Seattle-area hikes for kids

From strolls around little towns to beach walks and forest trails, there are loads of Seattle-area hikes that are friendly to kids as well as people who are new to the activity or getting back into it.

Driving the news: Axios Seattle reporter Melissa Santos asked earlier this month for ideas for places to take her 3 year old, and you responded.

• In the city, Discovery Park, with miles of trails over 534 acres and a wetland boardwalk, was mentioned several times, as was Carkeek Park.
• In addition to over 6 miles of kid, stroller and ADA-friendly trails, Carkeek Park also has hollow logs, shallow grottos and a 19-foot-long slide in the shape of a salmon that's perfect for little ones.
• Seattle Parks and Recreation spokesperson Rachel Schulkin additionally recommends Schmitz Preserve and Seward Park for jaunts suited to all ages.

Zoom out: Readers also had plenty of ideas for day trips and longer excursions.

• Oxbow Loop Trail near North Bend.
• Mirror Lake, a 2.9 mile trail near Snoqualmie Pass.

• The first miles of the Summit Lake Trail on Mount Rainier.
• The 2.2-mile Barclay Lake Trail in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest.

Plus: Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma was also recommended, as was Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge near Olympia.

• Steilacoom, the state's oldest town, and the city of Des Moines got honorable mentions as fun places to explore with kids.
• Flower World, a plant nursery in Maltby, has winding shady roads and trails, lawns, water features, goats and geese and is a "truly fascinating place to visit," wrote one reader.