If you're looking for a leg destroying workout, look no further. There's two ways to approach, from…read morebelow at street level with a small gravel parking lot or above as you need to walk a short path to get to it from the nearby park. Your quads will be on fire after a while. The next day (or 2 or 3) your calves (and/or knees) feel like jelly. I don't understand people running downwards and using gravity to their advantage. Run upwards for a high intensity cardio sesh! The steps aren't uniform, with different lengths and angles, so it'll keep you on your toes...literally. Do at least 5 rounds to get a solid burn.

Monkey's secret place to get my head straight during the most difficult time…read more Shaded and sunny, well kept and clean, it's a great place to burn calories and get those hiking legs warmed up. Small dirt parking lot at base and street parking across. No toilets or water fountain, so do bring your hydration needs. GMonkey may want to walk in his footsteps next time...

This is a great spot and so close to town. There are a lot of different parts of the trail so make…read moresure you follow the signs or use a map on your phone. The trail was fairly busy but there was plenty of parking, especially because there are different lots/different starting points. Decent amount of elevation and really beautiful scenery. A few parts of the trails were closed.

Love this for a casual walk or a serious hike. It's stunning features and different levels to test…read moreyour walking strengths. Two different access points either the top of the hill or the bottom. We've done both and can be as challenging as you choose! Rain or shine, visit this place!

This trail is beautiful. There's a good sized parking lot at the main entrance, as well as…read morebathrooms and a small picnic area (well, one table). The main trail (Pipeline trail) is an out and back, it's 2.25 miles each way and connects to the north parking lot. Connects to some shorter trails as well. No pets allowed here.

My friend and I went for a hike today at this Preserve. It was so pretty and peaceful there. The…read morepond was a spectacular sight, with the floating logs and the reflections of the tall trees in the water. We hiked the Tree Frog Loop Trail (beautiful) and also the trail to the left of the bathrooms (I didn't see a sign on that trail to tell me what trail it was). Thankfully the trails were all easy level. It was great to be out in the woods again. I think this was my first hike of 2024. It's still quite cold out, but I felt such joy as I took in the trees, the pond, the ferns, and the other scenery. The air here was very fresh, which I appreciated. On our hike today, we only saw one other hiker the entire time that we were there. We also did not see any wildlife at all today, although there may be wildlife to see at certain times. So, we basically felt like we had the place to ourselves for a little while. It was my first time hiking at this Preserve today, but it may not be my last. I'd love to go there again and sit on the bench by the pond.

Bridle Trails State Park is a great state park that's perfect for horses and everyone else!…read more Although this state park is used for riding your horse along the trails, I say it's a great park for everyone else who wants a stroll through the forest along the Kirkland-Bellevue border. Because it's a state park, you must pay for a $10 single-day pass unless you have the Discovery Pass. There are two parking lots to the area, one parking lot is closest to the entrance to the trails and the other parking lot is smaller, which is closer to the bathrooms and where community events are held as there's a stage. I've been here a few times and it's always a nice way to enjoy a nature walk. In my most recent visit, I came here on a hot day with my dog as Bridle Trails State Park is mostly shaded from the trees. There are three different trails, and if you're looking to spend more time here, take the Coyote Trail, which is about 3.5 miles long. It's not entirely flat, with some hills here and there, but it's a super easy trail, along with the other trails here. I saw a lot of families and horses here. And speaking of horses, be aware that there will be horse poop on the trails. The reason why it's not picked up right away is because unlike dog poop, it decomposes within a short time. Dogs are allowed on the trails as long as they're on leash. At the area where events are held are where bathrooms and a water fountain is located, along with benches. It's nice to live nearby Bridle Trails State Park and enjoy the trees, green space and well-maintained trails that provide shade for those scorching days we're not used to in the Seattle area. That right there is reason enough to visit Bridle Trails State Park.

- The horse Trail -…read more Hubby and I decided to take an afternoon hike here, and we had no clue it's a state park and a discovery pass is required. We parked at the parking lot closer to the entrance, and we bought an annual discovery pass. Other than the starting incline, there is nearly no inclination for this trail. It's rather family friendly if your kids aren't afraid of horses or horse poops as I saw two horses and gazillion poops. It's funny how there is a sign that identifies the differences between horse poop and dog poop lol. The whole trail is shaded except for a small part. There are three recommended routes and the signs are quite obvious, but it's also easy to walk elsewhere as there are so many routes in this park. We were going for the middle length route, but ended up finishing the bigger loop instead and it took a bit more than an hour. There were also tons of salmonberries next to the trail that's perfect for a healthy snack for your "hike" xD!

- dog paradise!!! -…read more It's insane how long I've live here without ever really visited this park other than the two times that I was here for cirque du soleil lol. First of all, this park is HUGE! We walked around the center or the park and we passed by 3 playgrounds, one huge dog park and a garden. There was also a climbing area and they have ropes there for that too. It doesn't look too fun since it was burning hot. The dog park though .. OMG it's amazing! There are tons of little bushes for doggies to pee and jump around... Or play hide and seek. I love seeing all the doggies run around without a leash. I think it's just so wonderful and they all look super happy. Two huge doggies came to play with us and I got to pat them. They are super fluffy!!! I can't even tell the breed but they are huge with long fur! My daughter was in a carrier on me and she was a bit nervous when the doggies sniffied her feet, but overall she was fine with it. I also think this is also for dog owners to meet and mingle... Dog friends anyone? The garden is mostly for people to plant stuff, so it wasn't too interesting. There was also a performance area with a ticket booth, and several spots for picnic. Ps. Pay the $1 parking fee, or worry about the possible fine when you are spending time at the park.

