Adventure-Seekers, Unite: Plan Your Ideal Date in a Washington State Park

The Short Version: Take your date into the great outdoors at one of Washington’s beautiful state parks. With Meryl Lassen from the Parks and Rec department as our guide, we learned how romance can bloom when couples visit one of Washington’s parks. Not only are the parks safe and accessible, but they’re full of activities that everyone can enjoy. 

When night falls, the Pacific Northwestern sky is blanketed with stars. The Big Dipper shines above you as you gaze at the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Can you imagine a more romantic setting for a first date? 

As a communications consultant for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Meryl Lassen has seen many such sights in Washington State, and she assures locals you don’t have to wander too far to find them. 

From sprawling nature preserves to quaint local parks, Washington is home to some of the most unique outdoor date spots in the country. 

Meryl told us that the inherent beauty of the Pacific Northwest can spark romance. Plus, public parks offer acres of green spaces, lakes, and trails that are abundant with possibilities. If you consider yourself an adventure seeker, Washington’s public parks may be the ideal date spot you’ve been looking for.

Day or night, Washington’s parks abound with flora, fauna, and fun. Meryl gave us the inside scoop on where to go and how to make the most of your park dates – which could be the best kind of dates for outdoorsy couples. 

A girl can never be too careful on a first date, especially if she’s meeting someone new. This is why young single women like me typically choose to meet on neutral ground: a café, a restaurant, a museum, or perhaps a public park. It’s a level playing field where you and your date can jump into learning more about each other without 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 made it clear that not every Washington State Park has strong cell reception, so make sure you check the park’s reception levels before you agree to meet with a complete stranger. 

I’ve certainly experienced the dreaded “get me out of here” feeling on a bad date, but making an escape isn’t easy in the middle of a meal at a restaurant. According to Meryl, taking your date out of the confines of a restaurant and into the open space of a park makes extricating yourself a breeze. “It’s easy to arrive separately and leave separately,” she said. “You have a natural out.” 

For all the benefits of a park date, there’s one understandable downside. Those wide open spaces can be a little too wide, a little too open, and a little too remote, particularly for a first date. Meryl recommends sticking to local popular parks in these cases. 

The good news is you’re never truly alone in Washington’s state parks, and I don’t mean that in a creepy way. “There are Rangers (law enforcement) around,” Meryl assured us. 

And when snow falls on the Pacific Northwest (which tends to happen in the winter months), the parks don’t shut down. “A lot of our parks turn into Sno-Parks,” Meryl said. “People can go snowshoeing or skiing or fat tire biking.” 

Since the Parks and Rec department manages the parks year-round, they’re as safe in the winter months as they are during the spring and summer. 

Mobility needs don’t have to get in the way of your fairytale park date, either. “Folks with mobility needs may be challenged when organizing out-of-the-box dates,” Meryl pointed out. “We have two programs right now that smooth the way.” 

The Washington State Parks Department has partnered with Outdoors for All, which runs an adaptive cycling center at Lake Sammamish State Park. They have adaptive bikes and a motorized wheelchair that can run on a track. “It opens up parts of the park that previously would not have been accessible to folks with mobility needs.” 

Lake Wenatchee State Park offers a beach wheelchair, which makes a day at the shore go much smoother (literally) for anyone in a wheelchair. After all, everyone deserves a little romance on the beach. “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. 

Money can be an awkward topic on dates. Fortunately, spending the day at a public park is free, so couples can avoid conversations about splitting the bill. 

Instead of shelling out your hard-earned cash on an overpriced dinner, spend it on a thoughtful picnic basket filled with your date’s favorite foods. 

Meryl recommended checking out designated picnic areas at your local park. “Definitely [try] picnic shelters, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where it can rain on a moment’s notice,” Meryl suggested. “You can reserve one, or you can choose a park where it’s first come, first serve.” 

At Washington State Parks, a daily pass is quite affordable. To visit a Washington State Park, you need a Discover pass for parking, which is a $10 daily or $30 annual pass. If that’s too pricey, you can visit your local library and check out a free Discover pass with your library card via 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,” Meryl said. She explained that going to the parks can save cash for people with an active dating life. Singles who use dating apps may go on multiple first dates in one week, and a park is a great place to keep expenses to a minimum. 

“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. 

Having a conversation while observing your surroundings is a totally free date activity. It’s a low-stress way to share some laughs with your date as you get to know them. But if sitting on a park bench with your date isn’t your style, there’s plenty of other things you can do at a public park for a relatively low price. 

When you’re on a coffee date, you sit and learn about the other person based on what they tell you. But on a park date, you learn through action. How will your date respond to a sweaty three-mile hike? If it starts to rain halfway through your picnic, will your date complain or take it in stride? 

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

You have more things to do when you choose a park as the setting for your date. “If you’re out kayaking, biking, walking, or picnicking, you can still feel safe and comfortable, but you have other stimulation,” Meryl pointed out. No more awkward pauses in conversation over cold coffee. And even better, no more first dates ruined by hastily slurped margaritas. 

Social anxiety melts away when you’re walking through a beautiful nature preserve. While surrounded by nature, the conversation-starters are all about what you love to do, where you’ve been, and where you’d like to go. Outdoorsy people can trade hiking stories or comment on the wildlife around them.

“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,” Meryl said. Public parks are great places to people-watch. With so much to talk about, you don’t necessarily have to stick to the typical first-date conversation starter pack (i.e. where you’re from, what you do for a living).

“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 date at a public park isn’t necessarily about climbing a mountain or hiking for miles. You can find a lovely green spot and soak up the sunshine from a picnic blanket or park bench. 

All it takes is a little planning to make a park date the most memorable one yet. “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 said. “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 gazing up at the starry sky or getting lost in each other’s eyes, the best thing about a date at a Washington State Park, at least in my opinion, is you’ll have plenty of space to discover romance in your own way.