Make the Most of Summer with These Outdoor Activities

Summer is in full swing and now is the time to take advantage of outdoor activities! Ten Trails is conveniently located close to outdoor recreation sites and the community has many outdoor amenities as well as activities planned for the summer months.

Attend One of Ten Trails’ Summer Outdoor Movie Nights 

Ten Trails is hosting movie nights in our Civic Park throughout the months of July, August, and September. We will have food trucks parked at our Civic Park from 5 to 8pm on movie nights for a quick and convenient dinner, and the movie will start to play around dusk. Bring your own blankets and low-back chairs to enjoy the show!

See Live Music Outdoors

The Puget Sound area has many outdoor live music venues including summer outdoor concert series in the cities of Kent, Auburn, and Bellevue. Head to nearby Woodinville to Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery for their ticketed summer concert series events featuring nationally-touring performers. In addition, Ten Trails has live music scheduled throughout the summer during our Sunset Markets and at our Hometown Harvest event September 18^th. Follow us on Facebook for updates on all summer events!

Dine Outdoors

Get out of the hot kitchen and enjoy your meals outdoors this summer. Whether dining alfresco at a local restaurant, having a picnic at nearby Lake Sawyer or our Civic Park, or grabbing takeout from one of our food trucks that visit the community, eating outdoors is a simple summer pleasure that should not be missed!

Use our Community Sports Courts

Ten Trails has many outdoor community amenities that are best enjoyed while the sun is shining! Check out our bocce ball courts, basketball court and outdoor ping pong tables this summer. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043      

Head to Local Pick-Your-Own Blueberry Farms this Summer

A visit to a local u-pick blueberry farm is a great summertime activity for the entire family! Get outside, learn about plants and farming while bringing home nutritious berries for the whole family to enjoy. There are many farms within easy driving distance to Ten Trails that offer pick-your-own options throughout the summer. Here are a few to consider visiting:

Canter-Berry Farms

Canter-Berry Farms is a small, family-owned farm that has been in operation with one family since 1954. The farm once sold blueberries at Pike Place Market where they were famous with customers for their quality. These days, the family only grows blueberries for the u-pick season. Located just southeast of Auburn in the upper Green River Valley, Canter-Berry Farms is just around the corner from Ten Trails. For updates on when blueberries will be available for picking for the 2021 season, visit the farm’s Facebook page.

Blue Dot Farm

Located a few miles north of Enumclaw on SE 416^th Street, Blue Dot Farm has over 500 plants with sixteen varieties of blueberries that ripen throughout the summer months. Some of these varieties produce the largest blueberries available in the country. For details on planning a visit to the farm this season, check out their website.

The Rusty Plow

The Rusty Plow Farm also offers u-pick blueberries with five main varieties at the farm, each with its own unique flavor and qualities. The Rusty Plow Farm is family-friendly, and great place to bring kids for an afternoon of blueberry-picking. Located in nearby Enumclaw, the farm is just a short drive from Ten Trails. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043  

Create Your Summer Bucket List

Summertime means more free time for kids and plenty of sunshine and warm weather to do things that cannot be done the rest of the year. Stop summer boredom before it happens by having a family “Summer Bucket List” handy for kids to select activities from. There are a ton of websites with ideas to get you started on your family’s own summer activity list. Click here for a great PDF with a ton of fun ideas. Make sure to tailor your list to your family’s taste and what is available in the Puget Sound area. Some suggestions for fun, kid-friendly activities to add to your list:

• Hike to a waterfall
• Play a musical instrument in front of others
• Plant an herb garden and use it for cooking
• Attend an outdoor concert
• Play flashlight tag

Keep it Attainable 

Keep your family’s summer bucket list attainable by setting realistic parameters for distance, cost, and availability of the activities. While flying to Australia to pet a kangaroo may not be a reasonable summer 2021 goal for your family, perhaps you could plan a visit to a nearby zoo to see kangaroos in person.

Put the List Up for All to See

Keep summer activities and priorities top of mind by posting the list for all to see in a prominent place in the home. Use brightly colored paper, markers, glitter, or paint…whatever kids want to do to make the list-making a fun activity. Alternatively, ditch the paper altogether and write the bucket list activities on rocks or clothespins. As you complete an activity, move the list item from one container to the next. At the end of the summer, you will have fun looking through all the items in your “completed” container.

