July 5, 2024

Celebrate parks & recreation this summer

Since 1985, the United States has officially designated July as Park and Recreation Month. Not that Northwesterners have ever needed a reason to celebrate our great outdoors…

But July certainly kicks off prime season to get outside and enjoy the magnificent natural lands around us, liberated for a few fleeting weeks from school schedules, cold snaps and rain squalls (let’s hope!).

Our state is a wonderland of verdant timberlands and rolling prairies, thundering waterfalls and crystalline lakes, stunning beaches and soaring mountains, mossy rain forests and rugged deserts.

The amazing thing is that this ecological diversity and heritage is protected for the public in a network of parks and recreation areas managed by federal, state and local governments, plus the University of Washington.

Grand adventures: National Parks

The National Park Service came into existence in 1916 (though it was preceded by the establishment of the first national park — Yellowstone — way back in 1872). Its mission: to preserve and protect the nation’s natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of current and future generations.

Many generations on, we’re still reaping the benefits.

“National parks are the best idea we ever had,” wrote author Wallace Stegner. “Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”

The Park Service network has expanded dramatically over the past century plus. It’s now made up of 423 national parks, monuments, battlefields, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, rivers, recreation areas, trails—and even the White House — that encompass 85 million acres and span every U.S. state and territory plus the District of Columbia.

In Washington state, we’re blessed with three of the most scenic in Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Parks, diverse landscapes from coast to summit that beckon hikers, campers and seekers of the sublime.

Beyond these marquee parks, enormous swaths of Washington are blanketed by National Forests, which carry a great deal of recreation load.

Washington wonders: State Parks

If National Parks and Forests are stars of outdoor adventure and social media gawking, the Washington state park system is the workhouse of open-air activity. Washington State Parks comprise a sprawling network of 144 protected lands, waters and historic sites, administered by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

You will find them scattered across the map, from the sublime coastal landscape of Deception Pass to the desert oases of Potholes, from the rocky whale watch of Lime Kiln to the commanding fire watch atop Mount Pilchuck, from the cascading Palouse Falls to the caves of Crawford, from the 130-mile Columbia Plateau Trail to the massive public telescope of Goldendale Observatory.

In the Puget Sound region, wander the windswept bluff of Ebey’s Landing on Whidbey Island or the gentle coastlines of Cama Beach and Camano Island in the north or dip your toes into Saltwater and Dash Point coastal parks in the south. On the Eastside, partake in some forest bathing — or just basking — in Saint Edward, Bridle Trails, Lake Sammamish and Squak Mountain State Parks.

Local greenspaces: municipal parks

City and county parks form the social and environmental hubs of cities up and down the Puget Sound. Think of them as your neighborhood hangout. A haven for hiking (or just strolling), biking, swimming, boating, beach-combing. Al fresco potlucks and sporting events. Community centers, playfields and children’s play structures. Dog walking and day dreaming.

Seattle’s park system was founded by the gift of Denny Park in 1884. Three years later, a Board of Park Commissioners was established, later contracting the famed Olmsted Brothers to chart a comprehensive plan to guide future park development.

The sprawling network of 382 locations managed by Seattle Parks and Recreation is packed with gems of all sizes, from charming pocket parks to bona fide recreation destinations.

It starts with the bustling hubs of Green Lake (with it’s famous loop trail), Volunteer (with its conservatory, SAAM and water tower views) and Jefferson (with its famous commanding views) Parks that form the geographic and social spine of the city. They are ringed by some stunners, from the wooded slopes, beaches and meadows of Carkeek and Lincoln Parks on Puget Sound to the lush little peninsula of Seward Park on Lake Washington. From the sandy beaches of Alki to Golden Gardens, with slender Myrtle Edwards Park wedged in between. Decommissioned military bases have transformed into Discovery Park, with its wonderland of beach, bluff, meadow and arboreal forest, and Magnuson Park, with its sprawling playfields, playgrounds, wetlands and boat launch.

Impossibly green Interlaken Park snakes through north Capitol Hill. Ravenna Park slices through a ravine just north of the UW campus. Historic Hing Hay Park forms the beating heart of Chinatown-International District. The Burke-Gilman Trail, a converted railway, stretches from Ballard to the UW to Kenmore at the top of Lake Washington before linking with the Sammamish River Trail, part of the King County park system that runs all the way to Redmond.

And let’s throw in Seattle Center, with its ample green space and magnetic domed fountain in the shadow of the iconic Space Needle.

Further afield, discover Richmond Beach Saltwater Park in Richmond, multi-use Marymoor Park in Redmond, Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island, Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park in Renton, Cougar Mountain Wildland Park near Newcastle, Seahurst Park in Burien and Point Defiance Park in Tacoma—to name just a few.

