Kent: Nature, Landscape Art and City History

Kent combines expansive natural experiences, unusual landscape art and vivid city history. When planning your trip, you can choose between days by the water, longer cycling tours, parks with special themes and museums. A holiday apartment or holiday home in Kent can be selected according to the focus of your trip: Would you like to spend as much time as possible on trails, discover landscape art or combine historical insights with excursions into the countryside?

Nature along the Green River and at the parks

The Green River Trail runs for almost 20 miles along the Green River from Kent to Seattle’s southern city limits. Along its banks are osprey nests and several covered benches for birdwatching. Anyone wishing to include this route in their day’s plans will find parking in Kent at the intersection with the Interurban Trail on S. 259th Street.

Other natural areas also have their own distinctive character. The Green River Natural Resources Area is a 304-acre wildlife refuge in the heart of Kent. The six-mile Soos Creek Trail leads through forests, wetlands and meadows. It is paved throughout; in some sections, an unpaved equestrian trail runs alongside it. Parking is available at the northern and southern trailheads in Kent: at the intersection of SE 192nd Street and 124th Avenue SE, and at the intersection of 148th Avenue SE and SE 266th Street. For a stay with different daily rhythms, this selection makes it possible to plan nature observation and physical activity separately.

Clark Lake Park covers 154.3 acres. Lake Meridian Park also has a designated swimming beach. This allows you to alternate between trail experiences, park landscapes and time by the water when planning your excursions.

Cycling between works of art

The Earthworks Tour is a signposted cycling route. Along it, visitors can experience four internationally recognized landscape art installations up close. For the self-guided tour, there are options ranging from 12 to 23 miles in length. The family-friendly 12-mile route follows a flat course to the Green River Natural Resources Area and back. Those who prefer a longer circuit can include one of the other available route lengths in their plans.

The character of Earthworks lies in the combination of public park and work of art. The site consists of sculpted earth, paths, bodies of water and lawns. Mill Creek Earthworks Park is associated with an internationally recognized collection of landscape art. At Kherson Park, unique space-themed play elements inspired by NASA’s Apollo missions provide another unusual focus.

History and racing in Kent

Rosebed Park was established in 1906 as the first park in the city of Kent. The Greater Kent Historical Society Museum offers another way to explore the past and is housed in the historic Bereiter House. Seven historic living spaces provide an impression of life around the turn of the 20th century.

The Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum houses historic hydroplane boats from seven decades. In addition, the museum has more than 200 hours of historic racing films about hydroplane racing from the 1940s to the present day. These two museums have different focuses and complement the nature and cycling experiences with concrete insights into the history of the city and its racing tradition.

The right accommodation for your trip planning

If the Earthworks Tour is to be the focus of your stay, it is a useful criterion when searching for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Kent.

You can find more destinations for your trip planning at Federal Way, Kirkland, Woodinville, Issaquah, Newcastle, Burien, Normandy Park and Renton.

For the higher-level travel overview: King.