A good place to cut your teeth before setting out on more-ambitious hikes or a good place to just witness the local hiking and trail-running communities in all their weird and wonderful splendor, Mt. Si offers a moderately challenging hike with views of a valley (slightly marred by the suburbs) and the Olympic Mountains in the distance. The main trail to Haystack Basin is 8 mi round-trip, but there are several obvious places to rest or turn around if you'd like to keep the hike to 3 or 4 mi. Note that serenity is in short supply here -- this is an extremely popular trail thanks to its proximity to Seattle.
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