Seattle Family Calendar
Subscribe
Embracing stormy weather
When we talk about Seattle-area weather, we have a lot to talk about. On any given day between September and, say, July, we can experience squalls, gales, fog and rain in its many actions: pouring, spitting, drizzling, misting, pelting sideways and so on.
In winter these weather phenomena are in peak display — so what is there to do but embrace the bad weather? After all, our weather is one of the spectacular natural forces that molds our landscape and decks it out in the lushest green. Many places around Puget Sound are situated to provide a front-row seat to our wild weather. Gather your crew, suit up in your rain gear and head to one of these fantastic spots for weather watching:
- Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie
- Discovery Park, Seattle
- Kerry Park, Seattle
- Chambers Creek Regional Park, University Place
- Saltwater State Park, Des Moines
- Marina Beach Park, Edmonds
- Lincoln Park, West Seattle
- Tolt-MacDonald Park, Carnation
- Coal Creek Falls, Bellevue
One note: These spots are fun to visit in stormy weather, but keep in mind that conditions can change quickly this time of year. Be sure to check weather forecasts and local advisories before heading out. Stick to well-maintained routes, avoid flooded or unstable areas and always err on the side of caution. In the event of extreme weather warnings, it’s best to stay home.
First stop: Snoqualmie Falls
More rainy day ideas for Seattle-area families:
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2015, and was most recently updated on Jan. 13, 2026, by ParentMap’s family fun editor, Meredith Charaba, with a thorough fact-check. Nancy Chaney contributed to this article.
Snoqualmie Falls
Weather to see: Rain
About 1.5 million people a year visit magnificent Snoqualmie Falls, a landmark in the Cascade foothills. We doubt anyone goes away disappointed; but those who come when the river is running high are in for a special treat. The surge of water changes the character of the falls. Instead of an even white gush, it becomes a gray, ragged, wave-tossed tumult. The water lands with such force that the spray bounces out more than 300 feet. For an onlooker at one of the viewpoints, it’s like being rained on from two directions at once.
Location: 6501 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie. Parking is free, and if the weather is especially bad, you can find a parking space really close.
Pair with: A stop at The Black Dog Cafe for vegan desserts.
Next stop: Discovery Park
Discovery Park, Seattle
Weather to see: Fog
Even on a windless day, fog never stays still. It undulates, moving closer and then suddenly shrugs away. For fun in the fog, head to Magnolia’s Discovery Park. Its grand, sloping south meadow is the perfect place to explore the moods of fog. Trees and distant figures fade in and out of sight as you and the fog move around. You can’t see where the path you are following goes or where it came from.
Location: 3801 Discovery Park Blvd., Seattle. Discovery Park has three parking lots, and parking is free. Note that beach parking requires an ADA placard. To get to the south meadow most directly, park in Discovery Park’s south parking lot, accessible from West Emerson Street, and follow the trail that leads west from the parking lot entrance.
Pair with: Lots of other fun things to do with kids in Discovery Park, then warm up after with a delicious lunch or pastry from Petit Pierre Bakery in the Village.
Editor’s note: The Discovery Park Visitor Center is closed until 2027, but the rest of the park is open.
Next stop: Kerry Park
Kerry Park, Seattle
Weather to see: Clouds and fog
Kerry Park, a petite neighborhood park on the south slope of Queen Anne Hill, is a wonderful place to get a new perspective of Seattle cloud cover: the view from above. It’s a famously good place to watch the ebb and flow of fog over the towers of Seattle’s downtown. Sometimes, the fog slops up the hill, spilling over to the park. When it clears again, you can find out why this park is an iconic destination for photographers. Where there had been a cloud like any other, there is the Space Needle, rising up in front of you, startlingly close.
Location: 211 West Highland Dr., Seattle. Park on the street.
Pair with: Another Seattle classic, a scoop of Molly Moon’s ice cream from the Queen Anne location. To get more wiggles out, head to the opposite slope of Queen Anne, about a mile away, to play at Rodgers Park.
Next stop: Chambers Creek Regional Park
Chambers Creek Regional Park, University Place
Weather to see: Wind and clouds
Flagship South Sound park Chambers Creek Regional Park offers families a front-row seat to big-sky views and weather watching. Comb the 2 miles of Puget Sound shoreline and see if you can spot Anderson, McNeil and Fox Islands through the mist. After you’ve dipped your boots in the waves and let the wind whip your jackets, cross the bridge to explore trails in the woods, wide-open meadows, a play area and local “Stonehenge” ruins.
Location: 6320 Grandview Dr. W., University Place.
