Great day of mountain biking. The weather and trails are perfect today. Mostly dry so the roots are…read morepretty easy to navigate.

Paradise Valley is my and my pups go-to for trail running! Trails are all really well signed with…read moremileage and the trails they link up to. Nice variation of hills and flat areas, and so much lush vegetation! Not too crowded early on the weekends or early afternoon midweek.

This park is so lovely! It's walking distance from downtown and right on the river. I stopped by…read moreduring an errands day with the dogs to let them go potty and was actually so stunned by how nice it was. We went on a fall day and the colors were magnificent! There are paved paths and clear routes to trails and the beach. We ended up walking them down to the river, which had a lovely sandy beach, which was such a surprise! There were benches and tables down there, which I am sure are very coveted in the summer season. For a nice fall day, this was the perfect spot! I would love to come back here with some takeout and enjoy a lovely meal on the river. Very dog friendly, great views, and awesome amenities (water fountain, showers, trails, easy signage, bathroom). What more could you want!

This is a great park close to all the stores in Duvall, on the banks of the Snoqualmie River. What…read moresurprised us was the sandy beach on the banks of the river. It's a great park with lots of space to picnic, either on the grass or on the tables. We haven't explored the trail next to the park much yet, we will be back soon for that.

Great beach that's close to a lot of amenities. There's an ice cream shop near by as well as…read moreseveral restaurants, and of course a little further is downtown Edmonds. The port of Edmonds marina is right adjacent so you can watch boats sailing in and out, and people going about their business. It gets quite busy on a nice day. There's a boardwalk area that has sinks for cleaning fish and areas to cast your line. There's also a fish pen that's being used to raise fish for sport and increase the fish stocks for recreational anglers. You can see the glint of scales every so often! Lots of great bird watching here as well. The beach here is also very nice, with some cool critters to see at low tide. There is a visitor center which was closed when I visited, although the bathrooms were open.

Olympic Beach is a great place to visit to watch the Edmonds Ferry and walk the boardwalk area. If…read moreyou are visiting between June through August it's a warm climate, outside of these months I would bring a top or jacket because the weather maybe cool.

The review is for the Blanca Lake trail in the Amazingly Beautiful Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National…read moreForest, which has many beautiful trails to explore, which I'm just getting started on. Lol This one is an adventure in itself just getting to, literally of the beaten path, even with its popularity. You will be in the heart of the Cascades after the drive and hike. The last six miles of road is gravel, so it's a slow but scenic drive, after sone of the breathtaking views of the mountains driving up highway 2, which leads over Stevens Pass, almost there, but not quite. Just like the drive, the trail is a rock and root trail, so with both, don't hurry, enjoy the moments, stop and take in the views, forest, nature, and quietness. This is a highly moderate to hard hike, come prepared... plenty of water ( not a single plastic bottle) lots of water, snacks or lunch to enjoy along the trail, while enjoying the beautiful lake views, and to stayed fueled on the way back. Like many of summer hikes I've experienced, watching people not prepared, exhausted and dehydrated, sad days!! A little prep makes for a enjoyable memorable day, not life threatening... seriously! The first four miles are a fairly long cross cross ascent, once you get to the ridge, more amazing views can be seen, till then, you get peek a boo views of the mountains. Once you get to Virgin Lake, you'll start the descent to Blanca Lake, you can hear the waterfalls from the lake, pretty much down to it. Around the lake there was still good size areas of snow melting in the shaded areas. Great views of Columbia peak and glacier (which feeds into the lake) along with many more amazing peaks to views in this glacier valley. The water color is so beautiful!! Getting its color from the glacier water source. I was grateful for the reviews from fellow yelpers and AllTrails, for the recommendations of taking sandals and clothes to swim in, I wore very light hiking clothes which dry fast, and the shoes are helpful for sharp rocks and slippery logs. Yes, even more grateful after watching many falling over the very slippery logs, painful to watch. The waters was amazing! Not as cold as you would expect coming off the glacier, but it was refreshing after a long hike on a very warm day. So worth bringing extra gear. After enjoying a quick lunch with all the amazing views, it was time for the hike back up, and yes, it's a hike up, remember that when you're going DOWN to the lake, it's going to be uphill all the way past Virgin Lake to the ridge. I recommend hiking poles, even if you don't feel they're necessary for the hike up, they definitely make the descent over rocks and roots easier to negotiate. Definitely a hike not to rush, stop and breathe, enjoy the views. This time up I had a fun encounter with the pair of squirrels, letting myself and a few other hikers that stopped to enjoy the spectacle of the squirrels (as. I had to explain) letting us know to stay away from their tree, with squeaks and hand tapping, pretty sure they had young ones up further in the tree. Just another fun part of the adventure in nature. I definitely recommend starting early as this will be a all day adventure, due to the travel and hiking time. Also note, due to a major washout, you will be parking on the side of the road as the washout adds another mile to the trail, the real parking lot is on the other side of the boulder and rock field. It's also a popular hike, so more than likely, especially on the weekends, there will be more people. After the hike, it's a good things Monroe is not far away for some good food and brews( Which it has many options of) I definitely recommend this one, well worth the hard hike, for the amazing lake and views of so many peaks. Not to mention getting to witness a glacier. Come prepared, please! Happy Hiking! God bless and multiple Cheers!

