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

Visiting the South Side of Mount St. Helens: On Top of Old Smokey

Take a walk on the adventure side of the volcano. Keen athletes can spelunk underground, ski gentle slopes, or climb to the crater rim.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Visiting the North Side of Mount St. Helens: Crater Crash Course

A road trip down a stunning highway leads to a well-appointed visitor center and easy hikes. Never been to the famous mountain? Start here.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

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

Recreation jubilation

The Great Outdoors is Open for Business, Sorta

Hiking, boating, and fishing return to state lands, with restrictions; golf tees up, too.

04/27/2020 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

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

Culture Fix

What to Do After Work September 23–26

Local and international folk bands, a night of live painting, and fourth graders' ice cream dreams.

09/23/2019 By Nicole Pasia and Courtney Cummings

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

From the Outside In

12 Ways to Do Rainier Without Actually Entering the National Park

Beyond the park boundaries sits a wealth of small-town charm, not to mention lesser-known hikes and stellar views.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Open Secrets

The Top Things to See and Do Inside Mount Rainier National Park

More than two million people visited the park last year. How does a first-timer tackle its 369 square miles?

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

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

Wild Life

Ballard's Ascent Outdoors Is Back from the Dead

The sudden April closure was a shock, but a local mountain guide is resurrecting the outdoor retail shop.

06/26/2019 By Allison Williams

Feature

Where on Earth Is Sam Sayers?

On a perfect summer day, a solo hiker went missing from a Cascade trail. Nine months later, the mystery has consumed the lives of thousands.

04/23/2019 By Allison Williams

NEWSMAKERS

Perfect Party May 2019

Here’s who we’d invite if we could entertain this month’s most interesting visitors, locals, and newsmakers.

04/23/2019 By Seattle Met Staff

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