If giganticness were a thing then this park would get full stars. However as the giganticness is in…read moremany cases quite empty then I've reduced the stars. Much of the giganticness is used for events, which I can't rate the park itself on; also at least from the sign when you enter, you have to pay to park here (everywhere? I don't know) which is a huge thumbs down from me. Pay at a park? No thank you. There's a cool/cute farm thingee on the right when you drive in with a structure that looks like a windmill without the rudder. There's an also cool totem pole near the entrance. After that it's....a lot of grass, walk and bike paths, great to take your dog I'd say - including an off leash section. There's a lot to offer and incentive to get to know the park better, which I aspire to do. In spite of the giganticness the (south?) entry off Lake Sammamish Pkway is fairly nondescript so just make sure you obey your gps lol.

A hidden gem for wild (and thus organic) blackberry picking! The hill running down from…read moreRedmond-Woodinville Road NE to the Sammamish River Trail is overgrown with blackberry bushes. Every summer we come by and pick over two pounds! The time varies, but typically the blackberries are ripe by the end of July. Make sure to cover yourself as protection against the thorns, especially since the best blackberries tend to be harder to reach. As a trail itself, the views aren't as nice as the Sammamish River Trail, and a couple of areas are also rather narrow. It runs along civilization, so you have to pay attention to road crossings, but it's still a decent trail.

This is a wonderful trail, for hikers of all abilities. Running under the PSA power lines, it runs…read morefrom, roughly, the 1200 hundred block of the Sammamish Slough Trail, to Farrell-McWhirter Park. It's comprised of a semi-wide dirt path that winds through woodsy and residential Redmond. There's a fairly steep climp up from the slough trail, eastward, until the Red-Wood Road, and be advised that there are a few, large street crossings (ex., the Red-Wood Rd, where there is a pedestrian light and crosswalk, and also on NE 104 St, mid-block. No light here, but a well-marked crosswalk at least). The majority of the trail is flat and it's a bit over 3 miles in length. I love seeing horses and riders occasionally here, and there are quite a few runners. Ending at Farrell-McWhirter Park is just lovely (see my review of that park). THis makes for a fabulous family "trek", ideally ending with a picnic at the park!

- Lovely well-maintained park with a barnyard -…read more It's a lovely surprise to see farm animals at a park! My husband drove my daughter and I here this morning, and I was surprised to see some farm animals here (cows, horses, pigs, ducks, rabbits, goats). There were some kids waiting to ride a horse too, and it looks like they also took them to the trail in the park (there is an equestrian trail too (yes, I've never seen that word in my life until today lol). The park seems well-maintained, and the barnyard area looks clean too. There are electrical wire around some areas of the barnyard, so I'm guessing some people violates the rules of no feeding/touching the animals regardless of the signs. I've never seen it before, so we exercised extra caution while trying to see the animals at a reasonable distance away from the wires. The park itself looks like a forest with super tall trees and fresh air. Some parts of the park is paved and it also looks well-maintained despite the horse poops on the road. There is a small creek in the park that kids can easily get accessed to as well. The bathroom was also clean despite looking like a bathroom at a campsite. ps. There was also a cat who came to me to let me pat. It also meowed when I stopped meowing, so I had to pat it again (this repeated for maybe 5 times). I am not sure why nobody else mentioned this, so I'm guessing it's a stray.

This is an amazing oasis. There's a barnyard area with rabbits, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens,…read moregoats, ducks, and more! There's no feeding the animals as they're on special diets, but some of the animals like the goats will come up to the fenced area for pats. I can see why they don't allow feed, as when I visited there was a private party with lots of kids-the animals would have probably gorged themselves if there was free reign of food. I liked how there was an outdoor row of sinks at the restroom facility since it encourages good hand hygiene after petting the animals. There's also a family restroom to make this place especially family friendly. I didn't have time to check out the trails, but they go through a wooded area and it looked cool.

Beautiful park that has something to do for everyone! There are slides, swings, monkey bar,…read morebasketball court, soccer field, lake access, boardwalk. Benches, gazebos, trails! Best part is it has tall trees so even if it's very sunny it still has shaded areas.

What a fun park to have an end of the summer party! My kids and their friends met up for a beach…read moreparty to celebrate the end of summer and start of the new school year. They have reserved picnic spaces but also lots of spaces where you can simply claim to use the day of your gathering. The bathrooms were not the cleanest nor was the lake water as my son left with a stomach bug the next day. The parking lot is a bit of a hike to get to the lake and picnic areas. I highly recommend using a wagon to transport food and drinks. Or you can have somebody pull up in the handicapped parking loop to drop off party supplies.