The coal creek nature area is like a secret forest. Hidden in between Coal Creek Parkway and…read moredifferent neighborhoods bordering Bellevue and Newcastle. The waterfall here is dependent on the weather. Tucked into a small creek/canyon area. The trail is beautiful and loads of ferns everywhere. The green state really shines down in this area too. Of course in the summer it becomes a bit browner. Springtime and the blackberry bushes line certain parts of the trails. Trail access varies depending on where you go. Various signage gives you a history of the area. So lucky to have access to this lovely trail. Get out there and enjoy life. SYOY!

It was a beautiful day for a hike and we decided to check out Coal Creek Falls Trail…read more It was so peaceful and very pretty. Just what we both needed after a hectic work week. What was really interesting to us, was a long the trail there were signs giving the coal mining history along the trail. There are multiple trails to explore and I look forward to coming back another time to explore some of the other trails. They also have horse trails, which is pretty cool. I just need to find a horse and learn how to ride one.

Gorgeous place! We were able to go snowshoeing for free! Plenty of parking on the side of the road…read more Highly recommend bringing hiking poles since it's super icy this season!

Definitely arrive early because the lot with fill up fast! A NW Forest pass is required for…read moreparking. This trail is very rocky so make sure to have good hiking shoes and trekking poles. There was also lots of bugs on this trail so definitely pack bug spray as well. The view is beautiful, a little crowded but I came around 7:30am so it wasn't too bad.

The Glacier Basin Trail is utterly magical in every sense of the word. I must have taken hundreds…read moreof pictures and several videos while hiking this trail. This hike has everything that your little heart could ever desire! A forest full of giant trees. Vibrantly green shrubs. Waterfalls at practically each turn. Majestic views of not only the snow covered mountains, but the gorgeous aqua hues of the White River down below. The rushing river running parallel. Rampant wildlife. Colorful wildflowers. Inclines and elevation galore. I mean, shall I go on?! Just stunning. Glacier Basin is located near the White River entrance of Mount Rainier National Park. The trail begins just behind the White River Campgrounds. It's starts off mildly inclining through a lush forest, but the incline picks up speed and continues to incline until you reach the camp. It's about roughly 9 miles and 2,000 feet of elevation in total if you add in the the detour to the Emmons Lorraine Trail. Do it! It will add another 1.5/2miles to the hike, BUT... this is where you'll find that incredible view of the Inter Fork White River. It's funny that it's called the "white river" because it's stunningly aqua from the top of Emmons Lorraine. The Emmons Lorraine trail is a turn off that's about a mile into the Glacier Basin Trail and includes a river crossing and a steep incline up a narrow hill. It looks a bit intimidating, but it's really not. Just sit on your bum for the really gnarly parts coming down (at least that's what I did). Continuing on the Glacier Basin Trail, it's basically a straight shot up the hill for another 3 miles until you reach the top. There are a few spots with some switchbacks, but it's mostly a ridge-like trail. AllTrails has rated this hike as moderate, but it's definitely on the harder side of moderate if not difficult. What makes this hike so enjoyable though is the fact that there's so much scenery. Every time I took a break, I was either greeted by a beautiful mini waterfall or vibrant wildflowers. The views are very motivating and it keeps you going. Once you reach Glacier Basin Camp, you'll be met with the most stunning views of snow covered Mount Rainier and the rushing waters of the White River right next to it. This hike took me about 5 hours in total to complete (including breaks, lunch, and detours). It's definitely a day hike, so bring enough food and water to keep yourself nourished. Also, make sure you have some really comfortable hiking shoes/boots and hiking poles for the way down if you have bad knees. Coming down can be just as tough as hiking up because of the steepish downhill for 3 miles straight. This one is definitely going in the books as one of my favorite National Park hikes and my favorite Washington state hike thus far. If you're looking for a challenge and a great way to see the beauty of Mount Rainier National Park, Glacier Basin Trail is a great option.

As a Seattle native, I can say that this is my favorite hike I've ever been on. The hike has a fork…read moreabout a mile in. If you fork left, there is a relatively short (~30 min) but steep trail that leads to the glacier basin. The water is a bright teal with mountains in the background, one of the best views I've ever seen. My friends and I went swimming in the basin, which was very cold but also very fun. If you stay on the main trail, it is an additional 6 miles that is moderate-difficult and took about 3 hours to get up. At the top, there is a really pretty meadow and campground. You will need a Mt. Ranier National Park pass ($50 annual or $30/week) to enter. I went on a weekday in the morning and had no trouble finding parking. The main trail was quite empty, but the left fork had a couple other groups. However, we more or less had the place to ourselves. Overall, 10/10 would reccomend!

The map was a little confusing at first. We did the hiking trails and we're surprised how the paths…read moreare mainly kept up. We loved going out the falls. We didn't see the upper falls but the middle and the bottom. Was a little ways to figure how to get inside the waterfall but was awesome when we made it over :) but there was alot of trash at the bottom that needs to be cleaned like beer bottles.

Really solid place to hike. Very clear trails with varying difficulty. We chose to go to the falls…read more The maps and markers were very clear which was great. The walk to the falls had good elevation and an amazing view.

