Getting Outdoors doesn\u2019t have to be difficult! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It doesn\u2019t matter what the weather is, you\u2019ll find yourself having a great time outdoors under any conditions with these 30 things to do outdoors within 30 minutes of Bellevue College (for $30 or less!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you get out, please recreate respectfully. <\/strong><\/em>Many (if not most) of these locations are on tribal lands. Center your outing on mindfulness and respect, rather than conquest. For more information, visit the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Land Movement<\/a>. Please also explore Native Land Digital<\/a>, a layered map of our lands showing the history of indigenous peoples who have been here since before colonialism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlock the outdoor wonders that lay throughout the big city. Whether you tack it onto the end of your day or simply want a nearby escape, \u201cgo west\u201d!<\/p>\n\n\n\n A quick drive to NorthWest Outdoor Center in Seattle, and you\u2019ll find yourself in a kayak paddling around Lake Union. Show your BC Student ID and enjoy a discount on gear rentals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll forget you are even in Seattle when you visit Discovery Park, where you’ll discover a series of beautiful easy trails surrounded by forest that will guide you down to the beach — a perfect place to explore in any weather! No parking fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discover why this beautiful area is such a great place to enjoy in any weather! With a salmon ladder, extensive botanical garden, and ship passage, there is so much to learn and discover here around the water with weather of any kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Old growth trees, a full forest, all found within only 53 acres? You may think you\u2019re in the Issaquah Alps, but you\u2019re in the heart of West Seattle. A quick tree-covered escape only minutes away from Alki Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An essential visit for anyone living in the greater Seattle area! Break out those wheels — bikes, boards, blades — and travel the 2.5 mile stretch of beach packed with history, art, views of the Olympics, Puget Sound, and even a lighthouse! Rediscover Alki beach!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following all the outdoor adventures you\u2019re discovering in Seattle, find yourself on the trails throughout Lincoln Park and on the rocky beaches on Puget Sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well known for its Audubon Center<\/a>, Seward Park boasts a 2.4 mile bike and walking path, an amphitheater, native plant garden, art studio, miles of hiking trails, shoreline, beaches and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explore Union Bay and the Montlake Cut through a different perspective. Rent a Canoe from the UW Waterfront Activities Center and enjoy the wetland animals and plants found right in Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bellevue College is at an amazing location between Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish, with a variety of wetlands and riparian forest areas. Discover the many ways you can get outdoors only minutes from campus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you been to Weowna? Near Lake Sammamish, find an old growth forest filled with small creeks to make a quick escape from the heat right here in Bellevue!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you know Bellevue has a State Park? Shared with Kirkland, Bridle Trails is filled with loops and strolls of varying miles and you\u2019re guaranteed to see beautiful forests and greenery. This state park was originally created by local horse owners, so no surprise if you spot one on the trail! (Be advised, horses have right-of-way, so stand aside!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the heart of Bellevue, discover Washington\u2019s largest remaining wetlands containing incredible diverse wildlife. Follow the paved Periphery Trail on a bike or rollerblades or your wheels of choice around the park, or find your feet on the Bellefields and Heritage Trails looping through a variety of diverse habitats with a peek at some history. You may find canoers and kayakers along the channels. To join them check out rentals from the nearby Enatai Beach Park<\/a>, and migrate your way to the Slough!<\/p>\n\n\n\n With three miles of trails to explore on the waterfront of Mercer Island, Luther Burbank is the perfect place to unwind with family or pets. Beaches and forests are accessible to be enjoyed by many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discover bouldering and top rope climbing right in Redmond. Fill out the waiver<\/a> before you arrive to get right to climbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are dozens of trails and activities you can explore in Issaquah and the huge region known as the Issaquah Alps, which includes Cougar, Squak and Tiger Mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A new trail on the west side of Squak Mountain (smallest of the Issaquah Alps range). Enjoy a more challenging five and a half mile round trip hike with a good amount of elevation gain through beautiful forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn about the fish that are the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest and its many tribes! At the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, salmon return to their birth grounds from the ocean in the fall. Learn about the salmon life cycle and several varieties that pass through our backyard. The hatchery also includes beautiful flora and a native plant garden. Even when salmon are not migrating, this is a beautiful place to walk around!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hike a small unknown loop in this 116-acre wetland and forest habitat in S<\/a>ammamish privately owned by Forterra — formerly known as the Cascade Land Conservancy. The Main Trail is open to pedestrian and horse use only (no bikes) and dogs are allowed on a short leash. However, Ann’s Walking Trail, that circles around the south, east and north sides, is open only to walkers. Dogs, and even joggers, are not permitted to avoid disturbing wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Named for the history of coal mining that occurred more than 100 years ago, Coal Creek includes a 28-foot mossy waterfall and is a nice trek through a rich forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A short and steep access hike to Cougar Mountain, enjoy the forests and views you will see off of Big Tree Ridge. It’s easy to add on extra miles if you have a map handy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Near downtown Issaquah! Explore the variety of paths in the lowlands where you will find rivers and trails leading to the lake shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 316 acres of second-growth forest with 3,000 feet of lake shoreline to explore and a variety of trails to choose from in this park that was formerly a seminary. Close by in Juanita, on Lake Washington. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Traveling just 30 minutes into the Cascades will scratch the surface of all the things you can explore off the I-90 corridor!