Best Kid-Friendly Fall Hikes Around Seattle

Distance: There is a level, 1-mile boardwalk with four additional spur trails, varying from just a tenth of a mile to 1.5 miles in length.

Location: 100 Brown Farm Rd. N.E., Olympia.

Description: Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge offers excellent, all-season hiking just north of Olympia. In addition to fall colors, you can peep seasonal wildlife. In the fall months, see if your children can spot wintering songbirds, peregrine falcons and bald eagles. The visitor center, open Wednesday through Sunday, is small but has a number of interesting exhibits as well as binoculars to borrow. Kids can also participate in the free Junior Wildlife Manager program and explore the playground. Get some great photos of the kids strolling the boardwalk and looking through their binoculars. Kids will like the viewing platforms.

It can get slick and surprisingly chilly here. The last 700 feet of the boardwalk trail close in mid-October through the end of January when it is duck hunting season. Dogs, running and sports are not allowed. The cost is $3 for four adults to enter the refuge; children ages 16 and younger enter free.

Directions: The refuge is about 20 miles south of Tacoma and 10 miles north of Olympia. Take Exit 114 from I-5.

Next stop: Hurricane Hill