Seattle Summer - Possible Plans

Summer has arrived, so for the next few months, us in Seattle will finally see a lot more sun! The area is beautiful in the summer without being interrupted very often by Seattle's famous rains. There are a few things I think I'd like to finally try out, hopefully this summer, that I haven't tried before even though I've lived here a while. Maybe if you're coming to visit the area, you might want to try them out, too!

If you're visiting, I'll briefly mention the classic Seattle tourist destinations (Space Needle, the Chihuly glass museum, the Museum of Pop Culture, Pike's Place market, the Seattle Art Museum). These are already pretty well covered by the most basic of Google searches, though. First 3 items are next to each other, the next two need ~20 minutes walking.

Alright fine, a post about WA tourism needs the Space Needle - but you can also see Mt. Rainier in the distance! (Image from pixabay)

But much of Washington's charm comes from the beautiful, natural scenery. There are lots of hiking destinations or state parks such as around Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens. Rattlesnake Ridge is a very popular trail not too far from Seattle as long as it's open (I think area was recently closed due to mudslides).

But maybe you're like me, we've done a lot of hiking before in various areas around the state. It's great exercise, but maybe we want to see the world from the sky. I saw a friend paragliding in Mexico, and it looked exhilarating! So I was pretty excited to discover that there was also a guided paragliding location nearby (Tiger Mountain). Travel websites don't seem to mention this, though. At a guess, it seems like a more relaxing way to see the world as opposed to skydiving, it's a higher view compared to ziplining and maybe a freer feel than hot air balloons. That said, all those options are in the area too and I'd probably want to try them as well, having never tried any before.

Paragliding! But at an unknown location as I'm not sure where to get free WA area paragliding images. Maybe I'll make some! (Image from Pixabay)

Now that you've seen the state from the ground or sky - how about the water? Wild Waves is a popular water theme park well south of Seattle, but kayaking, canoeing, or just paddle boarding are all also options.

Paddle boarding seems the gentlest and as seen in the below photo, should be pretty close to Seattle downtown. But you should still be prepared for falling overboard - I've had friends who have canoed in the area and they accidentally tipped over! It's hilarious to hear about but also with the knowledge that nobody got hurt, just wet.

Doing a guided kayaking session is also a great experience! If only because it's a lot easier for someone to fall overboard while going over the rapids (but easily fetched as well), although it's a little surreal when someone vanishes almost instantly - just gotta hope it's not you.

Hey hey, Pixabay had a free image of paddle boarding around Seattle!

Anyway, paragliding in particular is something that I'm most curious about but maybe if you're coming to the WA area, this might give you a couple ideas on things to try out that are more invigorating than, say, wandering around museums. Museums are great and all, but going only to museums might be a little boring.

If you're in WA, what other maybe out of the way things are fun to do or see? Or maybe if you're elsewhere, what might you recommend where you are?