Carkeek Park is popular year-round for both a great beach and the Piper’s Creek Trail, which feels like a backwoods hike even though it’s not far from a major arterial. Enjoy the autumn leaves from the upper picnic area, on a nature walk, or as a view from the train-track overpass.

Bainbridge Island’s Bloedel Reserve a collection of 12 gardens spread out across 150 acres, and that kind of variety means plenty of leafy diversity—and its stunning landscape design provides many an opportunity for that perfect fall Instagram shot. It’s also one of the few places you can see larch trees without driving hours out of the city.

The half-mile ravine connecting two more wide-open parks feels like strolling through a deep forest right in the middle of the city, and is a popular spot for jogging over bright fall leaves.

No trip to the Locks is complete without this beautiful botanical garden, featuring clear and well-paved paths past picnic-ready lawns and water views.

Seattle’s biggest park by a landslide—more than 500 acres—has a robust network of trails for any skill level, all perfect for crunching through fall leaves. If you’re not up to a hike, its recreation and picnic areas (save for the beach) are largely nestled in among the trees, too.,

The University of Washington campus is known as a go-to place for cherry blossoms, but come fall, all those beautiful deciduous leaves turn into an autumnal wonderland—surrounded by all that stately collegiate brick architecture for the full effect.

You don’t even have to leave downtown to get a satisfying walk through autumn leaves. Choose your own fall foliage adventure—cut up through the park to First Hill, hang out by the field and iconic brutalist fountain on the south side of the park, or take a lunch break by the Convention Center. Whichever way you experience this urban park, you’ll have some great autumn scenery along paved paths.

53 acres of garden make for plenty of long stroll through Bellevue’s local wetlands at Bellevue Botanical Garden, winding through both forests and carefully-planned gardens. Nothing screams “fall” quite like a very pretty swamp.

Leave it to Seattle to have an old-growth forest within the city limits, and there’s no nature walk like an old-growth nature walk—you can feel fully immersed in the forest as you walk through the fall colors.

This West Seattle park’s many recreation areas are connected by densely wooded trails, including a hillside trail connecting to a beach, all lined by plenty of foliage. It’s right by the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock, and worth a visit if you’re stuck in the line to Vashon Island.

Tucked just inside the city limits in the Highland Park neighborhood, Westcrest Park is an underrated in-city hiking destination that even includes an off-leash trail around the dog park so your pup can feel free to frolic in the leaves.

Kubota Garden is a unique Seattle destination—it’s the former personal garden high-profile gardener Fujitaro Kubota, who used Japanese gardening concepts to showcase Northwest plant life. This means stunning walks through a serene landscape with all the fall colors the region has to offer. Just be careful not to walk through anyone’s engagement photos.