Duwamish dreamlands: UW campus

No tour of Puget Sound parks and recreation would be complete without a few stops at the University of Washington which, thanks to its territorial grant of appropriated Duwamish lands, maintains some of the city’s prime parcels. Start with central campus itself, a stunning commingling of architectural diversity and idyllic landscape. The Quad, Denny Yard, Portage Bay, Sylvain Grove, Rainier Vista. Take your pick.

To the east is the Union Bay Natural Area, a restored wetlands and home of the Center for Urban Horticulture and adjacent Yesler swamp. To the south lies the Washington Park Arboretum, 230 flowing acres flourishing with trees and plants from all over the world.

And don’t miss the North Creek Wetland that wends its way through UW Bothell, not far from the famed nightly convocation of crows by the thousands.

Practical matters

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to all manner of parks and recreation sites have skyrocketed. The 63 National Parks, for example, hosted more than 325 visitors in 2023.

As a result, several high-volume National Parks have incorporated timed-entry reservations. These include Yosemite, Glacier, Arches, Rocky Mountain, Haleakalā, Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, Acadia — and our own Mount Rainier National Park, which requires a timed-entry reservation when visiting via Paradise or Sunrise corridors from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Washington’s other national parks have no visitor restrictions.

National Parks generally charge an entrance fee (though North Cascades is fee-free). You can purchase a standard pass (one park, one week), an annual pass (one park, all year) or the American Beautiful Pass (one year entry to all national parks and federal recreation areas). Seniors, active military and veterans, disabled people and families with a 4^th grader qualify for free or discounted entry to national parks.

National Forests in Washington and Oregon require a Northwest Forest Pass, which can be purchased for single-day or annual use at National Forest offices or visitor centers, via private vendors. Or you can buy a one-day ePass online and print at home. Qualifying people receive discounted entry and there are several free entry days throughout the year.

Find a list of annual fee-free days on federal and state lands.

Washington State Parks require a Discover Pass, which can be purchased for day use or as an annual pass. You can purchase a Discover Pass online, by phone, in person at hundreds of parks, retail locations and recreational license vendors—or when you renew your vehicle license.

City and County Parks charge no entrance fee and are open daily to the public. Check each park for opening hours and other usage details.

Get the scoop on pet policies in federal, state and local parks and recreation lands.

Engage in the great outdoors

Check out these great organizations working to make the great outdoors more accessible and inclusive for everybody.

Washington Trails Association – provides a wealth of information on hiking trails, conditions and policies.

Great American Outdoors Act – a landmark 2020 legislation that provides needed maintenance for critical facilities and infrastructure.

Disabled & Outdoors – an Instagram community where disabled people share their experiences, challenges and successes — and advocate for more accessibility — in the outdoors.

QPOC Hikers – connects queer people of color with hiking and the outdoors by creating space to share stories and experiences, increasing visibility, representation and awareness.

Outdoor Afro – reconnects Black people to our lands, water, and wildlife through outdoor education, recreation, and conservation.

Campfire Explorers Club – making outdoor recreation and education accessible for more people, especially those who have been shut out from being able to explore and enjoy our natural world because of financial or other obstacles.

Latino Outdoors – inspire, connect, and engage Latino communities in the outdoors and embrace cultura y familia as part of the outdoor narrative, ensuring our history, heritage, and leadership are valued and represented.

Corazón Latino – a national non-profit organization that seeks to generate social, environmental and conservation initiatives that foster natural resource stewardship and focus on engaging underrepresented communities.

Outdoor Asian – create a diverse and inclusive community of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the outdoors.

Washington Outdoor Women – helping women and girls rediscover their outdoor instincts by teaching them traditional wilderness skills and preparing them to become good stewards of our natural resources.

Meet Betty Soskin: until her retirement in 2022 at the age of 100, Betty was the oldest National Park Ranger, serving at the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond California.

Support

Consider volunteering your time, making a one-time gift or setting up monthly payroll deduction through the UWCFD to one of our member organizations actively working to transform our communities through meaningful connections to our natural spaces:

Support the National Park Service (charity code 0329915) in its mission to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System. And you can volunteer on a one-time or recurring basis.

Help protect Mt. Rainier, the North Cascades and Olympic National Park at Washington’s National Park Fund (charity code 0340920).

Ensure there’s a park within a 10-minute walk of every resident with The Trust for Public Land (charity code 0315042).

Help maintain trails throughout the state with Washington Trails Association (charity code 0315053). Volunteer for a work party or trail crew.

Protect and restore your state parks with the Washington State Parks Foundation (charity code 0315070).

Take action to conserve and enhance the landscape of Washington state and ensure a long-term balance between people and nature with Greenway Trust (charity code 0314995).

Join Conservation Northwest in connecting habitat, protecting wildlands, and restoring wildlife (charity code 0320835)

Create a connected system of safe and accessible green spaces with Seattle Parks Foundation (charity code 0315031)

Enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities and families and helps them to get out and enjoy the great outdoors with Outdoors For All (charity code 0320849).