Seattle & Northwest Recreation

Look here for information and resources on recreation in the Seattle-area and the Northwest.

Hiking & Climbing - Camping - RV Parks - Boating - Skiing - Swimming - Skating - Water Sports - Birdwatching - Fishing & Hunting - Clam Digging & Shellfishing - Summer Camps Adventure Guides - Other NW Recreation

Seattle-Area & Northwest Hiking & Climbing

Hiking

• Seattle: Hiking by GoCityKids.com. Lists and describes parks with hiking trails in the Seattle area.
• Getaways: Take a Hike buy the Seattle P-I. Check out the Hike Of The Week.
• The Mountaineers Hiking Page. Sign up to participate in group hikes, take courses and seminars for beginning hikers, become a hike leader, and more.
• Hikes and trails near Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, Washington from LocalHikes.com.
• Where to Hike in Western Washington from CitySearch.
• Hiking Near Seattle by Krzysztof Gajos.
• Steve's Northwest Nude Hiking.
• Hiking Across the Olympic Peninsula by Mike Benedetti.
• Ten Great Hikes near Seattle from NWSource. Find out about state parks, by region. Make reservations in 60 state parks in Washington and Oregon.
• Short Hikes in the North Cascades from NWSource.
• Beginner Backhiking from NWSource.
• Hidden Hikes in Western Washington from NWSource.
• Camp & Hike: The Olympic Coast by Lakshmi and Chandra Mouli.

Climbing

• The Mountaineers. A non-profit organization, dedicated to the preservation, exploration and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas. Learn about outdoor essentials, participate in courses and activities.The club's activities include hiking, climbing, alpine scrambling, backpacking, biking, sailing, whitewater and sea kayaking, all types of skiing (backcountry, telemark, downhill, ski mountaineering and snowboarding), showshoeing, nature study, international travel, folkdancing and photography.
• The Northwest Mountain School . Specialists in guided climbing instruction and expeditions for young climbers.
• Women Climbers Northwest. A non-profit organization formed in 1983 to promote climbing and other wilderness activities among women.
• Olympic National Park Climbing.
• Mount Rainier National Park: Climbing.

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Seattle-Area & Northwest Camping

• Washington Free Campgrounds. Find out where you can peg your tent or park your R/V for free.
• Things to Do - Camping from Experience Washington, the Official Site of Washington State Tourism.
• Seattle / King County - Camping from Experience Washington.
• Washington RV Park and Campground Directory.
• Camping & Campgrounds in Washington by About.com.
• Washington State Parks Online Reservation System. Use their map browser to find and reserve your campsite.
• Washington State Park Guide by KIRO 7. Find out about state parks, by region. Make reservations in 60 state parks in Washington and Oregon.
• National Park Guide: Washington from the National Park Service. Get fee and other information on national parks and recreation areas, including Mount Rainier NP, Olympic NP, North Cascades NP, Lake Chelan NRA, and Lake Roosevelt NRA.
• Washington State Parks from iboats.com.
• Hidden Campgrounds from NWSource.

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Seattle-Area & Northwest RV Camping

• Washington Free Campgrounds. Find out where you can peg your tent or park your R/V for free.
• Washington Campgrounds & RV Parks.
• RV Parks and campgrounds in the Kitsap County area, provided by Grace West.
• RV Resorts & Campgrounds in Washington from RVclassified.com.
• Washington RV Park and Campground Directory.
• RV Parks of the Olympic Peninsula.

Climbing

• The Northwest Mountain School.

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Seattle-Area & Northwest Boating

• Northwest Boating: Serving the Puget Sound Boating Community.
• Boating: Boat Moorage & Rental by Seattle Parks & Recreation.
• Seattle: Boating at GoCityKids.com.
• UW Waterfront Activities Center at GoCityKids.com. The public can rent canoes and rowboats and then explore the Aboretum, Union Bay, Montlake Cut, Lake Washington, etc.
• Green Lake - Small Craft Center from Seattle Parks & Recreation. Participate in rowing, sailing, and canoe/kayak programs for children, youth, adults, and seniors.
• Mt. Baker Rowing & Sailing Center from Seattle Parks & Recreation. Located on Lake Washington at Stan Sayres Park, south of the I-90 floating bridge. Class offerings include all ability levels in rowing, sailing, and sailboarding, beginning canoe and kayaking for youth and adults.
• Waggoner Cruising Guide: "The bible" for Northwest boating.
• The Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union. learn to sail, rent a boat, learn maritime heritage skills.
• Seattle Yacht Club: Junior Sailing. Find out about the SYC's Junior Sailing School and Junior Sailing Team.
• Windworks Sailing Center at Shilsole Marina. Sailing lessons, sailing club, and charter rentals. Membership gives you 50% off on sailing lessons, 50% off and priority on vessel chartering, and more. Over 30 boats to choose from. Minimum cost is only $36/month.
• The Seattle Sailing Club. Membership cost is just a fraction of rentals, time-share or the prohibitive price of ownership.
• Washington Yacht Club. A registered student organization at the University of Washington, formed to promote sailing among students, staff and alumni.
• Wooden Boat Foundation: A Center for Maritime Education. Located in Port Townsend.
• Washington Activities: Kayaking from GoNorthwest.com.
• The Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club. A non-profit organization that works in partnership with the City of Seattle to provide competitive paddling opportunities to the surrounding community.
• Washington State Whitewater Rafting from GoNorthwest.com.
• Northwest Schooner Society. Sail the stunning and protected waters of Washington State and British Columbia. The Society organizes a variety of learning cruises aboard the historic Schooner Lavengro as well as enlisting the privately owned Schooner Zodiac for activities requiring a larger vessel.
• Northwest Multihull Association. Non-profit club for sailors, builders, racers, and dreamers of multihull sailing craft.

