April 8, 2024

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Today’s Forecast

It’s adventure time

Discovery Park in Seattle with a lighthouse and the water in the background

Discovery Park offers one of the most popular Seattle trails. | Photo via Seattle Parks and Recreation

From quick and easy nature walks around town to drives that take you to fantastic lakes and mountains, our region has so many options to hit the trail. So lace up your shoes, because we’ve compiled a hiking and nature walk guide for the Seattle area with 32 routes and trails to help you plan your next adventure and experience our great outdoors.

Note: While parks and trails may be listed as open, we recommend checking park websites before visiting for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.

Key: Easy = 🥾| Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾

Seattle

Foster Island Trail, 2300 Arboretum Dr. E.

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 3.3 miles out-and-back
Pet friendly: No
Wheelchair accessible: No

Beginning at the very northern tip of the Washington Park Arboretum, this trail reaches up to touch the edge of Union Bay. Hikers will pass underneath SR 520 before continuing on a stroll featuring floating walkways and lots of opportunity for fishing.

The Lake to Lake Trail looks a little like something that might bring you into another world at times — be on the watch for fae traps.
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Photo by @mrosemaher

Kirkland, Bellevue, and Redmond

Lake to Lake Trail, 15500 SE 16th St., Bellevue

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 10 miles one-way
Pet friendly: Yes, leash required
Wheelchair accessible: No

This great Eastside trail not only connects Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington, but stops by seven other parks along the way: Downtown Bellevue Park, Mercer Slough Nature Park, Lake Hills Greenbelt, Bellevue Botanical Garden, Kelsey Creek Park, Wilburton Hill Park, Weowna Park. You’ll also pass through marshes, blueberry fields, waterfalls, and lots of creek beds.

A view of a lake from Rattlesnake Ledge in Washington — Rattlesnake Ledge is rigorous, but pays off.
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Photo by @absolutelybacon

Snoqualmie

Rattlesnake Mountain Trail to East Peak, Rattlesnake Mountain Scenic Area, Snoqualmie

Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
Length: 8.6 miles out-and-back
Pet friendly: Yes, leash required
Wheelchair accessible: No

Want a challenge? This hike with a 2,500-ft elevation gain will give you the chance to get some miles in with great views along the entire trail, showcasing a beautiful green glow when the sun rises. There’s an easier Rattlesnake trail that’s about half the length, but it gets crowded during nice weather days.

29 more trails

Asked

What is most important to you when choosing a hike?

A. Level of difficulty
B. Time to complete/number of miles
C. Unmatched views
D. It’s all about the hiking location

Let us know

Events

Monday, April 8

Rare Scotch Whisky Tasting Experience | Monday, April 8 | 7-9 p.m. | The Barrel Thief, 3417 Evanston Ave. N., Seattle | $80-$100 | Enjoy and learn about the builds behind six unique malt blends — Scotch Malt Whisky Society members get a discount.

Tuesday, April 9

Madison Park Tuesday TED Talks | Tuesday, April 9 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Madison Park Bath House, 1898 43rd Ave. E., Seattle | $16.54-$27.56 | Hear Creativity Instructor Kate Gavigan’s speech on “The Creative Comeback: Unlocking Your Potential.”

Wednesday, April 10

Barks ‘N Crafts: DIY Snuffle Mats | Wednesday, April 10 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Dog Yard Bar, 1546 NW Leary Way, Seattle | $25 | Make your pup’s snack time fun while you chat up some new friends and let the furry one run around for a bit.
Swedish Heritage Dinner | Wednesday, April 10, Wednesday, May 8 | 5 p.m. | Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave. N., Seattle | $15-$25 | Enjoy classic Swedish dishes like meatballs, pickles, and lingonberries with mashed potatoes while meeting some other Scandinavian folk.

Thursday, April 11

Jim Gaffigan: Barely Alive Tour | Thursday, April 11-Sunday, April 14 | Times vary | Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle | $39.50-$99.50 | The New York Times has called this tour the comedian’s “best yet.”

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Civic

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell proposed a $1.35 billion transportation levy to replace a $930 million one set to expire this year. Under the new levy, homeowners would see a $7-$14 increase on their monthly payments. A majority of the funds would go towards street maintenance. The levy will be on November ballots. (KING 5)

Travel

Yes — Sea-Tac Airport was a little extra crazy over the weekend. Approximately 162,000 travelers came through the airport this weekend as many ventured out for spring break trips or to grab better views for the total solar eclipse happening today, April 8. The crowd was roughly the same volume as holiday traffic in December. (KING 5)

Open

Howdy, partner. A new and sparkly Western-themed bar just breezed into town. The Mystic Motel, organized by the same folks as the Christmas Dive Bar, features all the cowboy necessities like cacti, fire pits, cow print chairs, and lots of good drinks to imbibe on. The pop-up at 1512 11th Ave. will stay open through the summer.

Award

Seattle has been announced as a finalist in the National Civic League’s prestigious All-America City Award. The honor is given to US cities that show “exemplary civic engagement” and a commitment to strengthening democracy. The winner will be announced during a national event in early June.

Sports

The Seahawks are just three weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft where we get the 16th overall pick. Other teams may be trying to acquire our spot, but listen to local experts explain what prospects may be worth keeping that spot for on Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.

Home

Did you know you could finance your fixer-upper with home equity? You could get up to $50K with a HELOC — calculate your payment.*

The Buy

The lipstick that’s more like a phenomenon: Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. You can now buy Clinique on Amazon, and the black honey lipstick has skyrocketed to the No. 1 new release in beauty and personal care.

Answered

Let’s get serious — what’s the best kind of doughnut?

Three rows of sugared doughnuts that have a tuft of greek yogurt and bee pollen sitting on top of them line a baking tray. — These honey yogurt doughnuts are one of General Porpoise’s seasonal flavors.
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Photo via @generalporpoisedoughnuts

On Friday, we asked you all a tough question — what’s the best kind of doughnut. And while we thought there might be some great discourse over airy vs. cake doughnuts, it turns out the champion was the maple bar with 40% of the votes. How very PNW of you. You all did prefer the airy doughnuts though.

One reader also said they wanted an apple fritter the size of a truck tire — we’re behind them 100%.

Where to find these doughnuts

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alina

From the editor

Hi everyone — hope you had a fabulous weekend. I spent it hanging out with our new City Editor (who should be introducing themselves super soon). We went and stopped by Donna’s in Capitol Hill before heading to the CID for Noveltease’s “Sleeping Beauty and the Bear Prince.” The show finished its run on Saturday, but keep an eye out for future performances. We had a blast.

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