University Place, WA Outdoor Activities

Apex Karting satisfies your undernourished need for speed by letting you experience the thrill of finally outracing your cheetah half-sister on one of the Pacific Northwest's longest indoor racetracks. And you'll do it all behind the wheel of an 11-horsepower Stratos Kart, a clean-burning conveyance that can reach speeds of 40 miles per hour. Races may be split between family, friends, and medieval scholars, and after you retire from the tracks for the evening, you can unwind in Apex's beer garden; while sipping one of their barley-pop selections (starting at $3), you can reflect on how much more thrilling engine-powered speed is compared with leg-powered penny-farthing rides. Your Groupon may also be redeemed for a $110 credit toward private-track rental (usually $725–$800 per hour).

Today, Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad stands as a bridge to the past, whisking passengers through timbered foothills, alongside mountain streams, and across wooden trestles aboard trains led by restored locomotives. But roughly 30 years ago, the company was just an idea bouncing around the head of Tom Murray Jr., who made it his mission to preserve the sights, sounds, and experiences of a bygone era.

With the help of a friend, and later, many volunteers, Tom established MRSR as a tourist train service, a title the company retains to this day. As a result, the last three decades have been filled with weekly excursions that send customers chugging around the forestry that unfurls in the shadows of Mt. Rainier. Volunteers still maintain the majority of the company, and with every ride, passengers are reminded that railroads have linked the United States in a manner that airplanes, cars, and gas-powered pogo sticks never could.

Within Brookwood Equestrian Center’s 20,000-square-foot indoor arena, spectators seated in the heated viewing area grow quiet as small riders urge their mounts to trot, canter, and finally leap over jumps. The Center—which has served amateur and experienced horseback riders for more than 19 years—helps young riders take the reins in individual and group riding lessons as well as riding day camps. Brookwood’s 50,000-square-foot all-weather outdoor arena is constructed to Olympic standards, allowing horses to pursue their dreams of winning shot-put gold when they are not lazing about in 45 matted indoor stalls with automatic waterers or playing in a mud-free turnout area.

Alki Kayak Tours and her sister store, Mountain to Sound Outfitters, equip guests with all the tools necessary to delve into Puget Sound’s surrounding wilderness regardless of season. Authorized dealers of goods from outdoor brands including Rossignol, Nordica, Snap Dragon, and Boardworks SUP, Mountain to Sound Outfitters’ knowledgeable equipment masters can outfit expeditions bound for skiing trips to Mount Rainier or full-contact LARPing in Olympic National Park. Alki Kayak Tours keeps adventures moving with vehicle rentals ranging from kayaks and paddleboards to fishing boats and bikes. Guided sea-kayak and paddleboard tours meander through Puget Sound during warmer months, introducing adventurers to the Emerald City’s fragile natural beauty and the mindful guides’ various methods of preserving it.

A father-son team, Dickson Flyfishing guides and teaches fly-fishing to all levels of anglers on Olympic Peninsula waters, Puget Sound rivers, and many eastern Washington rivers. Conscious of their environmental impact, they lead eco-rafting trips throughout the year on the Skagit, Sauk, and Queets Rivers, as well as fishing trips for steelhead, cutthroat trout, and salmon with scales made of gold. More adventurous clients can embark on winter fly-fishing trips for tarpon on the flats of the Caribbean or three-day campouts on the Grande Ronde River. Additionally, scenic rafting tours bring visitors up close to wildlife such as eagles. Dickson Flyfishing also runs a virtual fly shop, where they sell their own line of equipment.

Scary Nights Haunted House originally started in 2004 as a spooky corn maze in Everett. Since then, the attraction has moved indoors and toted its masks, props, and glass jars filled with their favorite blood-curdling screams to several different stops around the Seattle area, including Bucoda for the 2012 season. There, Scary Nights transforms a gymnasium into a ghastly, multisensory experience complete with winding corridors and a cast of monsters trained to make every visit a dreadful one.