10 Socially-Distanced Summer 2020 Outdoor Activities

I’m sure all of our summer 2020 plans look vastly different than we had planned… In my last post of 2019, I wrote about going to Paris with my best friend to celebrate our 20th anniversary and then extending the trip to live in Europe for a month. Ha…

Even though my summer didn’t pan out accordingly, I’m thankful to be healthy, and you can bet I’m still going to enjoy the season! Here are 10 of my favorite socially-distanced outdoor summer activities:

1. Blueberry Picking

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This was my first time going berry picking, and I don’t think I can ever buy blueberries at the grocery store again! We went to the Rusty Plow Farm, and they had lots of varieties ranging in size, tartness, and sweetness, and all of them were so flavorful and juicy! We picked 3lbs for $15! The next day, we made blueberry pancakes for brunch, and I can’t wait to make blueberry pop tarts, muffins, jam for scones, and more…

The farm required face masks upon entrance and exit during the time we went, but we didn’t have to wear it once inside because there was hardly anyone around. We went with friends and just picked across the bushes so we were properly distanced but were still able to chat!

2. Disc Golf

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I honestly only knew about frolf (frisbee golf) because Andy Bernard from The Office said, “I live to frolf!” Husband bought some discs and we decided to give it a try — it was so much harder than I expected but so fun! You walk about 3-4 miles so expect that it’d take a few hours and some sweating, especially on a hot day.

So far, we’ve gone to the disc golf courses at Terrace Creek Park and Lakewood Park. Both courses have maps online but are a little confusing for beginners, though we encountered friendly people who would point us in the right direction. Terrace Creek has a lot of hills, trees, and shade. Lakewood is more sprawling and has some pond views.

3. Hiking

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I need all this outdoor activity to counteract the amount of eating I’m doing while working from home haha. Some hikes are closed or really busy, so check online before you go.

I recently hiked Heather Lake for the first time and it was breathtakingly stunning! It’s moderate at 4 miles, but there are lots of rocks, mud, and roots, so wear hiking boots. I went during a weekday so it was really empty, and I wore a face mask when I passed by hikers. Go in a 4WD car as the trailhead is unpaved and full of huge potholes!

4. Floating

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Ah floating is such a quintessential summer activity! If you have your own inner tubes, you could float at Lake Sammamish State Park. To park, you need a Discover Pass ($30/year) or you can buy a day pass at the kiosk there ($10/day). We wore face masks when we were walking to find a secluded beach, but took them off once we got on the water and were spread out.

If you need to rent floaties, check out Fall City Floating. A shuttle takes you to the start and you float down Snoqualmie River for a couple hours back to the entrance. Make sure you have a floating waterproof dry bag for your valuables. It’s a relatively calm river, but I have flipped once and would have lost my phone except thankfully it was in a dry bag and someone found it downstream and returned it to me!

5. Outdoor Dining

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I personally haven’t dined inside a restaurant since March and still don’t feel comfortable doing so, but appropriately-spaced outdoor dining is a little better. A few restaurants that are doing outdoor dining: Westward (epic water view), Barkada (delicious Hawaiian Filipino food), and Pinchy Bois (lobster roll pop up with the best name). Still, we try to limit eating out to only once in a while.

6. Mini Golf

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Husband and I love playing mini golf. For a quick game or two, we go to Interbay Mini Golf nearby, get a couple drinks, and putt-putt away!

7. Road Trip

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This is the summer for day trips and exploring nearby towns. We’re not comfortable staying at hotels yet so we like a quick road trip. Recently, we visited Edison, WA for the first time and it had a great food and art scene. Taylor Shellfish Market is nearby in Bow, WA so we stopped there on the way home and got a bunch of oysters to pair with dinner.

8. Day Drink

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Since the typical crowded bar is a big no-no, we’ve just taken our drinking outside and earlier haha. Restaurants like MBar and Super Six have large outdoor patios and contactless ordering. Patrons wear masks except when eating/drinking and everyone is very spread out.

9. Go on Walks

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We live in the city so we walk everywhere, and my husband used to walk to work before quarantine. But after the stay-at-home orders, we didn’t walk to restaurants and grocery stores as much, so I had to get really intentional about being outdoors or else I’d get stir-crazy. This gave us a reason to visit more parks and now we walk a different park every week! Our favorites are Seward Park, Washington Arboretum, and Centennial Park.

10. Picnic

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I used to rarely picnic, but that’s changed! If picnic means eating outside then I will literally picnic anywhere and not just with the traditional picnic fare either. Treat yourself to fun takeout and go somewhere open-air with a view. On the left, I got an uni toro bowl from Tamari Bar and sake to have on a rooftop, and on the right we got cheesy tacos from Birrieria Tijuana and ate at Mount Baker Park.

What’s a fun outdoor summer activity you’d recommend? Please leave a comment!