Make it Social

Build accountability and inspire others by sharing your summer bucket list activities on social media with friends, family, and neighbors. At the beginning of the summer, post your list and make sure to include a photo of each summer activity as you complete it. Create a hashtag unique to your family so you can search out photos later or compile them into a summer activity video log. We would love to see your summer bucket lists! Share your lists with us on social media, @TenTrails, and tag us when posting your summer activity photos. www.TenTrails.com 360.369.4043

The return of Sunset Markets at Ten Trails! Featuring The Bridge Band, 40+ vendors, food trucks, dessert trucks, kids games in the grass, and a beer garden!  

Ten Trails Offers Pea Patches for Residents as One of Many Community Amenities

One of the huge benefits of living in a master planned community is access to community amenities! At Ten Trails, we have a wide variety of amenities to suit residents of every age. From playgrounds to pea patches, our residents have their pick of community features to enhance their lifestyle.

Community Pea Patches at Ten Trails

Some of the most popular amenities at Ten Trails are our community pea patches! Residents can opt to rent a pea patch plot for the spring/summer season to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. With 2021 being the first official year our pea patches have been in use, it has been great fun to see all the different varieties of plants our residents are growing.

Benefits of Community Pea Patches

Our pea patches are a space where residents can come together to grow community and plan, plant, and maintain a piece of open space. As one of many gathering spaces in Ten Trails, our pea patches help strengthen the community by fostering connections and serve as a point of pride amongst residents.

More Pea Patches Coming for the 2022 Growing Season

Ten Trails will have more pea patches available for resident rental beginning early 2022. If you are a resident who is interested in renting a pea patch, contact your HOA manager, Jodi Kay, at hoa@tentrails.com for details. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043  

Take a Trip Close to Home this Summer and Visit these Local Getaways

Washington State is beautiful and full of diverse climates, scenic state and national parks and many fun cities and towns that make great places to visit when you are looking for a local getaway! Take a drive this summer and visit one of these four fantastic locations that are close to home yet offer uniquely different experiences!

Friday Harbor 

Known as the “gateway to the San Juan Islands,” Friday Harbor is a charming and historic seaport that is well known for its quaint shops, walkable downtown, and many restaurants. Located just a few hour’s drive from Ten Trails followed by a ferry ride, Friday Harbor is the perfect local summer getaway spot.

Leavenworth

Take a short drive into the mountains to the Bavarian-themed village of Leavenworth, Washington. The walkable downtown boasts countless shops and restaurants, many of which sell German food and goods. The village is surrounded by spectacular hiking trails offering sweeping views of nearby mountains, rivers, and lakes. Hikers can cool off at the end of the day with a float, raft, or paddleboard down the Wenatchee River.

Bellingham

If you are looking for a city getaway with plenty of activities to do but without the crowds of Seattle or Portland, head north to Bellingham! This city offers something for everyone with plenty of local breweries and restaurants, shopping, spas, museums, and access to the outdoors. Bellingham has some of the area’s best urban biking trails with several places to rent bikes locally. During the summer months, head to Bellingham for “Downtown Sounds” an outdoor summer concert series with live music located near the city’s historic Bay and Prospect Streets. Check the city’s website for updates on the 2021 concert series schedule.

Winthrop

Located in the sunny and breathtaking Methow Valley of Washington, Winthrop is a charming mountain town that is a great getaway on its own, or a wonderful stop along the North Cascades Scenic Byway. Winthrop’s old western theme, complete with antique boardwalks, is a must-see for locals who have not visited. The town also has great shopping boutiques as well as restaurants, and motels. Summer is a great time to visit to enjoy live music and a seasonal farmers’ market. 360.469.4043 www.TenTrails.com  

PopUp StoryWalk at Ten Trails

Ten Trails is happy to share that PopUp StoryWalk has an installation in the community June 3rd-20th! Come walk our trails and read The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield. PopUp StoryWalk is a local program promoting literacy, health, and art appreciation using deconstructed children’s storybooks installed in outdoor community spaces. Begin a children’s story at the start of a trail, read posted pages along the way, and end the trial as you end the book. PopUp StoryWalk is empowered by the Arts of Kenmore.      

   

Visit the Community June 3rd-20th

The PopUp StoryWalk installation is in the community June 3rd-20th, located at the intersection of SE Stevens and Glacier Ave. Grab a map from our Welcome Center for easy navigation or follow the QR code directions on our website’s home page.

   

Hidden Treasures Along the Trails

While children read along the trail, we will have some hidden treasures that correlate with the book’s theme for them to spot along the way.  PopUp StoryWalk will be at Ten Trails for three weeks so there is plenty of time for families to visit the trail more than once and see how many fun new things they discover on each visit.   www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043  

Visit Nearby Mount Rainier National Park

National Treasure Located Just an Hour from Ten Trails

 

Ten Trails residents can count themselves lucky that the community is located just an hour’s drive from Mount Rainier National Park. As one of three national parks in Washington State and one of just 63 elite national parks in the country, Mount Rainier sees more than one million visitors in a typical year.