This national forest is a treasure and it's really beautiful…read more Whether you want to go for the day, spend the night, rent a campsite or go hiking/fishing/exploring for several weeks, this forest is perfect. With the Greenwater River, fishing is plenty and you can't beat the scenery. The salmon run goes through here, and it's fun to watch. There are also lakes and gorgeous meadows, along with glacier capped mountains. There are multiple campsites to rent. In the warmer months, I've seen them full to capacity and in the spring/fall, I've seen a lot of space so check them out. Since it's a national forest, you're allowed to camp wherever you want to. There are countless places that are excellent spots to camp near the river or deep in the woods. Even in the summer when there have been tons of people at the campsites, driving just 2 minutes down the road made me feel like I was the only person in the world. It is so peaceful there. If you take the entrance going through Marysville then Granite Falls to the Mountain Loop Highway, you'll come across various B&B's on the way and fruit stands. You'll also see at the entrance a great log memorial to the wood there (see photo). I've seen owls, foxes, eagles, deer, and countless kinds of fish. A forest ranger stopped to check on me once when I was having a campfire with friends. He wanted to make sure we were OK and that our campfire was under control. He was kind and really cared about the woods and us. Go visit this natural beauty. It's incredible.

Steve and I were in Monroe and were trying to find something to do. We were waiting for some people…read moreto meet at the fairgrounds in town and had some time to kill so we picked this park for a small excursion. It's beautiful being so close to the river and at the time there was fog present which for me I often enjoy as it adds layers and atmosphere at certain times and it did so here. There were also sand bars near the river we went on. The path we used started at another park, right next to Al Borlin and then led us back to Al Borlin. We wouldn't have known the difference between the two parks if it wasn't for the signs posted. We got some beautiful views of the mountains (which I think were the Enchantments) and of the river again from a different vantage point. This park would be great to come to during any of the four seasons as you are bound to get some beauty each time along with the seasonal aspect at work.

We live in the apartments by this park. Every time my 5 year old and I would go, bums everywhere…read more They built a little compound under a beautiful old tree by the creek. At night you can see lighters flicking on and off. Our apartment faces the creek and I hear people screaming at all hours of the night. I would never go there alone. It's sad because it's so beautiful but not safe. unfortunately, the police cant do anything unless they are committing a crime.

Small local lake & walking trail for the moment of break in-between work…read more Once a cranberry bog harvested by Native Americans. It is now a restored wetland with most of the acreage heavily inhabited by Canadian geese. About a 1/4 mile crushed rock trail meanders through a mini conifer arboretum. Open water access for kayaking despite at the entrance the collection of toxic algae signage is alarming. A moment of nature is always good for the soul. No restroom available.

