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

Cover Story

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.

03/26/2019 By Allison Williams

Branching Out

Larch Season Is Finally Here

And it's already almost over. The Cascade color show is as spectacular as it is ephemeral, so the gold rush is on.

10/03/2018 By Allison Williams