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rattlesnake Ledge is a well-loved adventure! Escape the crowds and find yourself on a longer trail, exploring the 10.9 mile trail reaching from Snoqualmie Point down to Rattlesnake Lake. See if you can have someone drop you off at one point and pick you up at the other, or caravan with a friend and park each car at either end. A nice long hike with a steady and gradual elevation, you can explore the forest through the trail that crosses logging roads with little breaks of forest to take in some spectacular views. Enjoy this hike on a hot day, keeping cool in the shade of the dense forest and finish your hike with a swim in the cool Rattlesnake Lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A short and easy hike that is accessible to everyone! Start above and descend to the same level as the great Snoqualmie Falls. A quick escape from the city and surrounded by nature, end at a boardwalk where you can view the falls and river safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Circumnavigate Rattlesnake Lake. With high water levels the remains of this town abandoned just over 100 years ago may be difficult to spot, but look for the small signs that lay on this enjoyable stroll through beautiful scenery. On a hot day, find a good spot to cool down in the chilly waters of Rattlesnake Lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Little Si (pronounced “Sigh”) is a popular hiking trail with fantastic views of the forest surrounding this peak that is the smaller sister to Mt. Si. At less than five miles roundtrip, tack on a couple more miles and build your challenge by looping in the Boulder trail<\/a>. Find massive moss-covered rocks deposited by the glacier that carved the separation between the peak you just finished and its big sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A pleasant trail delicately shaded by a variety of trees. On Dirty Harry\u2019s you\u2019ll find an awesome amount of artifacts along the trail showing a glimpse into the rich history of White settlers in Washington\u2019s mountains — make sure to not disturb these artifacts so that others can enjoy! The trail along this rocky dry-river bed will intertwine with a small creek, and you\u2019ll find yourself reaching the balcony. Before visiting, refer to the WTA website to get parking directions and how to find the trail!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Work yourself on this moderate hike with breaks in and out of the tree cover. At three miles you will find yourself at your destination, the cascading waterfall known as both Kamikaze Falls and Teneriffe Falls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A short hike with large rewards, find a variety of native plants on the forest floor and lining the trail leading to this beautiful 70 foot waterfall and flowing river nestled in the forest near North Bend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting near Rattlesnake Lake, you can discover the John Wayne Trail. Extending 253 miles, you can walk or bike along this trail for however long you want. Enjoy beautiful views on this wide and well-used trail!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This 574-acre park sits at the confluence of two rivers (Snoqualmie and Tolt) and serves as a wonderful place to enjoy the river and scenery. Attractions include a beautiful suspension bridge that will cross you over the Snoqualmie River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discover geocaching by downloading the free app on your phone and seeing which treasures you can find! If you are on a hike pull out the app to add an extra adventure to your trail or walk through a park!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Getting Outdoors doesn\u2019t have to be difficult! It doesn\u2019t matter what the weather is, you\u2019ll find yourself having a great time outdoors under any conditions with these 30 things to do outdoors within 30 minutes of Bellevue College (for $30 or less!) As you get out, please recreate respectfully. Many (if not most) of these ...more about 30 within 30: Outdoor Adventures<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":0,"parent":202,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-115","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1253,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/115\/revisions\/1253"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bellevuecollege.edu\/wellnesscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Seattle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Kayak on Lake Union<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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2. Discovery Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Ballard Locks<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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4. Schmitz Preserve Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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5. Alki Beach<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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6. Lincoln Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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7. Seward Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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8. Canoe on Lake Washington<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Between the Lakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Weowna Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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10. Bridle Trails State Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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11. Mercer Slough Nature Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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12. Luther Burbank Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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13. Rock Climbing at Vertical World<\/a> (Redmond)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Issaquah \/ Sammamish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
14. Margaret\u2019s Way Trail<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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15. Issaquah Salmon Hatchery<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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16. Hazel Wolf Wetlands Preserve<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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17. Coal Creek Falls<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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18. Big Tree Ridge<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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19. Lake Sammamish State Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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20. Saint Edward State Park<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Into the Cascade Mountains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
21. Rattlesnake Mountain<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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22. Snoqualmie Falls<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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23. Moncton Ghost Town<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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24. Little Si and Boulder Garden Loop<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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25. Dirty Harry\u2019s Balcony<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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26. Kamikaze Falls<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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27. Twin Falls<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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28. John Wayne Trail<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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29. Tolt MacDonald Park and Campground<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Anywhere<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
30. Geocaching<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n