The influx of urbanites who take to lakes and trails during conventional days off can make communing with nature feel more like a rat race than the daily commute does. Why be a weekend warrior when it’s just as easy to escape the concrete jungle Mon.-Fri.? Rattlesnake Lake provides a veritable mother earth-style playground, complete with Jungle Gym (this one you’re allowed to climb to the top: Rattlesnake Ledge, a four-mile roundtrip hike, offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire valley below) and a wading/swimming pool (Rattlesnake Lake). Located just past North Bend (exit 32 off I-5) and right before Snoqualmie’s summit, this outdoor oasis can be reached from the city in just 45 short minutes. On weekdays, the city mice that scramble around the park on weekends are mostly unwinding over cheap drinks at overcrowded happy hours. Instead of jockeying for table space, feel the stress of the day melt away surrounded by calm cool water and lush mountain sides stacked with evergreens. Out there, the only race is you against the sun. Hurry, the days only get shorter from here! http://www.hikipedia.com/trail/43.