Training Ground for Mountaineering

Mount Rainier is an active volcano and the tallest mountain in the Cascades Mountain Range. Mountaineering teams use the mountain as a training ground for climbers who are looking to climb some of the tallest peaks in the world, like Denali or Mount Everest. Thousands attempt to climb Mount Rainier each year, but not all of them are successful in reaching the summit.

Miles of Hiking Trails

For the average park visitor who is not looking to summit the mountain, Mount Rainier National Park offers spectacular views and more than 250 miles of hiking trails. One of the most popular hikes in the park, Grove of the Patriarchs, features Douglas firs, western red hemlocks and Douglas cedars that are estimated to be more than 1,000 years old.

Plan Ahead for Road Conditions 

Based on current snow pack levels, roads to Mount Rainier National Park are predicted to be open for visitors by the end of May. Before your visit, plan ahead by checking road conditions on the passes to the park by visiting this website. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043

Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Ten Trails Home

Spring is a great time to get rid of clutter, clear out cobwebs, and open the windows and doors for a day of house cleaning. Schedule a day or two to tackle all those neglected spaces in your home that need some TLC. Here are some handy tips for prioritizing your spring cleaning:

Get Rid of the Clutter 

Many of us have way more items than we need and not enough places to store them. Make a monthly donation date to bring items that you no longer use to the local Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity donation center. A good rule of thumb is that if you have not used or thought about it in six months to a year, you can get rid of it and let someone else enjoy it.

Tackle it Room by Room

Cleaning an entire home can seem daunting. Break up the job into rooms and handle one room per day if that is all your time allows for. Another time-saving tip is to group all the bathroom cleaning into one day, so you can tackle multiple toilets, sinks, and showers all in one shot.

Use All-Purpose Cleaning Products 

Save time and money by opting for cleaning products that tackle multiple surfaces. Most household items can be safely cleaned with multi-purpose concentrates that can be diluted for multiple uses. Companies like Branch Basics offer cleaning concentrates that are eco-friendly, and the refillable bottles mean you are putting less plastic waste into the environment.

Give the Fridge and Pantry Some Love 

Springtime is a great time to clear out old and expired condiments from the fridge and wipe down all the drawers and shelving. In the pantry, clear out items that can be donated to local food banks like the one that is local to Ten Trails at the Black Diamond Community Center.

Do Not Forget About Neglected Spaces

Download a handy spring-cleaning checklist so you do not forget about neglected areas in your home that might need some attention. These include dusty ceiling fans, HVAC return grates, areas behind appliances, between the stove and cabinets, and underneath beds and sofas.

Get Kids Involved

Even younger kids can get involved in spring cleaning. Establish age-appropriate tasks for kids and make them fun by incorporating music or setting a family goal and reward for when all the cleaning is complete. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043 (more…)

Head to the Coast for Low Elevation Spring Hikes 

Get a jumpstart on the summer hiking season by heading west to the Washington coast for some spectacular low-elevation hikes that offer stunning views with no special snow gear required.

Oyster Dome Trail 

Oyster Dome Trail is one of the area’s most popular hikes and for good reason. Located in the Chuckanut Mountains where the Cascades meet Samish Bay, this 6+ mile hike has it all: views, challenging terrain, boulders, and glimpses of wildlife. The difficult hike is worth the trip. At the top you can catch views of the San Juan Islands, Olympic mountains, and you can see all the way to Vancouver Island on a clear day.

Leadbetter Point Loop Hiking Trail

Located on the northern tip of the 28-mile Long Beach Peninsula, the Leadbetter Point Loop Hiking Trail is the perfect place to go if you are looking to get away from it all. Leadbetter Point is a protected habitat as part of the Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge and is home to the endangered snowy plover. This 3.8-mile loop weaves through sand dunes, tidal flats and dense brush forest.

Cape Disappointment 

Cape Disappointment is in the most southwestern part of the state where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. At this state park, visitors will find many trails to hike including the Cape Disappointment North Head Trail. At just over 3 miles out and back, hikers can spot views of the majestic coastline and the Cape Disappointment lighthouse. This hike is ideal during the months of May through October as the trail can get muddy in the winter months. Leashed dogs are allowed on this hike, and a Discover Pass is required for visiting the park. www.TenTrails.com 360.469.4043