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National Parks Fee-Free Days for 2020

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On a budget?  Our National Parks offer free admission days for 2020. The number of fee-free days has been reduced from ten days under the Obama administration to only five days under the Trump administration, so you’ll definitely want these days marked on your calendars! Free U.S. National Park Admission Days for 2020 January 20: […]

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Northwest Bookshelf: Exploring Northwest Nature with Kids

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  As a kid born in the 1970’s, my own childhood was free-range and mostly outside. Or rather, those are the vivid memories I have—on a bike, digging in the dirt, or playing with our dog in the park near my house. The reality is more mixed. We had cable TV and a Nintendo, and […]

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CAMP & HIKE: Icicle Creek Canyon

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The Icicle Creek Canyon may be a tad far away to be Seattle’s outdoor playground (five to six hours of drive time, round-trip) but for many Central Puget Sound hikers and rock climbers, it is anyway. Simply put, it’s totally worth the drive. There was a particular feeling I got the first time I hiked […]

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Tide Pool Party: Where to Spot Cool Marine Life Near Seattle

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Grab your rubber boots and low tide field guide–there are some fantastic minus tides in Puget Sound this summer! There are a few things in life that you can rely on with absolute certainty. One of those is the rhythm of the sea. Twice a day, the tide will come in (high tide!) and twice […]

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CAMP & HIKE: Cape Lookout State Park on the Oregon Coast

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On the craggy Oregon Coast, a “headland” is a giant chunk of rock that juts out into the ocean, formed over millennia from volcanic lava flows followed by constant water erosion. Some of the larger ones are called “capes”. The coast is dotted with them, all up and down from Indian Point to Cape Ferrelo. […]

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CAMP & HIKE: Steamboat Rock State Park

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In the heart of Washington’s Grand Coulee desert country is an outdoor lover’s paradise. And your base camp for all of it sits in the middle of an “island” surrounded by your outdoor playground. Cool rocks and unusual birds. Hikes through blooming desert wildflowers. Fragrant sagebrush whipping in the wind. Sleeping under a big sky […]

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Columbia River Gorge: Cheap Sleeps and Wildflower Hikes

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Are you in search of sunshine, open vistas and fields of wildflowers? Don’t wait for summer–find these adventures now on the sunny Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Sunshine and springtime wildflowers draw adventurers to the east end of the Columbia River Gorge. The views open up and you can see for miles. Oak trees […]

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STAY & PLAY: Mount Baker

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There are two kinds of Northwesterners – those who know about the awesomeness of Mount Baker, and those who don’t (yet). I’m about to put you in the first camp, and once you visit Baker for the first time you will go back, again and again. The Mount Baker Highway (Hwy 542) is a spur route that […]

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NORTHWEST GIFT GUIDE: The Outdoorist

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Beach Bounty: Guide to Digging for Razor Clams

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Where to Dig for Clams DIG DATES: Winter 2019-2020, Washington Beaches   Below is the tentative schedule of proposed razor clam digs for Washington state beaches, along with evening low tides and beaches. Note: here’s the full schedule; dates are always subject to cancellation if testing shows marine toxins are high. February 6, Thursday, 4:40 […]

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