Over the years living in Sammamish, I have put together a little go-to list of some easy hikes that I like to take with my boys. Many are within city parks but still somehow manage to put you on a trail where you feel like you’re deep in the woods. And because you’re not 2 hours into the Cascade Mountains you normally also get well maintained paths and super low crowds. There’s nothing worse to me than driving to some great trail head and then enjoying it with hundreds of other hikers…

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.

I love to take my kids for a hike or even just a walk through the woods near our house.  Over the years I’ve found that having a bit of purpose to our outing is really helpful. Enter the Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt!  I don’t know what it is about bringing along this list (and a snack…) that really keeps my boys engaged with an outdoor walk.