My mom and I came to Ronald Bog Park the morning of Wednesday 29 July 2020 to do a little…read moreexploring. We had driven past the park a number of times while it was closed for construction and were excited for it to reopen and look around. The parking lot is paved and easy to reach. The short drive into the parking lot branches off from the turn lane used to merge onto Interstate-5 Southbound. There are about a dozen parking spaces, and the only other car there when we arrived around 9:20 a.m. was a maintenance vehicle with workers out watering the plants. One other car had arrived by the time we left a little after 10:00 in the morning. The Pacific Northwest Conifer Arboretum constitutes part of the park and a map of the different trees one may find is posted by the parking lot. Gravel paths wind through the arboretum and into the rest of the park providing even surfaces kind on soar joints. We found a variety of beautiful trees and flowers as we walked around the arboretum and park. Directly along the water there is a small wooden covered area and a large draping tree with a bench under it where you can sit and look out over the water. My mom and I had fun watching the minnows swim in the bog and the flurry of insect activity around the bog's edge. Different birds flew overhead as we continued to walk around and a group of crows held their own convention first on the ground by the water, then in the tree branches. Various berries abounded, especially blackberries along the edge of the park by the covered bus stop. In our looking around, the only place to reach the water was by the large tree and covered area. A large 'X' shaped sculpture piece is part of an art program integrating art into Shoreline parks and sits centrally in a large grassy area of the park. Signage. The signage at this park is excellent. It provides historical context about the land of Ronald Bog Park and the how the park came to be. I enjoyed the sign that told the story of seven determined women who are responsible for the creation of Ronald Bog Park. Since their efforts the park has become cared for and frequented by more and more people. A happy trickle down effect of their efforts. I also liked that the sign did not include a picture of the seven women. It keeps the story about the park and what they were trying to achieve by not drawing away from the topic of the park. I enjoyed the sign elaborating what they meant by the term 'Coast Salish' people in reference to some indigenous peoples. Here indigenous peoples means Native Americans specifically North American Native Americans. Not all indigenous peoples are Native Americans. Using the term 'indigenous' is a baby step forward. Prefixes 'ind-' and 'indi-' still draw allusion to the terms India and Indian. The term Native refers to the original and first human inhabitants of an area, so the term Native Americans is more respectful. The word 'Indigenous Peoples' is a good bridge word to reaching 'Native Americans', hence a baby step forward. A baby step forward is still movement. In my opinion, failing to acknowledge progress that has been made can be equally as heinous as the original 'oppressive' act. In that essence, I applaud the informational signs/boards for not promoting false images of Native Americans. Not all Native Americans have black hair, this is easy to understand in a way similar but opposite to Native Europeans who are homogenized in the sense that all Native Europeans are white skinned. The false image of only black haired Native Americans dates back before colonization times centuries ago, so not having this propagated on the signage is a massive step forward. A leap really. Driving/riding past Ronald Bog Park over the years, the 'City of Shoreline' sign/welcome with the horse sculptures located on the boundary of the park has become iconic to me personally. Ronald Bog Park is a beautiful park in Shoreline that adds to making Shoreline/Seattle a place I am happy to call home. A place worth protecting and preserving.

This is the first adventure dive my boyfriend and I hit up right after obtaining our PADI license…read moreand it was a great experience for beginner divers. We rented our gear from the dive shop right in front with two tanks and got into the water at 5pm. We were lucky that day as the waves were calm and visibilitiy was 40-50 ft. The good thing was the walk at the sand was short but the surface swim to the first buoy before we sank down was a 10 min swim and easy to cramp up in cold waters. We saw enormous groupers, sunken ships, crabs, large sea slugs and my boyfriend even claimed he saw a seal pop his head up to the surface when we were swimming back to shore. The best recommendation for this dive is to call the dive shop in advance to check if other divers said the visibility that day was good - makes a world's difference!

CALLING ALL CERTIFIED DIVERS WHO VALUE THE UNDERWATER WORLD::::: Do our activity a favor and come…read moreon down to the Edmonds Underwater Sports dive shop every Saturday or Sunday morning at 9AM and wait for Mr. Bruce to come in to brief you on the days' plan. Bruce Higgins is the caretaker of the Park and for those who know him know him as a walking history book not only on the Park, but of diving in general. I have spent many Saturday and Sunday mornings volunteering my time (the only way that upkeep is made on the Park) to help keep up the Park's condition. The Park is a phenomenal dive location due to the significant number and types of marine life that are visible day and night. So come on down and introduce yourself to Mr. Bruce. Bring your gear and give some time to maintaining the Park. You'll have a great time and Bruce and everyone that dives there will appreciate the help. S

This hike will forever be known in our family as "That one where you accidentally took us up and…read moredown a mountain." A friend and I HIKE with our kids. She had chosen this one because it was said to be "good for kids." So we packed off with our (collectively) 8 kids - ranging in age from 2.5 to 10 years. To be fair - the kids did fine. There was some whining of course, but given they were with friends, they kept the meltdowns to a minimum..... so I guess the "good for kids" label wasn't completely inaccurate. We had heard that the 2.5 mile hike had 400 ft inclination - this was not entirely true.... the 400ft inclination began at the 1.5 mile loop.... with 400ft inclination ADDITIONALLY to get to the loop....for anyone not interested in math.... THAT'S STEEP! So we basically packed 8 kids up and down a mountain. The 2.5 year old desperately wanted to walk..... she made it about 1/4 of a mile and then ended up in a carrier. The 4 year old trooped on with the incentive of lollipops. The rest of the kids (aged 6-10) were fine. The bottom line - it was a sweet and memorable hike. We were so proud of all the kids. It maxed us out and we might as well have done the Little Si hike to get the view at the end. I'd recommend it as an add on for someone wanting a bit more of the Little Si hike. Hiking poles are not a bad idea. But for someone looking for a "good for kids" hike - there are other options in the area that might be less intense.