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Seattle-Area & Northwest Skiing

• Snow Sports from the Seattle Times. Includes an Alpine Directory covering over 39 resorts in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Canada.
• The Summit at Snoqualmie. East of Seattle on I-90, at Snoqualmie Summit.
• Crystal Mountain.
• Mission Ridge.
• Mt. Baker Ski & Snowboard Area.
• Winter at Mount Rainier. Info on cross-country skiing & snowshoeing, ski trails, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and more.

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Seattle-Area & Northwest Swimming & Beaches

• Swimming Beaches from Seattle Parks & Recreation. Includes a beach map, beach rules, and tips on preventing swimmers' itch.
• Swimming Pools from Seattle Parks & Recreation. Check out pool schedules, fees, and locations.
• Seattle: Beaches from GoCityKids.com.
• Beaches from Seattle's Child. Good listing of both Seattle and eastside beaches.
• Directions to Puget Sound Beaches from King County Natural Resources and Parks.
• Puget Sound Beaches: An introduction to large-scale beach research in Puget Sound, by David Finlayson.
• Puget Sound Shorelines: Beaches by the Department of Ecology.
• WASHINGTON: Outrage Follows Move to Ban Beach Driving by Associated Press.
• Driving on the Beach: Long Beach Peninsula. Includes Tips for Beach Driving that apply at the other ocean beaches (Westport/Grayland, Ocean Shores, Copalis, Moclips, etc.), as well.

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Seattle-Area Ice, Inline, and Roller Skating

• Seattle: Inline/Ice-Skating Rinks from GoCityKids.com. Rundown on various ice, inline, and roller skating rinks in the Seattle area.
• Snohomish County recreation: Never too young for skating from the Seattle Times. Info included on ice skating lessons at the Everett Events Center and the Lynnwood Ice Center.
• Seattle Skating Club. Skating training center, located in Mountlake Terrace, which develops skaters at all levels and in all disciplines of skating (Freestyle, Dance, Synchronized, Adults, Pairs, and Basic Skills).
• On a roll again: Skating rinks are seeing a resurgence of popularity among young and old from the Seattle P-I. Good article on the local roller rink scene, which is on the rise again. As the article notes, there are no roller rinks in Seattle proper (the last one I remember was the one up on 85th, just east of Greenwood, but it was torn down some years ago), but there are quite a few north, east, and south of Seattle.

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Water Sports

Wind Surfing

• Sand Point Magnuson Park: Wind Surfing from Seattle Parks & Recreation.
• Windsurfing The Columbia Gorge.
• Northwest Windsurfing.
• Northwest Boardsailing Association.

Surfing

• Surfing Northwest: Wave-catchers are on the boards at Westhaven State Park from the Seattle P-I.
• The Surfrider Foundation - Olympic Peninsula Chapter.
• The Surfrider Foundation - Olympic Peninsula Chapter.
• WannaSurf: Washington, North America, USA North West. Good place to get the lowdown on all of the local NW "breaks."
• Northwest Waves. Source for wave predictions, coastal forecasts, buoy reports, breaks, surf shops, and wind data for Washington, Oregon & Vancouver Island.
• NW Surfing by PerfectWave.
• Washington Surfing Resources.
• OregonSurf.com.
• The Oregon Surfing Page.
• Surfing Vancouver Island.

Kitesurfing (Kiteboarding)

• Seattle Kitesurfing Association.
• Kiteboarding has taken off on Sound's easy breezes from the Seattle Times.
• Kitesurfing School.
• Seattle Kiteboarding Center.
• Urban Surf.

Water Skiing

• Lake Sammamish Water Skiing Club.

Scuba Diving

• Diving the Northwest: The Online Guide to Scuba Diving in The Northwest.
• NorthwestDiver.com. Site devoted to recreational scuba diving in the Pacific Northwest.
• The Vibrant Sea - Puget Sound .
• Marker Buoy Dive Club.
• Moss Bay Dive Club. Located in Kirkland, Washington, just outside of Seattle. Members and friends dive just about everywhere local, including Canada and other international locations.
• Puget Sound Divers.com. A gathering place for divers to meet and find information relative to diving in the Puget Sound area and beyond.
• Puget Sound Underwater Snap 'n Shoot. Photo club for underwater enthusiasts, Seattle, WA, USA.

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Seattle-Area & Northwest Birdwatching

• Birdwatching in South King County.
• Seattle: Birdwatching Areas from GoCityKids.com.
• Birdwatching resources from the Seattle P-I.
• Tweeters.
• Where to Bird - Washington from Birding.com.

