Covington, WA Road Trips

The majority of the area's most notable attractions are in Seattle. Outside of Seattle: The region's most dramatic waterfall is Snoqualmie Falls in Snoqualmie. The Pacific Bonsai Museum is in Federal Way. There are also impressive botanical gardens in Bellevue and Shoreline. Burien, Issaquah, and Kirkland have thriving and walkable main streets.

The best hiking is along the I-90 corridor, starting in Issaquah and continuing to North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass; see the Mountains to Sound Greenway itinerary for more details. There is also excellent hiking along US-2, which enters King County for a short stretch; see the North Cascade Loop itinerary for more details. Water sports are popular on Lake Union (rentals in South Lake Union and University District), Lake Washingon (rentals in Kirkland and Kenmore), and Lake Sammamish (rentals in Issaquah). See the article for Puget Sound for details on getting out on salt water. The largest casinos are the Muckleshoot Casino near Auburn and the Snoqualmie Casino.

Seattle is the culinary heart of the region, and you can find most of what you're looking for there. Outside of Seattle: The best Chinese and Indian cuisine are in Bellevue and Redmond. The best Korean cuisine is in Federal Way. The best Mexican cuisine is in White Center. Notable high-end dining destinations can be found in Bellevue, Kirkland, and Woodinville

Most of the area's nightlife spots are in Seattle. Renton also has a notable bar scene. Woodinville Wine Country is where wineries from across Washington State sell and market their wines. (Most of the grapes are grown in Eastern Washington.) Over 130 wineries and tasting rooms have a presence there.

Interstate 5 (I-5) is the major north-south highway, running near the coast through Seattle to Snohomish County and Pierce County Interstate 90 (I-90) runs east from Seattle through Bellevue and Issaquah to Snoqualmie Pass and Kittitas County. The notoriously congested Interstate 405 (I-405) splits off from I-5 at Tukwila in the south and Lynnwood in the north, serving Bellevue and the other cities of the Eastside. From the I-5/405 junction in Tukwila I-405 becomes SR-518 which continues west to SR-509 in Burien via Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA IATA), called "SeaTac" by locals, it connects Seattle to all regions of the U.S. and the world, especially with frequent transpacific routes but, also to Europe, Mexico and the Middle East as well. Competition is fierce and fares are low on service to the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California with multiple airlines. In addition to SeaTac, there are airports serviced by seaplanes and charter flights at: King County International Airport/Boeing Field (BFI IATA) which serves as an airport for cargo flights, general aviation, VIP flights, and Boeing test flights as well as Boeing manufacturing activities. It is also the location for the aviation museum. Commercial aviation is only with Kenmore Air. South Lake Union Airport (LKE IATA) is a base for seaplanes which are another popular way to travel around Puget Sound with several airlines based in Seattle including Kenmore Air serving areas all around Puget Sound and Canada and Harbour Air to Vancouver's Coal Harbour.

King County Metro, ☏ +1 206-553-3000. Runs bus, streetcar and monorail routes within King County. Serves Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Mercer Island, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Vashon Island, White Center, and Woodinville. $3 for 2 hours ($1 seniors 65+, Free youth 0-18). (updated Sep 2025) The adult bus fare is $3 at all times and on all routes. The senior (ages 65 or older) fare is $1. Youth (18 and under) ride free. If you pay by cash (exact change only), you'll get a paper transfer good for within a 2-hour period to ride other King County Metro buses. An ORCA card allows you to transfer to other transit agencies within the same period of time for free. Note that you'll only need to tap in when you enter the bus, although in RapidRide, you can tap on the reader before getting on the bus and may board from the center and rear doors. To figure out how to get to your destination use the excellent Trip Planner which gives you point-to-point directions between points within King County. For real-time arrival times, use the One Bus Away or Transit app. Google Maps and Apple Maps also include real-time public transportation data for route planning.