10 minutes drive or not

[Car-Guy]

The DW and I just walk our property out here in the country. Sometimes we just walk through a cleared pasture and sometime though the wooded areas. I'm not sure where the nearest park is for us but it has to be at least an hours drive away. Now there's a National Forest about a 30 min drive away but I have never thought about hiking though it. Maybe I'll give that a try (once hunting season is over )

 

[haha]

Thanks for sharing the nice pictures.

My plan is to work for another 4.5 years. I am just debating the location to build my retirement home. Maybe I didn't frame my question right. It should be whether you will drive everyday for 10 minutes to a nice park.

From the replies so far, I think majority said no. Yes driving occasionally is fine, but not everyday.

Walking is the most important thing for DW and me. My health app says my average daily is 14417 steps for 2018.

You can be very proud of that!

Regarding the out the door and go vs. short drive to park, I am always an out the door and go guy.

My neighborhood is interesting with very busy sidewalks, and for me is more inviting than my former route on a trail on Whidbey overlooking Puget Sound before I moved back to the central city

Ha

 

[haha]

Living adjacent to the American River Parkway (with 23-mile paved trail) that is my default choice for walking, running, or biking. While I did not choose the location because of the parkway, it is a large factor in why we stay here.

I am glad you enjoy that. I stay off routes that have a lot of bicycles, roller skaters, and other dangerous types. City streets at least don't give lunatic bicyclists the idea that they can go 20 mph. Several of my friends have been meaningfully injured on the Burke-Gilman trail, especially where it runs along the UW campus.

Ha

 

[jollystomper]

We lean towards the parks since there are no sidewalks in our local neighborhood. The neighborhood is very pleasant, but having to walk in the streets, particularly with enough teenage drivers around, it not something we want to do often.

We have 2 parks within a 10 minute drive that have long walking paths, so we do that often. There is also a golf course less than 10 minutes away that, though closed for a couple of years (shame, as I liked to play it), you can still walk the cart paths as it is built within a residential neighborhood.

We will also drive to the nearest small city about 15 minutes away, they have a nice set of connected parks and paths that one lap is 5+ miles. The paths go through downtown, along water, through woods, etc. so lots of variety. It is also easy to find free/cheap parking along the route. Many times I arrange to meet friends in that city for a meal, but go early and/or stay late to walk and see the sights and sounds.

 

[swakyaby]

I would mix it up and alternate the walks, sometimes around the neighborhood and sometimes drive out to the nearby parks. I live in a master-planned community, so walking trails and neighborhood parks abound nearby. But when I visited my brother, I noticed he would always take a walk after dinner, usually around his hilly neighborhood, and occasionally drive us to a nearby park with more elaborate hiking trails. It's good to mix it up.

 

[Red Badger]

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPO-7tRjdXoWVZAZUeLN6EWsOw96jjmgfaazt4jTeTZQdmzelmONLkbT7rDOhXcxQ/photo/AF1QipPm9lam0LdLD5JLTxyw6PqGlp0IVtNksXPVhpzK?key=dnAydENmeUtLZVBaWE9MbnJXeGFXWjlRQ0RoVWFn

This makes the 5 min drive very worthwhile. I could just about touch her.

 

[eastnortheast]

90% of the time, just walk in the area by our house. We live in a rural area, so any walk will take us past a mixture of farms, open fields, and some woods.