Travel
Liquid Assets: The Water Guide to the Lakes
From Sammamish to Washington, get a 101 on our urban lakes.
Lake Washington: Recreation HeavenThe very existence of Lake Washington, a recreational haven and scenic backdrop par excellence, may be the perfect tonic for the rigors of city life. How many a sweet summer day was created or capped off with a swim, sail or paddle in the lake, or simply a stroll along its shoreline?…
Red Tricycle Recommends: Horseback Riding with the Kids
Many of us have one — they gallop around the house, they sleep in their favorite cowboy boots, and they dream about one thing…HORSES! If you’ve got a little cowgirl or cowboy on your hands, it’s the perfect time to get them up close and personal with the animals they love. Luckily we live in…
A Beginner’s Guide: Surfing Pacific Northwest Style
I had heard rumors about surfing in Washington. I thought that surely it was only the crazy, hard-core Pacific Northwesterners out in the freezing rain and rough ocean. So when I found myself organizing a surf camp last summer, I was a little nervous about my first surfing experience being at Westport. But once we…
Best Camping Spots in Washington
Whether you prefer authentic camping or luxury "glamping," our camping guide has you covered.
Roughing ItThe Northwest offers plenty of ways to commune with nature, but nothing quite surpasses the getting-back-to-the-land feeling of hiking, sleeping and cooking outdoors—especially when s’mores await at the end of a day spent entirely free of walls. Not-so-Roughing ItIf sleeping on the ground—even on a pad in a warm sleeping bag and tent—is more…
2011 Seattle Bicycling Guide: Riding Your Way Through Traffic
The Ultimate Guide for the Urban Cyclist Just Got Better
Whether you need to plan your commute or a fun Sunday afternoon ride, the Seattle Bicycling Guide Map contains all the information you’d need to bike your way through traffic. From updated maps and new information about green bike lanes, bike boxes, and newly signed routes, the 2011 edition reflects some of the major changes…
Red Tricycle Recommends: 10 Awesome Parks & Playgrounds for Kids
As summer continues to heat up the city, Seattle kids yearn for some park and playground fun.
Seattle’s numerous playground spots serve as excellent places to bask in the sun, to enjoy the summer breeze, and to let your kids out of the house. Not only will your kids get the opportunity to meet and befriend other Seattle youngsters, but they will also be thanking you with yelps of laughter and hugs…
Red Tricycle Recommends: Kite Flying at Carkeek Park
Where to catch some wind in Seattle.
There’s something about flying a kite that catches the attention of children and makes them beam – maybe it’s the idea of flying or just the focused feeling of holding on tight to that kite string and grounding it to the Earth with their little hands. Whatever your child loves about flying a kite, we…
Charming New B&B Says “No” to Doilies
Scary-doll factor is zero at Phinney Ridge's 9 Cranes.
If you’ve spent any time in bed-and-breakfasts, you know that the predominant décor philosophy relies heavily on creepy antique dolls, and mandates that no surface is complete without a doily. But at the new 9 Cranes Inn, the proprietor feels your pain. In response, innkeeper Shelley Goulding has curated her space with a simple, eclectic…
The North Cascades Institute’s Learning Center Is for the Birds
Head to the woods and bring your binocs for a weekend of migration and song.
WHERE: The North Cascades Institute’s Learning Center, which offers a plethora of educational and inspiring nature programs amid the mountains, glaciers and rivers of the North Cascades. WHY: To partake in the migration and song: spring birding weekend (6/3–6/5; $215–$455, lodging included; ncascades.org), featuring local avian experts who teach visiting bird enthusiasts about Clark’s nutcrackers,…
Just Add Mud for the Latest Badass Outdoor Sport
The Warrior Dash mixes endurance with obstacle courses and a healthy dose of mud.
Just when you thought cyclocross was the most badass recreational sport to take root in the Northwest, along comes an entire new category of events for the endurance-obsessed, adrenaline-junkie mud lovers among us: obstacle courses. If you’re a distance runner, iron man/woman, triathlete or weekend athlete who loves a challenge (and doesn’t mind getting dirty),…
Warning: May Cause Daydreaming. Our ‘Mountain Guide’
OK, so you can't actually see the mountains today, but just knowing they're there keeps us grounded
Days like today remind me of how easy it is to take our mountains for granted. Just yesterday, driving across the lake, I got a great big mountain in my eye; Mount Rainier in all its glory, sun glancing off of glaciers, etc. etc. Today, no sign of it…except on the cover of our May…
Three Good Reasons to Go Hiking After Work Tonight–and Two Great Places to Hike
Seattle's Soggy Spring Makes Us Desperate to Make The Most of This Rare (Non-Rainy) Day
First reason to hike tonight: It’s not raining! Second reason: Sunset isn’t until 8:25 p.m. And third, after our spring monsoon season, you know you need to move that butt! And there is no denying that the oxygen-rich air you breathe while scampering through the woods is good for your brain. Here are my two…
The Ultimate Guide to Washington’s Mountains: The Name Game
Washington’s got great mountains, and some of the stories about how they got their names are just a
OLYMPIC MOUNTAINSThe Brothers, 6,565 feet; Mount Constance, 7,743 feet; Mount Ellinor, 5,952 feet In the 1850s, during his survey of Northwest mountains for the U.S. Coast Survey, Lieutenant George Davidson found the perfect way to impress his future in-laws when he named several peaks after members of the family of his soon-to-be bride, Ellinor Fauntleroy….