I really enjoyed walking through Grand Forest on Bainbridge Island. The trails were peaceful,…read morebeautiful, and surrounded by so much greenery. It was a relaxing place to explore and enjoy nature, and I would definitely visit again.

Two enclaves of land preserved from suburban encroachment, which has not spared Bainbridge Island,…read moreare the East and West Grand Forest. Here, trees have grown back from the violent hacking and destruction of ancient groves during the 1870s-1890s Euro-colonizer "frontier" evisceration of life. The island was razed entirely. Not a tree left standing, nor the life they sustained, that emerged from millions of years of earthly intelligence unique to this place, with thousands of years of stewardship by indigenous cultural groups. A mere hundred years ago, Euro-colonizers cared more about production lumber than the glorious trees of the Pacific Northwest and the life they held in balance. Today in the same vein, fortressed mega- mansions of the new rich warn anyone off with "private property" signs around this patch where trees are left standing, ironically referred to as "The Grand Forest." A more apt moniker would be "Hint of what was once a Grand Forest." Still the average public, now confined to the suburban and urban rectilinear hard-surface prison existence would appreciate the respite of being inside the green bower. If you are attuned to communities of trees you will perhaps note that this forest doesn't have "death", or large fallen logs that feed the cycle of life and regenerate other trees with their nutrition. You'll see just a crowded jumble of trees that have regrown having not selected amongst themselves how to thin their shared canopy, allow the light in to nurture other trees, and to fully support an integrated life system. Indeed this forest is metaphorically on life-support itself and even so, it sustains the evapotranspiration that helps keep Bainbridge Island cool while nearby concrete capitalist metropolises bake and swelter. The forest helps retains moisture during the winter which recharges groundwater aquifers that are being sucked dry at a much more rapid rate by all the sad suburban cookie cutter edifices with their sprawling Bermuda Grass lawns. As you walk along the nicely laid out paths, I wish you only the best reveries of a kind, gracious form of life that sustained myriad other life in all directions, which is what the forest will be saying to you. Cross over from the West- to the East-enclave and find the old barn of a rich lady (Prue) who donated her family's property to create a connecting corridor between the two sections. Never mind the busy recreation-chasing groups of mountain bikers and sometimes horse riders. This is a place to reconnect your soul to the signals of the life force that brought you to be, notwithstanding your current capitalist industrial trappings. Viva el bosque.

We loved this easy and fun path. It was an easy hike for the whole family. Many paths if you want…read moreto continue after the falls. It was not too busy during the week but can see it could get busy during the weekend. Easy access to parking which is a plus!

SO BEAUTIFUL!!! literally one of the best shorter trails around this area with a couple hidden…read morewaterfalls if you look around enough if you go up the path on the right and then on the way back take the road it feels like you make it back so much quicker (as someone who hates walking back on trails)

This was a fantastic stop on our Bainbridge Island trip. This is a part of the American…read moreHorticultural Society, so my botanical garden membership from home worked here. It's a HUGE reserve and just absolutely stunning. You're provided with a map when you come in. There is also ample parking available. There is plenty of walking trails and different flora surrounding the space. There are benches scattered around the reserve if you want to take a moment to soak it all in. It's a great forest bathing space. I loved visiting it.

We wanted to visit this place really bad and I take full responsibility for not researching it…read morebetter but once we got there we found out it costs $25 per person to go in, the pictures I saw of the grounds seem to indicate it's probably worth every penny but we ended up turning around and driving to a nearby park with amazing views for free. Maybe I'm naive, I'm definitely on a budget but I think nature should be free or at least more affordable for all to enjoy, the very nice employee let us know that they do have some days when entry is free or pay what you can but it's some special day like the 3rd Thursday of the month but only if there's a full moon and raining.

A Seattle Gem with Breathtaking Views!…read more Discovery Park is hands down one of the most beautiful spots in Seattle. My husband grew up in Magnolia, so he took me here for a hike last weekend, and I was completely blown away. ​We explored the south side and walked the Loop Trail. The path is well-maintained and offers stunning panoramic views of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. It's hard to believe you're still within the city limits! It's the largest park in the city, so there is plenty of space to enjoy nature. Whether you want a serious hike or just a peaceful stroll to see the water, this is the place to go. Don't forget your camera--the scenery is post-card perfect!

The trail is paved and only muddy in some spots, some elevation gain but not too bad…read more The park is crowded but it's a large space so there's plenty of spots for picnics or a walk/trail run. Service is spotty here so I would download a map or pick up a map .

Love love love this park! Campsites are amazing and it's a…read moregreat family park. Exploring Fort Worden is such a fun adventure it's a family event for us yearly! I have to give a special shout out to the amazing park rangers for this years annual visit. We stayed for a long weekend and camped with friends. On our check out day , just one hour before our check out time we decided to do one last walk on the beach. While walking on the beach our friend had a medical emergency and had to be rushed to ER. We we're unable to check out on time and I immediately went to park rangers and explained we may have to stay an additional night.... They were so understanding and even though they had to move other campers to other spots they assured us it would be ok . Well we were able to eventually check out later that day and it was several hours past check out...... they actually refunded us the extra $$$ we had paid for not checking out on time. We love this place and the extra care the park rangers showed was amazing!

Fort Ward Park was a nice place to visit. It was peaceful, scenic, and a great spot to walk around…read moreand enjoy the outdoors. I enjoyed my time there and would visit again.

Our friend took us here to learn more about the Japanese Americans who were taken from their homes…read moreand relocated to Manzanar in CA. I hope more people will visit to learn about the unfair and unjust treatments of the Japanese people. We were met at their temporary visit center by a volunteer named Clay. He was so nice and gave us a brief history of the Japanese American exclusion experiences. We did not know that the Japanese Americans on Bainbridge Island were the first group to be taken from their homes. And they were only given 6 days to get their affairs in order. The memorial was very nice and there's a beautiful view of the bay at the end. How it most have been so hard to leave the beautiful island home.

What "an unwavering testament to the events of March 30, 1942, serving as a poignant reminder of…read morethe past." "The Memorial Wall winds solemnly down to the historic Eagledale ferry dock landing site, where the first of more than 120,000 Japanese individuals--two-thirds of whom were American citizens--were forcibly uprooted from their West Coast homes and confined to concentration camps during World War II." May we not only remember, but may we never let it happen again.

Beautiful little(accent on little) park…read more It's a great way to get a scenic view of the water but probably come during a weekday when it isn't overwhelmed with visitors. Also there are some hiking trails you can go off on. No covered eating area though which is a bummer on a rainy day.

On a somewhat rainy day, my family and I were interested in exploring Bainbridge a bit. We found…read moreHidden Cove Park but honestly questioned whether we were going the right way a number of times. Finally, we reached a small parking lot in a wooded, grassy area on a hill that overlooked the water. There was a stairway down to the water. The stairway has seen better days and given how slippery it was, a number of us decided to stay on the hill. Some of our group ventured down on the floating dock which was about as wobbly as the stairs. The dock was a nice setting for some beautiful pictures! This is a nice park for a picnic, to eat your lunch in the car, or to have a few minutes of peace to yourself.

Beautiful sunny day in Bainbridge and what would better than a walk with nature around a lake?…read moreWell, depends on how you define a lake. More like a pond. The trail is nice though and well maintained. It's a well-known bike trail so be careful when going in groups or with pets. Not much of a view if you're looking for spots to sit and enjoy the lake, but the trail is worth a go.

What a wonderful walk this is! It's exactly the right amount of distance for us and hardly anybody…read morewas there at four in the afternoon. The pup loved it too.