Biking

Gregg's Green Lake Cycle, 7007 Woodlawn Ave. NE (tel. 206/523-1822), and the Bicycle Center, 4529 Sand Point Way NE (tel. 206/523-8300), both rent bikes by the hour, day, or week. Rates range from $5 to $7 per hour and $25 to $30 per day. These shops are both convenient to the Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trail, a 27-mile paved pathway created mostly from an old railway bed. This path is immensely popular and is a great place for a family bike ride or to get in a long, vigorous ride without having to deal with traffic. The Burke-Gilman portion of this trail starts in the Ballard neighborhood of north Seattle, but the most convenient place to start a ride is at Gasworks Park on the north shore of Lake Union. From here you can ride north and east, by way of the University of Washington, to Kenmore Logboom Park at the north end of Lake Washington. Serious riders can then continue on from Kenmore Logboom Park on the Sammamish River portion of the trail, which leads to the north end of Lake Sammamish and Marymoor Park, which is the site of a velodrome (a bicycle racetrack). This latter half of the trail is our favorite portion of a ride along this trail. This section of the path follows the Sammamish River and passes through several pretty parks. Riding the entire trail out and back is a 54-mile round-trip popular with riders in training for races. Plenty of great picnicking spots can be found along both trails.

The west Seattle bike path along Alki Beach is another good place to ride and offers great views of the sound and the Olympics. If you'd like to pedal this pathway, you can rent single-speed bikes at Alki Crab & Fish Co., 1660 Harbor Ave. SW (tel. 206/938-0975), which charges $10 for a 3-hour rental. Because this place has a limited number of bikes, it's a good idea to call ahead and make a reservation. You can then take the water taxi from the downtown waterfront to West Seattle. The water taxi dock is right at Alki Crab & Fish Co.

Golf

While Seattle isn't a name that springs immediately to mind when folks think of golf, the sport is just as much a passion here as it is all across the country. Should you wish to get in a round of golf while you're in town, Seattle has three conveniently located municipal golf courses: Jackson Park Golf Course, 1000 NE 135th St. (tel. 206/363-4747); Jefferson Park Golf Course, 4101 Beacon Ave. S (tel. 206/762-4513); and West Seattle Golf Course, 4470 35th Ave. SW (tel. 206/935-5187). This latter course has great views of the Seattle skyline. All three charge very reasonable greens fees of between $20 and $30. For information on the Web, check out www.seattlegolf.com.

Hiking

Within Seattle itself, there are several large nature parks laced with enough trails to allow for a few good long walks. Among these are Seward Park, 5898 Lake Washington Blvd., southeast of downtown, and Lincoln Park, 8011 Fauntleroy Ave. SW, south of Alki Beach in West Seattle. However, the city's largest natural park and Seattleites' favorite quick dose of nature is Discovery Park, 3801 W. Government Way (tel. 206/386-4236), northwest of downtown at the western tip of the Magnolia neighborhood. This park covers more than 500 acres and has many miles of trails and beaches to hike -- not to mention gorgeous views, forest paths, and meadows for lazing in after a long walk. To reach Discovery Park, follow Elliott Avenue north along the waterfront from downtown Seattle, then take the Magnolia Bridge west toward the Magnolia neighborhood and follow Grayfield Street to Galer Street to Magnolia Boulevard.

For more challenging hiking in the real outdoors, head east of Seattle on I-90. Rising abruptly from the floor of the Snoqualmie Valley outside the town of North Bend is Mount Si, with an exhausting trail to its summit but a payoff of awesome views (take lots of water -- it's an 8-mile round-trip hike). From I-90, take the North Bend exit (exit 31), drive into town, turn right at the stoplight onto North Bend Way, continue through town, turn left onto Mount Si Road, and continue 2 miles to the trail head.

Farther east on I-90, at Snoqualmie Pass and just west of the pass, are several trail heads. Some trails lead to mountain summits, others to glacier-carved lakes, and still others past waterfalls deep in the forest. Because of their proximity to Seattle, these trails can be very crowded, and you will need a Northwest Forest Pass ($5 for a 1-day pass) to leave your car at national forest trail heads (though not at the Mount Si trail head, which is on state land). For more information and to purchase a Northwest Forest Pass, contact the Snoqualmie Ranger District, 42404 SE North Bend Way (tel. 425/888-1421) in North Bend.

In-Line Skating

The city has dozens of miles of paved paths that are perfect for skating. You can rent in-line skates at Gregg's Green Lake Cycle, 7007 Woodlawn Ave. NE (tel. 206/523-1822), for $7 to $10 per hour. The trail around Green Lake in north Seattle and the Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trail (see the description under "Biking," above) are both good places for skating and are convenient to Gregg's. Other favorite skating spots to try include the paved path in Myrtle Edwards Park just north of the Seattle waterfront, the paved path along Lake Washington Boulevard north of Seward Park, and the Alki Beach pathway in West Seattle.

