Best Seattle-Area Places to Embrace Bad Weather With Kids
Photo:
Coal Creek Falls in Bellevue. Credit: Fiona Cohen
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.
