Plan an Adventurous Date in a Washington State Park

The Short Version: Head into the great outdoors with your date at one of Washington's gorgeous state parks. Meryl Lassen of the Parks and Rec department showed us how romance can flourish when couples spend time in a Washington park. The parks are safe and easy to get to, and they're packed with things to do that anyone can enjoy.

After dark, stars cover the Pacific Northwest sky like a blanket. The Big Dipper glows overhead while you look out at snowy mountain peaks on the horizon. Could there be a more romantic backdrop for a first date?

Meryl Lassen, a communications consultant with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, has taken in plenty of views like this across Washington State, and she promises locals that they won't have to travel far to find them.

Between vast nature preserves and charming neighborhood parks, Washington offers some of the most distinctive outdoor date spots anywhere in the U.S.

According to Meryl, the Pacific Northwest's natural beauty can ignite romance all by itself. On top of that, public parks give you acres of lakes, trails, and green spaces brimming with possibilities. If you're the adventurous type, Washington's public parks might be exactly the date spot you've been searching for.

By day or by night, Washington's parks are full of plants, wildlife, and fun. Meryl shared the insider info on where to head and how to get the most out of a park date, which may be the ideal date for couples who love the outdoors.

Public Parks Are Safe and Open to Everyone

On a first date, especially with someone new, a woman can't be too cautious. So young single women like me tend to pick neutral territory to meet: a coffee shop, a restaurant, a museum, or maybe a public park. It puts you on equal footing, so you and your date can dive into getting to know each other with no reservations (no pun intended).

 “When you’re talking about a first date, you want to meet people in public places where there are other people, you feel safe and you’ve got your outs,” Meryl advised. 

She stressed that cell service isn't strong in every Washington State Park, so check the reception at the park before you agree to meet someone you don't know at all.

I've definitely had that awful “get me out of here” feeling during a bad date, yet slipping away mid-meal at a restaurant is tough. Meryl says that trading the confines of a restaurant for a park's wide-open grounds makes it easy to bow out. “It’s easy to arrive separately and leave separately,” she explained. “You have a natural out.”

Park dates have lots of upsides, but there's one downside that makes sense. All that open space can feel a bit too wide, a bit too open, and a bit too isolated, especially on a first date. In that case, Meryl suggests choosing popular parks close to home.

Happily, you're never completely on your own at a Washington state park, and I mean that in a reassuring way, not a creepy one. “There are Rangers (law enforcement) around,” Meryl told us.

And when the Pacific Northwest gets snow (usually during winter), the parks stay open. “A lot of our parks turn into Sno-Parks,” Meryl explained. “People can go snowshoeing or skiing or fat tire biking.”

Because the Parks and Rec department looks after the parks all year, they're just as safe in winter as in spring and summer.

Mobility needs needn't stand in the way of a storybook park date, either. “Folks with mobility needs may be challenged when organizing out-of-the-box dates,” Meryl noted. “We have two programs right now that smooth the way.”

The Washington State Parks Department teamed up with Outdoors for All, whose adaptive cycling center operates at Lake Sammamish State Park. The center offers adaptive bikes plus a motorized wheelchair built to run on a track. “It opens up parts of the park that previously would not have been accessible to folks with mobility needs.”

At Lake Wenatchee State Park, a beach wheelchair makes a day by the water run much more smoothly (literally) for anyone who uses a wheelchair. Everybody deserves a bit of beachside romance, after all. “You want to plan a great date, and if you or your date has mobility needs, [the chairs] remove that as a stressor,” Meryl said.

Have Fun While Saving Time and Money

Talking about money on a date can get awkward. Luckily, a day in a public park costs nothing, so couples can skip the whole question of splitting the check.

Rather than blowing your hard-earned money on a pricey dinner, put it toward a thoughtful picnic basket stocked with your date's favorite foods.

Meryl suggested looking into the designated picnic spots at your nearby park. “Definitely [try] picnic shelters, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where it can rain on a moment’s notice,” she said. “You can reserve one, or you can choose a park where it’s first come, first serve.”

A day pass for Washington State Parks is very reasonably priced. Parking at a Washington State Park requires a Discover pass, which costs $10 for a day or $30 for a year. If even that stretches your budget, head to your local library, where your library card lets you borrow a Discover pass for free through the Checkout Washington program.

“It comes in a backpack with binoculars and field guides to identify birds and plants and flowers. It’s an amazing program,” said Meryl. Visiting the parks, she noted, can help people who date a lot hold on to their money. App daters might have several first dates in a single week, and a park is an excellent way to keep costs low.

“You’re checking people out and figuring out if somebody is working for you. You’re not going to want to spend a lot of money on each date,” she pointed out. 

Chatting while you take in the scenery is a date activity that costs nothing at all. It's a relaxed way to laugh together and get to know each other. And if lounging together on a bench isn't your thing, public parks offer lots of other things to do at a fairly low cost.

Parks Offer a Refreshing Change of Pace

Over coffee, the two of you stay seated, and you get to know your date only through what they say. On a park date, though, you learn by doing. How will your date handle a sweaty three-mile trek? If rain hits in the middle of your picnic, will they grumble or roll with it?

“Being active on a date versus sitting across from someone having coffee creates a different kind of connection,” Meryl said. 

Picking a park for your date gives you lots more options. “If you’re out kayaking, biking, walking, or picnicking, you can still feel safe and comfortable, but you have other stimulation,” Meryl noted. Say goodbye to awkward lulls over cold coffee. Better still, say goodbye to first dates spoiled by margaritas gulped too fast.

Social anxiety fades as you stroll through a gorgeous nature preserve. With nature all around, conversation naturally turns to what you enjoy doing, places you've visited, and places you hope to go. People who love the outdoors can swap hiking tales or point out the wildlife nearby.

“If you know how to identify trees or berries or geology or tide pool critters, you’re going to be able to impress your new date,” said Meryl. Parks are also great spots for people-watching. With plenty to chat about, you won't have to fall back on the standard first-date icebreakers (like where you grew up or what you do for work).

“You’re not groping around for topics to talk about, and you’re not just talking about yourself,” Meryl said. “It tends to create a more natural flow.” 

A public park date doesn't have to mean scaling a peak or trekking for miles. You can settle into a pretty patch of green and bask in the sun from a bench or a picnic blanket.

With just a bit of planning, a park date can become your most memorable one so far. “There are some parks that have concessions where you can do a guided kayak tour or a horseback ride, and some that have free Ranger-led naturalist hikes, snowshoes and educational programming,” Meryl explained. “If you want to have a picnic, you can have a picnic. If you want to bring a cooler full of food and show off your grilling skills, you can do that.”

Whether you're staring up at a sky full of stars or losing yourself in each other's eyes, what I love most about a Washington State Park date is all the room you'll have to find romance your own way.