Hike at Beaver Lake Park in Sammamish

Ahhhhh, the Pacific Northwest! The mountains, the water, the great outdoors! It’s so beautiful and idyllic – you should definitely go on a hike with your kids. Your kids, and 1,000 other people who had the same clever idea… Have you ever noticed that the trails an hour outside the city are busier than I-90 was on your drive up?? I swear it wasn’t like this when I was little. But we’ve found a couple lesser known “hikes” that are perfect for little legs and are an easy way to enjoy the PNW with your family. One of these spots is found at Beaver Lake Park in Sammamish. Read on for the details and how to make a day out of this little adventure.

Details:

10:00 – Arrive at Beaver Lake and park on the north side of the park near the Lodge (not near the baseball fields)

10:05 – Pop into the bathrooms on the west side of the Lodge before you head out

10:05 – 11:30 – Enjoy the loop trail with optional stops at the off-leash area, playground, and the lake

12:00 – Bring a picnic lunch to the lake, or head to downtown Issaquah for lunch at Flying Pie Pizzeria or Triple XXX Burger (both have outdoor seating)

1:00 – Explore downtown Issaquah: Fish Hatchery in the Fall, Historic Issaquah train depot and playground in the Summer, or check out a Sunday car show at the Triple XXX

2:00 – Stop into Boehm’s Candy Shop on your way out of town

Bring:

Jogging Stroller
Hiking backpack or baby carrier
Water bottles and snacks
Your dog
Extra layer if it’s a cool day
Swimsuits and towels to splash in the lake if it’s a hot day (extra clothes for after if you’re headed out for lunch)
Picnic lunch if you want hang around the lake longer and skip the lunch out
Quarters if you’re headed to Flying Pie for the arcade games
My Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt sheet to help the kids stay engaged with your hike!

Don’t Bring:

Money for parking or your Discover Pass – parking is free!
Stroller with plastic/small wheels
Your Dog if it’s a super hot day and your post hike plans require leaving Fido in the car (no dogs allowed at the XXX, just FYI)

Weather:

This hike is mostly through a cool and fairly dense wooded area. So on a warm summer day it’s a great choice. On the flip-side, if it’s cold but not pouring rain, you’d still have an enjoyable time. But in that case, bring some extra layers.

Details:

Beaver Lake is situated in the middle of the city of Sammamish, just north of Issaquah – about 20 miles outside of Seattle. For us Sammamish residents, we most often head to this 83 acre park for little league games or to use the off leash area. But hidden behind these typical suburban park offerings are a series of trails and a beautiful lake that are much less frequented. Now I’m all for heading an hour east on I-90 and exploring a great Cascade Mountain trail. But with small kids I often wonder if it’s really worth it when there are great parks like Beaver Lake right in our back yard. Your drive there will be half as long, parking is totally free, the trial will be more or less empty, and often there are playgrounds or other features to add a little something extra to your trip. Also, these park trails are usually stroller friendly, flat, and easier for the kids to navigate on foot. And let’s be honest: they have no idea where they are! You could be at the base of Rainer for all they know!

Here’s a trail map of the route we like to take at Beaver Lake Park – we did this once on a Mother’s Day and my 3-year-old walked the entire loop without any complaints. Well… when the dog’s leash clothes-lined him he complained a little… but hopefully that won’t happen on your visit!

We park on the north side of the park, just near the Lodge and the lake itself. This way, if there does happen to be big sporting events going at the baseball fields we won’t get stuck in that mess. After you park, pop into the bathrooms on the west side of the Lodge before you head out.

Stop #1 on our typical loop is a little bridge over the creek. There are a couple forks in the road at this point – we head over the bridge, and through the woods…

Right around spot #2 there is a slight up-hill, but otherwise the trail is pretty much flat. You could definitely push a jogging stroller (like a BOB) on these trails, but I wouldn’t bring a stroller that has smaller, plastic wheels as the ground cover here is a typical dirt packed trail. As you can see, we opted to put the 1-year-old in our hiking backpack, but a regular baby carrier would work easily as well.

Spot #3 is the off leash area, a great place to stop for a game of fetch. There is also a bathroom here – just in between all the baseball fields. The playground is in this area as well.

(photo taken just before the clothes-lining incident…)

Take a sharp right at spot #4 and head back into the wooded area of the park

(dad’s got the leash now, and the 3-year-old’s still pretty mad at the dog…)

Spot #5 is your final fork in the road – honestly, you’ll end up at the same finishing point either way you go, but we like the route to the right. It just feels more like a true “trail”. I always look for the garbage can on the left of the path to know I’ve found the right turn-off point.

Finish up at the lake and admire the great totems in the park.

Beaver Lake Park is close to where we live, so usually we just head home. But you could definitely bring a picnic lunch and hang around the lake a bit longer. If it’s a warm day, splashing around in the water would definitely be fun for the little guys. Or, if you want to add a more to your adventure pop into to downtown Issaquah for lunch and a treat.

Flying Pie Pizzeria just off Front Street is a great spot – they have good pizza, beer, and some arcade games for the kids. Don’t forget your quarters! They do have few outdoor tables if you brought the dog.

If it’s early fall, after lunch stop by the fish hatchery right across Front Street to see the salmon running up Issaquah Creek. There’s also great viewing just beyond the creek bridge in the fish ladder.

In nice weather exploring the Historic Issaquah train depot and the near-by playground is fun and within easy walking distance from Flying Pie.

If it’s a Sunday another lunch and activity option would be the Triple XXX Diner and their weekly car shows. They have classic diner food and both indoor and outdoor (but no dogs allowed) seating. No beer at this spot, though… sometimes I need one after a hike with my kids!

If you need a post lunch treat, Yum-e Yogurt is a cute little frozen yogurt shop just a bit down Front Street from Flying Pie. Alternatively, if you don’t make it out to Issaquah often, stopping into Boehms Candies & Chocolates should be on your list. It’s a cute little shop that’s been in operation for over 75 years and is a bit of an Issaquah landmark.