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Northwest Fishing & Hunting

Fishing

• Fishing in Washington from Washington State Department of Fishing and Wildlife.
• 2000 Washington Fishing Guide.
• Ocean & Puget Sound Fishing Reports.
• NWFishing.com.
• Fishing in the Northwest.
• 36 Great Northwest Fishing Trips from Washington-Oregon Fish & Game.
• Bob's Piscatorial Pursuits: The web's definitive source for Pacific Northwest salmon, steelhead, and halibut fishing since 1997.
• Westport Fishing Seasons. Bottomfish, Halibut, Salmon, and Tuna seasons.
• Ocean Fishing / Westport & Ilwaco, Wa.
• Salmon fishing rivers in Oregon - Washington by Dennis Hull, Professional Oregon Fishing Guide. Best times to fish for Salmon - Salmon runs - Best Salmon Fishing Rivers - Species information.
• Puget Sound Fly Fishing.
• The status of wild salmon in Puget Sound? Chinook listed.
• Washington Trout: Preserve, Protect, Restore.
• Trout Fishing in Washington's High Lakes from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Steelhead Fishing from Steelheader.net.
• Pacific Northwest Fishing Golden Years. Great info on the sport fishing history of the Pacific Northwest, including lots of scans of vintage fishing publications, including catalogs, sportsman shows, salmon derbies, fishing guides, and more. Learn about Piper & Taft, Ben Paris, Eddie Bauer, The Liar's Handbook, and much, much more.

Hunting

• Hunting Information from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Washington State Hunter Education Home Page.
• Washington State Bowhunters.
• Washington Waterfowl Association.
• Hunting in Washington from BigGameHunt.net.
• Hunting in Washington from TheOutdoorLodge.com.

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Northwest Clam Digging & Shellfishing

• Razor Clams from Washington State Department of Fishing and Wildlife. Everything you need to know about the razor clam.
• How to Dig Razor Clams from Washington State Department of Fishing and Wildlife. Instructions for digging with both a clam shovel and a clam tube.
• Washington public beaches for clam and oyster harvest by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Shellfish of Washington. (PDF file -- requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
• Why Shuck Oysters on the Beach? by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Clam Diggers Why fill in your holes? by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Best clam and oyster beaches along Puget Sound from the Seattle P-I.
• Common Local Shellfish from Clallam County Evironmental Health. Information on which species can be sport harvested.

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Summer Camps

• YMCA Camp Orkila & Camp Colman. Camp Orkila is located on Orcas Island. Camp Colman is located on the Key Peninsula, west of Tacoma. Camp Orkila costs $530 to $695 for a seven-day session, while Camp Colman costs $485 to $590 for a seven-day session.
• YMCA Camp Seymour. Located on beautiful Glen Cove, only 30 minutes from Tacoma, Washington (just off scenic Carr Inlet in southern Puget Sound). Cost is $355 to $370 for a six-day session.
• YMCA Camp Bishop. Located on Lost Lake on the Olympic Peninsula, west of Shelton. This is the camp my sister and I went to as a kid and it is a really great camp. Two of our cousins from Seattle (one of whom is the actress Jean Smart and the other her sister Georgia) also went to Camp Bishop every year and just loved it. Great swimming, canoeing, sailing, tubing, waterskiing, archery, crafts, and other activities in a rustic wilderness environment. Operated by the Grays Harbor YMCA. Cost is $180 to $225 (latter includes program membership fee) for a five-day session.
• Camp Indianola. Operated by the United Methodist Conference. Located on the Kitsap Peninsula on the shores of Puget Sound. Cost is $225 to $265 for a five-day session, depending when you want to camp and how soon you register.
• Miracle Ranch and Island Lake Camp. Operated by CRISTA Ministries. Both camps are located on the Kitsap Peninsula. Miracle Ranch costs $360 to $415 for a six-day session, while Island Lake Camp costs $375 to $415 for a six-day session.
• CYO Camps. Operated by the Catholic Youth Organization. Camps include Don Bosco (on the Snoqualmie River), Gallagher (on the shores of South Puget Sound), and Hamilton (on a lake near Monroe). Costs are $330 to $395 for a six-day session.
• Cascade Camp Cherith. Operated by the camping ministry of Pioneer Clubs. The boys' camp is held at Camp Koinonia, near Cle Elum, while the girls' camp is held at Camp Lyle McLeod, near Belfair. Cost is $240 for a six-day session.
• More Camps within 100 miles of Seattle.

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Adventure Guides

• Anew Outdoors – Washington Adventure Travel Guides. Delivers a broad range of guided Washington outdoor adventures, trips, tours and recreation that educate and entertain.

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Other NW Recreation

• SeeYouOutside.com. Sections on camping, climbing, hiking, skiing, cross-country skiing, bungee jumping, moutain biking, horse riding, kayaking, whitewater rafting, skydiving/hangliding, kiteboarding, windsurfing, and more.
• Washington State Accessible Outdoor Recreation Guide. Accessible sites listed are managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and Olympic National Park.

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Seattle & Northwest Poster Gallery
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