Out & About

Snoqualmie Tunnel

Oct. 1: $40 It’s finally open! Ride through the newly reopened Snoqualmie Tunnel. It’s nearly two miles long, and the only light will be from your headlamps! From there, snake your way around the hills and over old train trestles on the way to Rattlesnake Lake. The best part is it’s downhill!

Trip fee includes guide, transportation, bike, helmet, gloves and headlamp. Difficulty: easy; distance: 22.5 miles; ride time: 3.5 hours. Minimum age: 12. Meet at McChord Field’s Adventures Unlimited at 9 a.m. or the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 9:30 a.m. Family-friendly trip.

Sea kayak Cutts Island

Oct. 1: $40. Don’t miss this South Sound classic. Starting in Horsehead Bay, paddle north in Carr Inlet to Cutts Island.

This small island has a steep rock face on the south end, and many birds make this island their home. The water in the area is known to be a little warmer than other places in the Sound, so take a dip while enjoying your lunch and exploring. Minimum age: 12. Meet at McChord Field’s Adventures Unlimited at 9 a.m. or the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 9:30 a.m. Family-friendly trip.

Explore lava tube

Oct. 2: $35. Travel to Mount St. Helens to explore the largest continuous lava tube in the Western Hemisphere. Walk deep into the underside of a 2,000-year-old lava flow to scramble and climb over and under volcanic formations. Average year-round temperature remains a constant 45 degrees, so dress warmly.

Difficulty: easy; distance: three miles; elevation gain: 250 feet. Minimum age: 12. Meet at McChord Field’s Adventures Unlimited at 7:30 a.m. or the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 8 a.m. Family-friendly trip.

Pike Place, Ride Ducks

Oct. 2: $45. You haven’t seen Seattle until you’ve seen it from a duck! Take a musical tour of the Emerald City. The amphibious World War-II vehicles allow you to see Seattle from both land and water.

See downtown Seattle, Pike Place Market, historic Pioneer Square, Funky Fremont and then splash into Lake Union for a spectacular view of the city skyline, luxurious yachts and Sleepless in Seattle houseboats. Meet at the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 9 a.m. or McChord Field’s Adventures Unlimited at 9:15 a.m. (Ages 3 to 2: $35; ages 0 to 2: $30) Family-friendly trip; reasonable accommodations can be made for persons with special needs.

After work paddle

OCT 5: $20. Head out to calm waters close to home for an evening kayak trip. This trip is great for beginners and experienced paddlers. Fee includes all equipment and guide. Minimum age: 12. Meet at the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 5:30 p.m.; no McChord Field pickup. Family-friendly trip.

Visit Mount St. Helens

Oct. 8: $45. Enjoy an exciting day of hiking down to Spirit Lake, which sits at the bottom of the volcano. The trees along Harmony Falls Trail lie parallel to each other like matches in a matchbook and the shoreline is still covered in a gritty ash from the 1980 explosion. Difficulty: easy; distance: two miles; elevation gain: 700 feet; time: 2.5 hours. Minimum age: 12. Meet at McChord Field’s Adventures Unlimited at 7:30 a.m. or the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 8 a.m. Family-friendly trip.

Authentic Oktoberfest

Oct. 8: $70. Spend the day with the JBLM Outdoor Recreation program at Oktoberfest in Leavenworth. Enjoy live music, German food, arts and crafts and Bavarian clothing sale. Bring the entire family. Meet at the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 9 a.m. or McChord Field’s Adventures Unlimited at 9:15 a.m. Family-friendly trip; reasonable accommodations for persons special needs.

Rainier on horseback

Oct. 9: $80. Head to Elbe, on the outskirts of Mount Rainier National Park, for a two-hour horseback ride. Bring the entire family. No experience is necessary. Minimum age: 7. Meet at the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 9 a.m. or McChord Field’s Adventures Unlimited at 9:15 a.m. Family-friendly trip. Soak in hot springs

Oct. 9: Take a soak at the Sol Duc Hot Springs in the Olympic National Forest. There are three mineral hot spring soaking pools and one freshwater pool. Temperatures vary between the pools allowing you to find one that is just right for you. Each mineral pool is drained and cleaned nightly to allow for the health and safety of all guests. Feel free to join your trip guide on an optional one-and-a-half-mile hike to Sol Duc Falls before you take a dip into the hot springs. Meet at the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 8 a.m. or McChord Field’s Adventures Unlimited at 8:15 a.m. Family-friendly trip; reasonable accommodations can be made for persons with special needs.

Grand Prix racing

Oct. 12: $40. Get ready for speed — fast times at the Grand Prix Raceway Track await you! Work up an appetite on more than four miles of thrilling wheel-to-wheel racing. Fee includes transportation, lap fee, kart, helmet, head sock and instruction. Minimum age: 16; minimum height: 5 feet. Meet at the Northwest Adventure Center at Lewis North at 5:30 p.m.; return by 11 p.m. Family-friendly trip.

Crabbing at Westport

Oct. 16: $30. Join us for a day of fun at Westport. Outdoor Recreation staffers will teach you how to catch, identify and cook crabs. Gear, transportation, and bait included. You will need to purchase a fishing license. (12 and younger: $15) Family-friendly trip; reasonable accommodations can be made for persons with special needs. High tech hide & seek

Oct. 16: $30. Geocaching is often described as a game of high-tech hide and seek where you use a GPS to find caches that somebody hid. In this seminar you will learn how to use a GPS to navigate your way to the caches. The first couple of hours are spent at Lewis North learning the basics, and the rest of the day will be spent finding local caches. Fee includes instruction, equipment and transportation. (Ages 12 and younger: $15 Family-friendly trip.

After work bike trip

Oct. 19: $20. Enjoy an evening of mountain biking through trails at Lewis North. Fee includes equipment and guided ride.