The trail has many rolling hills you will climb as you get to the falls. There are neat wooden…read morestairs and wooden platforms from where you can view the lower falls. If you continue to the upper falls you will cross a beautiful wooden bridge. 2.68 miles, 614 elevation gain, 1 hr 9 minutes to complete.

To kick off the New Year, I decided to be active and hike one of my favorite nearby Seattle trails…read more This one has it all: not too easy nor hard (580 foot elevation gain, ~2.5 miles round trip), riverfront views, a humongous 700 year old Douglass Fir, two massive boulders you can climb up, many natural swimming pools, and three viewpoints of a gorgeous cascade. Twin Falls appears to be a single fall but you have to go up to the third upper viewpoint with a bench to see the twin. You can go further and it continues into Ollalie State Park and joins Iron Horse Trail. Go early because it's a popular hike with a medium sized parking lot at the trailhead. Just be sure to remember you WA state Discovery Pass to display on your car. The trail is near Snoqualmie Pass but doesn't have all the snow other nearby trails get causing them to close seasonally.

Going out on a rainy day in the middle of June was just fine…read more Easy walking trails with lots of trees and gnomes almost everywhere. I wish I would've brought a gnome or two to add to the trail. Definitely next time! Take my advice. Bring a gnome to leave. You'll be happy you did :-)

What an enchanting walk. Thanks to Yelp, I found this trail close to our rental. Plenty of parking…read moreand a LFL (little free library) at the trail head with some childrens books. The Gnome Trail goes left and a Loop trail to the right. There are So. Many. Gnomes! It was a lot of fun to slowly wander, looking side to side, trying to see all the gnomes! There are a couple of sections of trail with almost no gnomes, but most of it has plenty. An abundance if you will. They are everywhere! Hanging from limbs, on logs, under leaves, on tree trunks, in crevases, off in the distance. It's quite fun trying to spy them all. I like the idea of bringing a troll to leave. I would like to leave one in a less populated area. A momento of my visit to Maple Valley. This is a fairly easy trail. There is one steep incline, and some rocks and roots under foot, but the trail is a nice width and fairly easy to follow. Much of it is well blaze. An excellent trail to bring your pre-school child or anyone who enjoys a bit of whimsy.

Biggest deception about Deception Falls is the map location in yelp…read more If you find yourself at a bridge into town, you're at the wrong location. It is actually 8 miles further up the hill than what the map shows. Technically it's closed but you can park on the road side. There's plenty of safe parking space. Short walk to get down to the falls. Very beautiful and worth the stop.

We have passed by this amazing place so many times, and finally stopped to check it out. It is a…read morevery easy hike through the area, suitable for all ages. The scenery is breathtaking! Highly recommend.

Came here on Sunday around 1245pm, there was plenty of parking and the staffer who was working on…read morethe park maintenance really helped my hubby and I. When we arrived my hubs dropped his wallet outside the door because he parked too far. He didn't realize that he dropped his wallet out the door until we had driven to the main park area. By then several cars entered behind us and we really thought that it was a hopeless situation. We asked the worker if anyone turned a wallet in and nobody did. We took our son to play at the park thinking we wouldn't see it again but the worker tracked us down and had my hubs wallet and returned it to him! Now for the playground, since there is so much space they should build an additional playground because on a nice day the park was crawling with kids. And its so small also there's no swing. The trails were pretty short and the river was gorgeous. I wish they had more parking too

There's no flaming geyser are here anymore. It's a beautiful park though. Beautiful green grasses…read moreand you can hike to the river.

This park is clean and peaceful, I've come here 3x now and loved it. I paddleboard here and it's…read moregreat especially since there are no houses and boats. There's a playground off to the side, bbq grills and several benches.

One of absolute favorite parks to visit. I come here just to get away and relax and get lost in my…read moreown thoughts whenever I need a break. I brought my boyfriend with me the other day and he loved it too. The bathrooms are clean, stocked and overall well maintained which is a huge plus for me because park bathrooms are usually pretty icky The trail is an easy peasy, 99% flat 1.4 miles with a few off trails leading to water access. This place is gorgeous on bright days but also on gloomy, rainy WA days. The girl at the booth who sold me a Discover Pass on July 4, 2016 was very friendly. She's the only park worker I've ever interacted with in the dozens of times I've been here. If you're in the area and looking for an easy and beautiful stroll, definitely stop in here.

This was a nice hike! I really thought there was going to be a lot of insects, but there was…read morebarely any out! Loved that I was able to hang out with my kids on the hike and enjoyed being surrounded by nature! Especially when we made it to the waterfall! Such a beautiful view!

Truly a fun and beautiful trail in the forest. I adivine you read the directions for parking on…read moreAlltrails. And get there early. We arrived approximately 9:00 am. As we were leaving it was getting packed. The trail is really fun through the forest. Up and down traversing through a leafy green heavy fern lined trail. Loads of roots are everywhere so watch your step. The bugs weren't quite as bad as I thought but we were there fairly early. Bring bug spray though. It definitely areas that promote mosquitoes. You can go for a dip. The water is cold and refreshing. I was sure to bring water sandals. Felt so good on my feet. Worth the trek for this beautiful hike. Do it! SYOY!