Jogging

The waterfront, from Pioneer Square north to Myrtle Edwards Park, where a paved path parallels the water, is a favorite downtown jogging route. The residential streets of Capitol Hill, when combined with roads and sidewalks through Volunteer Park, are another good choice. If you happen to be staying in the University District, you can access the 27-mile-long Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trail or run the ever-popular trail around Green Lake. Out in West Seattle, the Alki Beach pathway is also very popular and provides great views of the Olympics.

Sea Kayaking, Canoeing, Rowing & Sailing

If you'd like to try your hand at sea kayaking, try the Northwest Outdoor Center, 2100 Westlake Ave. N (tel. 800/683-0637 or 206/281-9694; www.nwoc.com), which is located on the west side of Lake Union. Here you can rent a sea kayak for between $10 and $15 per hour. You can also opt for guided tours lasting from a few hours to several days, and there are plenty of classes available for those who are interested.

Moss Bay Rowing and Kayak Center, 1001 Fairview Ave. N (tel. 206/682-2031; www.mossbay.net), rents sea kayaks (as well as canoes, pedal boats, and sailboats) at the south end of Lake Union near Chandler's Cove. Rates range from $10 per hour for a single to $15 per hour for a double. Because this rental center is a little closer to downtown Seattle, it makes a better choice if you are here without a car.

The University of Washington Waterfront Activities Center, on the university campus behind Husky Stadium (tel. 206/543-9433), is open to the public and rents canoes and rowboats for $7.50 per hour. With the marshes of the Washington Park Arboretum directly across a narrow channel from the boat launch, this is an ideal place for beginner canoeists to rent a boat.

In this same general area, you can rent kayaks at the Agua Verde Paddle Club, 1303 NE Boat St. (tel. 206/545-8570, ext. 101; www.aguaverde.com), which is at the foot of Brooklyn Avenue on Portage Bay (the body of water between Lake Union and Lake Washington). Kayaks can be rented from March through October and go for $12 to $18 per hour. Best of all, this place is part of the Agua Verde Café, a great Mexican restaurant! Before or after a paddle, be sure to get an order of tacos.

At the Green Lake Boat Rental, 5900 W. Green Lake Way N (tel. 206/527-0171), in north Seattle not far from the Woodland Park Zoo, you can rent canoes, paddleboats, and rowboats for a bit of leisurely time on the water. This park also has a paved path around it and is one of Seattle's most popular parks (a great place to join crowds of locals enjoying one of the city's nicest green spaces). Kayaks rent for $10 to $12 per hour, sailboats are $14 per hour, and canoes, rowboats, and paddleboats are $10 per hour.

Skiing

One of the reasons Seattleites put up with long, wet winters is because they can go skiing within an hour of the city, and with many slopes set up for night skiing, it's possible to leave work and be on the slopes before dinner, ski for several hours, and be home in time to get a good night's rest. The ski season in the Seattle area generally runs from mid-November to the end of April. Equipment can be rented at the ski area listed below, and at REI, 222 Yale Ave. N (tel. 888/873-1938 or 206/223-1944).

Cross-Country Skiing -- In the Snoqualmie Pass area of the Cascade Range, less than 50 miles east of Seattle on I-90, the Summit Nordic Center (tel. 425/434-7669 or 425/434-6708; www.summitatsnoqualmie.com/winter/nordic.html) offers rentals, instruction, and many miles of groomed trails.

There are also several sno-parks along I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass. Some have groomed trails; others have trails that are marked but not groomed. When renting skis, be sure to get a sno-park permit ($8-$9 for a 1-day pass; $20-$21 for a season pass). These are required if you want to park at a cross-country ski area. Sno-park permits are available at ski shops.

Downhill Skiing -- Jointly known as The Summit at Snoqualmie, Alpental, Summit West, Summit Central, and Summit East ski areas (tel. 425/434-7669 for information, or 206/236-1600 for the snow report; www.summit-at-snoqualmie.com) are all located at Snoqualmie Pass, less than 50 miles east of Seattle off I-90. Together, these four ski areas offer more than 65 ski runs, rentals, and lessons. Adult all-day lift ticket prices range from $34 to $42. Call for hours of operation.

Tennis

Seattle Parks and Recreation operates dozens of outdoor tennis courts all over the city. The most convenient are at Volunteer Park, 1247 15th Ave. E (at E. Prospect St.), and at Lower Woodland Park, 5851 W. Green Lake Way N.

If it happens to be raining and you had your heart set on playing tennis, there are indoor public courts at the Amy Yee Tennis Center, 2000 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S (tel. 206/684-4764). Rates here are $16 for singles and $21 for doubles for 1 1/4 hours. This center also has outdoor courts for $6 for 1 1/2 hours.