Picked this hike from the Washington Trails book, about 9.5 miles roundtrip with a 2700 elevation…read moregain. This was a tough hike, even though I chose it since the book said "moderate" and even looking up some reviews people had said the hike as relatively simple to enjoy a fantastic lake view. We were both pretty dead at the end due to the length and steep inclines. Knees were pretty banged up because of all the rocks. The trail in the beginning wasn't so bad, definitely got my heart pumping because of the elevation, but as you go higher up there were a lot of switchbacks and seemingly no end in sight. We hustled up the mountain pretty quickly though, which was why we were so tired at the end. The view is definitely worth it in the end; recommend bringing a hammock! There's also plenty of sitting area through slabs of rocks. Coming down we encountered: 1) a girl who was crying we believe because of the toughness of the trail, 2) a couple who stopped us to ask how much longer it was to the top (they unfortunately weren't even halfway) which signifies how tough this hike was. Definitely recommend bringing more than enough water or you will definitely be dehydrated (like we were). Otherwise glad we did this and would recommend (you won't regret it but your body will hate you haha).

Pretty but tough, Melakwa Lake gets you with its length and steady elevation gain. The trailhead…read moreis located in Snoqualmie and is part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. Be sure to pick up a Northwest Forest Pass before you head over as the closest visitor center is about a 15 min drive away at Exit 52. If you've scoped out the WTA site already, it'll say that the trailhead has a parking lot for approximately 30ish cars with additional room to park along the side of the road. As the trailhead is shared with the very popular Denny Creek, I'd recommend you head early to snag a spot and to carpool - my friends and I arrived around 9AM and the lot was completely packed. There appears to be two parts to this hike - the family-friendly portion to Denny Creek and then the rocky and long jaunt up to Melakwa Lake. We saw a lot of families on the trail headed to the creek, which makes the perfect picnic spot during low water. If you want to continue on toward Melakwa Lake, head straight over to the other side of the creek where you'll find a tiny sign labeled "Main Trail" posted on a tree. The crowd thinned out after Denny Creek/the water slide (as referred to on WTA) as the hike got a bit tougher and rockier. If you have hiking boots, wear them, as you'll encounter two, long stretches of rocky terrain. The 2,000 ft elevation gain is gradual, but definitely noticeably on the last leg. You'll head up for what feels like forever before the trail starts to dip down again, taking you to the edge of the lake. This hike feels long, so be sure to bring an ample amount of water and snacks to help power on to the end! Once you're at the lake, there's room for you to sit out on the rocks before your journey back down. We even saw a few people swimming in the water - must've been so cold! XD My friends weren't the biggest fans of this hike, mainly because of the length, but I still think it's worth a visit with the right prep. Also, don't forget to bring bug spray! Apparently Melakwa is Chinook for mosquito, haha. :)

Since we were in the area we stopped by this park. Only a few people when we arrived and they left…read moreso it was just a peaceful park. We walked around a bit taking in the fresh air and scenery. They have some structures and plants to see. It's a park so it's what you make of it. We just wanted to come by and walk around a bit and it fit the bill.

This park is a hidden gem. I was looking for a park that had mountain views and this spot…read moredefinitely delivers. There is a parking lot, bathrooms, and plenty of nature. I wish there were longer walking paths but it is situated near other trails.

Gorgeous location for a hike! Check out the Twin Falls hike to see a rather large waterfall. Took…read moreus around 3 miles to complete.

There is plenty of shade on the trail. My family went into the water after the hike once we…read morereturned to the bottom and it was very refreshing!

What a beautiful lake! Makes for one of the best camping sites in our opinion. The day we visited,…read morethe water was right up to the shore, about 10 feet away from the park benches. It was a typical Washington cloudy day but the turquoise blue color of the water just looked more moody & beautiful under the grey backdrop. Very beautiful views from this lake and is a must visit for all young families. There is no hike involved to reach the lake, Parking is just beside the lakeside. We did not camp here. The weather in May can still be a little cool to camp overnight but we would be back later in the summer to camp here. There is no dedicated children playground here but there are semi -closed spaces that can work as boundaries for young kids playing. The public restroom was very dirty, I couldn't use it. My spouse did use the honey bucket that was outside the public restrooms but it was not very clean as well.

One of our favorite spots in nature. Not a far drive from Snoqualmie Falls, and it has good ample…read moreof parking. We enjoy to come hang out at the lake with the gorgeous views & cool water. I do advise to bring chairs, beach mat or a thick towel if want to lay by the lake since it is quite rocky. There is grass area & trees for more comfort. We've hiked once or so at this trail, and it's really enjoyable. On busy days though, the bathroom with a flushable can get dirty & most likely wont get cleaned till the next day. I notice they do provide port-a-pottys in addition to the restroom.

Small regional park with play ground and hiking trails. Some picnic tables but limited shaderead more

Terrific park! A must-go whenever I have my g-kids. We've been coming here since they were 6 & 3;…read morethey're now 10 & 7. They stay busy here for as much as an hour. Many things to climb on, slide on, zip along on, spin on. We love it!

Our kids' most favorite place for biking! The park has so much open space and offers so many…read moredifferent options for activities. There's a kid-friendly pump track, skatepark, soccer field, climbing wall, walking trail and much more!! If your kids like biking, they'd enjoy this park.

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.

Strange atmosphere. The parking lot fits about 7 cars, and the crowd the night I went was odd. The…read moreowners and dogs were off. There were kids riding bikes, not something I'd expect or want at a dog park. There was elk poop everywhere, lots of thorns, and the area doesn't look maintained. It's a large field, but definitely not well-kept.

This place is massive!!! Lots of space to explore. On a hot day it's a little rough, it's not…read morereally shaded. The entrance area is really the best place for shade. The parking lot is tiny! There were some large piles of poop that didn't look like they were from dogs.

Denny Creek Waterslide 4/16…read more Easy hike through the snow along crystal clear waters. So many views to see along the way to the slide. You will want micro spikes but it is doable without. You are unable to park directly at the trailhead so you must walk the access road to the trail head which adds less than a mile extra round trip. 3.09 miles, 577 ft elevation gain, and 1 hr 20 minutes to complete.

Beautiful ! Cute hiking trail and scenery, definitely coming back soon! The weather was perfect and…read moredrive wasn't too far from where we were from.

Perfect hike with a rewarding river for little legs. The hike starts off from the parking lot with…read morepicnic benches. This picnic area does not open to the river front but leads you into the trail. The trail is nice & clear. Within 0.6 miles, it opens to several openings to the river. The water is crystal clear and cool. It must make a good fishing point as we did see some folks walking in with fishing rods. You can walk along the shore - the water is not deep around the edge till you get to the bridge that goes over the river that has a pretty good view of the jagged mountains. We couldn't see any elks or deer as many have cited having seen around this river. The parking lot however is bang opposite to a farm and my five year old was still able to see 8 majestic horses as we were leaving. The honey bucket was extremely dirty, so please plan to hold it in until you get to your next stop or empty your tank before you arrive. Overall, we spent an hour here but families can easily spend half a day at the picnic area. We did not see a lot of space on the river front to camp around but there may be other openings to the river that may have better possibilities for picnic. The picnic area is closed and very safe for young kids to play around. It does not have any dedicated playground, just picnic tables.

This is truly a gem. I've only come a couple of times to see the elk, but it's been a beautiful…read moreexperience. At sunset on a hot day you'll see the elk come out as it cools down. They're so beautiful and you can hear them talking occasionally. Do not go into the natural area and approach them. It's not safe. Watching from a distance is safer for everyone.