35 Northwest Playgrounds
Great outdoor summer adventures in the water, on the ground, and high in the sky.
AIR
Issaquah, Washington
Not just for the birds
No one’s done a scientific study yet, but paragliding may be the sport with the quickest transition from expletive spewing to declarations of awe. Strap into the harness and parachute-like glider, run down the side of a mountain until you’re aloft, and see how fast your “oh shits” turn to “oh look at thats.” Seattle Paragliding in Issaquah gets you off the ground with tandem lessons, where you take your first few flights tucked in front of an experienced pilot like a baby kangaroo. Once airborne, you’ll catch sight of Mount Rainier, the Olympic peaks, Puget Sound, and yes, the Fraternity Snoqualmie Nudist Park a few miles south. Seattle Paragliding, 206-387-3477; www.seattleparagliding.com
Lake Union, Seattle
Your own private airline
A seaplane ride is one of the few adventures that’s even more amazing than it looks. You ascend from Lake Union, survey Puget Sound, and step out (in some cases minutes later) at a gorgeous destination. Put on your best pair of aviator sunglasses and tell the pilot to aim for the San Juans for hiking or kayaking, or strike further a field to Vancouver Island for Canadian adventures. Once the engine rumbles and your plane teeters off the water, we dare you not to utter the word “awesome” numerous times during the flight. Kenmore Air, 425-486-1257; www.kenmoreair.com
Shelton, Washington
Like D. B. Cooper but without, you know, taking hostages
“You’re so high up,” says 21-year-old Brianne Hartinger, who took her first skydive last summer at Skydive Kapowsin in Shelton. “You can see everything right before you jump, even the curvature of the earth.” If that image doesn’t terrify you, odds are you’re a good match for skydiving too. Jumps typically start at 9,000 feet (usually in tandem with an instructor for newcomers), and once you push out of the plane, you free-fall for half a minute or more at 120 miles per hour. Hartinger plans to go again this summer: “It was the most thrilling thing I’ve ever done.” Skydive Kapowsin, 800-759-3483; www.skydivekapowsin.com
Amboy, Washington
Go jump off a bridge
On his first bungee jump eight years ago, Russell Boland, a construction project manager from Eugene, Oregon, said his mind convinced him he was going to die. “The adrenaline rush is so intense that some people say strange things on their way down, their body goes through crazy contortions,” he recalls. The man upstairs tends to be frequently name-checked as people hurtle toward the ground. “And then when you spring back up, you are giggling and elated.” He jumps regularly now in Amboy, Washington, just northeast of Vancouver, at Bungee.com, which operates the tallest private bungee-jumping bridge in the country, with 191 feet of free-falling, screamingly good fun. Bungee.com, 503-520-0303
Snohomish Valley, Washington
Full of hot air
Scott “Gonzo” Gates, a Kirkland-based design engineer treated his wife to a 10th wedding anniversary surprise: A hot-air balloon flight. “The scenery was stunning, and our guide really made the experience memorable.” From just over 1,000 feet off the ground, as the couple surveyed 360-degree views of Snohomish farmland, snowcapped mountains, and Puget Sound, they spotted a pair of blue herons gliding beneath the balloon. Book a group sunrise tour during late fall or winter—the group rate is considerably lower than the private rate—and odds are good you’ll have the balloon to yourselves. Airial Balloon, 360-568-3025; www.airialballoon.com
Elliott Bay, Seattle
Be a human kite
Entertaining out-of-towners? For a quick adventure that beats the rain slickers off the Needle or EMP, cajole your friends down to Pier 66 for an afternoon of parasailing. Strap into a harness and parachute, let the boat tug you along above Elliott Bay, and ride the wind like a kite. It’s a vacation in the sky. “Locals often overlook this touristy option,” says U District resident Dave Hogan, “but it’s really a fun get-together.” It requires little physical skill yet yields big adventure and unmatched Seattle skyline and Puget Sound views. Pier 66 Parasail, 206-622-5757
Published: June 2008
