Seattle is known for craft breweries, dicey parallel parking, and the Space Needle building that you hardly notice if you are a local but photograph incessantly if you are a tourist. (I have been both. I have both ignored it and photographed it on repeat. I have still never gone to the top of it though nor even inside it.) Seattle is also known for its close proximity to three US National Parks (Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades) and several additional very close by hiking destinations like North Bend and Snoqualmie. But if you live in the city of Seattle like I have all summer long you’ll find there are plenty of ways to adventure right in the cities. In this article I share five great outdoor adventures in and near the city of Seattle!

I included four of my favorite urban adventures I did this summer while living in lower Queen Anne/Interbay and then in the Central District. Plus for all the folks who might find themselves in Tacoma I included a fave we have done down there a few times. Living in Seattle for a whole summer has given me a beautiful experience in a city that I have loved every time I visited. The craft breweries are abundant, parallel parking on the hills is dicey, and the Space Needle is silly!

But beyond that I have fallen in love with the yoga studios (Maven and The Sweat Box whaddup y’all!), the Ballard Food Bank, the neighborhood farmers markets, and an inclusive community focused approach to living that I have honestly not seen in many places in the world. The way the Central District places people and community over profit has been wonderful to see.  And when I say this, I mean literally the people I have connected with and seen how they do it. It’s not on a landing page or an IG account. It’s literally from spoken word and experiences being shared. It’s the way people are living here and treat each other.

But even with all these city amenity goodies I enjoyed the reprieve of nature as well within the city confines.

Here’s my list of five city based outdoor adventures in Seattle that I did often based on where I lived!

1. Hammock, Frisbee, and Work Remotely at Golden Gardens Park
   I did google meets with clients there (in fact some dude brought a table and chair for a pseudo desk one day!), I easily cycled there after working at the Ballard Food Bank, cooled my legs in the Puget Sound during the record breaking heat wave, tossed some epic games of frisbee, and read books in a hammock.
   An easy accessible fun city park. The volleyball games looked intense!
   

2. Boat and slide the water on Lake Washington
   Our friend Ashley loves driving boats and she took us out on the lake and we swam, utilized the waterslide we rented, and enjoyed the Lake Washington water and scenery to the utmost degree. If you don’t rent the mansion that the space guy (that’s what I’m calling Jeff Bezos from now on) lives in then don’t fret! There are affordable boats to rent by the hour and several marinas in the city limits. It was fun being in the water looking out at the skyline and driving via boat under the I-90 Mercer Island Bridge I typically bicycle on!
   

3. SUP and Cycle the Fremont River
   Taking the Canal Ship Bicycle Trail up the Fremont Bridge to Maven Yoga was such a good bicycle ride I did it twice a day sometimes! Beyond this gorgeous cycling trail along the Fremont River you can take a SUP or kayak out on it. OR…set up shop in a hammock while dangling by the water. It’s also a wonderful place to pause and have lunch.
   

4. Cycle, Run, and Read Centennial Park
   From our stay in Lower Queen Anne/Interbay you could connect on trails that took you along the railroad tracks to downtown, and en route you get to enjoy the beautiful Centennial Park. I would stop here often for a knee below cool down. (The water was cold enough it would chill my whole body.) The park is a hot spot for runners, loungers, and cyclers of all kinds. Some spots of the paths in the park are so well designed by the city they have walkers/runners on one path and cyclists in a different lane.
   

5. Hike, Picnic, and Camp Dash Point State Park
   For those residing, or wanting to venture, 30 miles out of Seattle to Dash Point State Park near Tacoma you’ll get beach living without all the fuss! A hidden city gem called Dash Point State Park park awaits you! This park has campsites, picnic tables, beach spots, hiking trails, and a perfect place for water activities. I enjoyed a raft float and saw some HUGE jelly fish. Just pay attention and be on the lookout for them :).
   It was one of my favorite spots that I went back to several times over the summer and one that I highly recommend you check out in the area!

It doesn’t get better than summers in Washington. I am grateful for the privilege to have gotten to spend the majority of the last two summers in Wash State. It’s the best!

When it comes to Wash State whether it’s Seattle, Bellingham, Port Angeles, in the woods or the city, it honestly doesn’t matter to me. It’s all a wonderful experience. If you live in Seattle though these are city based outdoor adventures I have enjoyed thoroughly if you don’t have the time, money, transportation, or will power to get to one of the mighty National Parks, nearby islands, or out to the Pacific Ocean!

I’ll certainly be back for more Wash State summers, in the meantime give it my love when you visit.

Thanks for reading friends! What are your favorite city based adventures where you live?
Check out our blog archives HERE and podcast episodes HERE if you want more.

Because adventure feeds the soul,

Mike R