Pair with: A tasty car picnic lunch of burgers and fries from local fave Lefty’s Burger Shack.
Next stop: Saltwater State Park
Saltwater State Park, Des Moines
Weather to see: Rain
Best known as a summer beach spot, Saltwater State Park in South King County offers off-season delights as well. These features come to the fore when the weather gets soggy. Inland, salmon-bearing McSorely Creek runs through a steep gully lined with Douglas fir, alder, maple and ferns. The habitat isn’t pristine — there’s a whole lot of invasive English Ivy — but the park is still a wonderful place to view local forests in their ideal state: dripping. Mosses and ferns that die back in the warm, dry months come to lush life and use the rainwater to carry their spores.
The trail back into the woods has an abundance of a squelchy, clay-based mud that leaves detailed impressions of your shoes as you pass.
Editor’s note: The campground at Saltwater State Park is currently closed due to the impacts of flooding and erosion. The rest of the park remains open.
Location: 25205 Eighth Pl. S., Des Moines. To park, you’ll need a Discover Pass.
Pair with: A stop at Auntie Irene’s for snacks or hot drinks. It’s a couple of miles from the park in downtown Des Moines.
Next stop: Marina Beach Park
Marina Beach Park, Edmonds
Weather to see: Wind and waves
Marina Beach Park, a beachfront park tucked against a marina just south of the Edmonds ferry terminal, has a lot to recommend it. There’s a playground, and an area of lawn suitable for kite flying (though judging from the shredded nylon dangling from nearby trees, some flights don’t end well). This stretch of pebbles, sand and driftwood overlooks one of Puget Sound’s windiest corners. It’s a wonderful place to watch the waves and the birds, hear and feel the wind and rain and then retreat to enjoy warm drinks.
Location: 470 Admiral Way, Edmonds. Park for free in a visitor space at the south end of the Port of Edmonds Marina.
Pair with: Hot chocolate and baked goods at Walnut Street Coffee, 410 Walnut St., Edmonds.
Next stop: Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park, West Seattle
Weather to see: Wind
West Seattle’s Lincoln Park juts out into Puget Sound and has a broad crushed-limestone trail along the seafront for people to encounter wind, waves and wheeling seabirds. The southern part of the trail has the water to the southwest, with a fine view of ferries making their way to Vashon Island and the Kitsap Peninsula. As the trail rounds Colman Pool at the halfway mark, the exposure moves to the northeast. Depending on the wind, the mood could go from a roaring gale to sudden peace. The beach is full of driftwood and rocks — timeless toys that will amuse kids for hours. If the weather gets too forbidding, the parking lot is a short stroll away.
Location: 8011 Fauntleroy Way S.W., Seattle. Park for free in one of the lots off Fauntleroy Way.
Pair with: A romp on the recently renovated playground, followed by something tasty at nearby Wildwood Market.
Next stop: Tolt-MacDonald Park
Tolt-MacDonald Park, Carnation
Weather to see: Rain
Set at the junction where the Tolt River gushes into the Snoqualmie, Tolt-MacDonald Park is a great place to observe the power and the changeability of rivers. Stroll up on the suspension bridge after a few days of rain and watch it rising up to flood stage, the water a strange milky greenish-brown, its surface churning, its movement powerboat swift. Explore the banks and you can get an idea of just how high this river can go — there is debris dangling on the trees well above an adult’s head.
Location: 31020 N.E. 40th St., Carnation. Turn east off Highway 203 onto Northeast 40th Street and follow the signs. Parking is free.
Pair with: A yummy sandwich or delectable sweet treat out of the case at Carnation Café.
Next stop: Coal Creek Falls
Coal Creek Falls, Bellevue
Weather to see: Rain
The best time to see Coal Creek Falls is after lots of rain. That’s when the creek swells, and the falls, usually a picturesque trickle over a boulder, becomes a gushing waterfall surrounded by lush woods and birdsong. The falls are in Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, a King County park in an area that once held the bustling Newcastle coal mines. The park is covered with a loose web of broad trails, many of built on old mining roadbeds. The simplest way to get there is to go to the Sky Country Trailhead, take the Nike Horse Trail (the name comes from the missile batteries that were on the mountain, once upon a Cold War), turn right onto the Cave Hole Trail, and then left onto the Coal Creek Falls Trail, which leads through some beautiful woods.
Location: Coal Creek Falls is in Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, off of Clay Pit Road in Bellevue. Keep the trail map handy; it’s pretty easy to lose your way here. Parking is free.
Pair with: A side trip to Lewis Creek Park, where the playground is partially covered. Stock up on snacks at the nearby Town & Country Market.
