Outdoor Activities

Cold Sleep

How to Love Winter Camping

10 tips for sleeping outside in the snow when it's dark, frozen...and surprisingly fun.

11/25/2020 By Allison Williams

Float On

Washington Guide to Snowshoes and Winter Hiking

Winter’s most accessible sport—with the goofiest footwear—keeps getting bigger. Here's how to do it safely.

11/25/2020 By Allison Williams

Silver lining

Ski Season Is Still On—Crystal Mountain Opens Wednesday

This year means more masks and advance reservations, but also more snow.

11/17/2020 By Allison Williams

Gun Shy

How to Hike in Hunting Season

And why the camo crew and the backpack brigade are really on the same team.

10/16/2020 By Allison Williams

Feature

The 15 Best City Trails in Seattle

The greatest urban escape routes in the Seattle area, threading downtown, the waterfront, far-flung neighborhoods, and the abundant nature beyond.

08/10/2020 By Allison Williams

GO FOR IT

Hiking Is the Safest Way to Have Fun This Summer

Bears? Bees? Nah. As long as you bring a jacket and look where you’re walking, Northwest trails are a safe place to spend the pandemic.

07/24/2020 By Allison Williams

Outward Bound

Best Washington Hikes

Hit the trail on 20 of the most spectacular and most accessible routes in the state.

07/02/2020 By Allison Williams, Craig Romano, and Seattle Met Staff

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Journey Into the Crater of Mount St. Helens

A visit to the inner sanctum of a fitful volcano, as Bill Nye the Science Guy tags along.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Potty Plight

Hiking Trails Are Open! But What About Going to the Bathroom?

What to do when nature calls while you're socially distancing.

05/05/2020 By Allison Williams

Foot Traffic Controller

Here Are the Streets We Wish Seattle Would Open for Pedestrians

The city’s Stay Healthy Streets adds six more miles. We have more ideas.

04/24/2020 By Seattle Met Staff

Cabin Fever

How to Get Outside: An Updated Primer

We're all craving the great outdoors. Get the latest on how and where to get some nature.

03/16/2020 By Allison Williams

WIDE OPEN SPACES

How to Get Outside to Beat Cabin Fever

Social distance yourself right out into the woods and ski slopes—but take a few precautions.

03/13/2020 By Allison Williams

Ice Ice, Baby

Bozeman’s Frozen Waterfalls Are a Winter Playground

If you’re crazy enough to want to climb them, Montana’s sporty town is the perfect place for it.

11/26/2019 By Allison Williams

Day Tripper

To the Woods—It’s Wild Mushroom Season

Want to try foraging for fungi? Now’s the time to do it.

10/16/2019 By Stefan Milne

Get the Dirt

10 Best Hikes at Mount Rainier National Park

A totally subjective list from a lifelong Rainier hiker.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Shade Index

Washington's Worst Hiking Trails

Deception Pass and Cape Disappointment aren’t even the half of it.

07/23/2019 By Mac Hubbard

Work Hard, Play Hard

Local Essentials: An Intern's Guide to Seattle

Skip the Space Needle and live like a Seattleite with this roundup of our favorite off-the-clock spots.

07/18/2019 By Seattle Met Staff

Cannonball

Great Swimming Holes within 2 Hours of Seattle

You don’t even need a boat for water hijinks—just hit the road to the region’s best swimming holes.

05/29/2019 By Allison Williams

Hiker's Guide

Get Your Spring Mountain Fix, No Car Required

Metro's Trailhead Direct, a shuttle between the Seattle area and the Cascade foothills, returns April 20 with an expanded service area.

04/12/2019 By Philip Kiefer

Slope Stories

A Short History of Washington's Bygone Ski Hills

Over the years, some of the state’s ski mountains proved as ephemeral as snowflakes.

12/18/2018 By Christina Ausley