivar’s Acres of Clams to romantic AQUA by El Gaucho. A bit farther north up the shoreline in Magnolia, the elegant Palisade has a lovely terrace with vistas of a colorful marina. Spam musubi sliders, kalua pork tacos, and other delicious Hawaiian-style eats are the draw at Marination Ma Kai, a friendly West Seattle eatery with picnic tables overlooking Elliott Bay.

Fremont Brewing in Fremont and Rhein Haus in the Central District pour some of the finest craft ales in the city in their breezy, cheerful open-air beer gardens. Also offering convivial outdoor seating and tasty sips are Bale Breaker & Yonder Cider and neighboring Lucky Envelope Brewing, just some of the many inviting options in the Ballard Brewery District. And you’ll find welcoming winery tasting rooms throughout Seattle, including several at SODO Urbanworks in the nearby town of Woodinville.