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Forest Bathing Near Me — How to Find the Best Places

Matthew Kessi
Forest Bathing is easy to do in the Pacific Northwest, like this scene here deep in a forest with a wooden bridge crossing a creek with moss lined trees hanging over.

Forest Bathing Near Me — How to Find the Best Places

A practical guide to forest bathing near you — how to choose the right spot, find hidden local trails, and what to bring, from a Pacific Northwest mystic guide.

This guide to “Forest bathing near me” is best for:

Table of Contents: All the best information for Forest Bathing.

Why engage in Forest Bathing?  

Forest bathing — Shinrin Yoku — is the simple practice of slowing down among trees to lower stress and reset your nervous system. The research behind it is real, and I cover it in depth in my step-by-step guide, Forest Bathing for Beginners. This guide is about something more practical: how to find the right place to do it, wherever you happen to be.

What about other Forest Bathing resources?

Why should you listen to Matthew Kessi (that’s me) about Nature Connection?

While I’m not Japanese, I’ve spent a lifetime leading myself and others into the Natural World. My gifts as a practical mystic help me guide people to deepen their Nature Connection in ways that can help them quiet their minds, regulate emotions, and trust their intuition more.

A practical mystic is a person able to bridge the magic between Nature’s Intelligence and daily life. This work uses the mystery to make constructive and tangible changes to daily life scenarios. Consider me a translator of Nature’s energy or a guide to safely engaging an altered state of healing, growing, or awakening to your true purpose in life–also known as high-octane Forest Bathing.

Another tenant of practical mysticism is that we all possess gifts and talents to connect with the mystery of the Natural World. If you don’t feel unique gifts or intuition right now, it could be as simple as learning to “reawaken” that part of your inner self. This is where I’m trained to help you.

“Matthew Kessi is gentle, kind, and compassionate. These three qualities alone make him an excellent guide in the outer and inner worlds. How these virtues become exceptional has to do with what he attracts to him from Nature: the spirits of land and place. If you are seeking something deeper than sightseeing, Matthew is your person. He’ll take you to places on the land and in yourself that are truly remarkable.”

Patrick O’Neill | The Four Directions

For example, part of my practice includes facilitating Nature Connection Retreats on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. These three-day immersions include time on a private beach near Olympic National Park. A high-powered version of Forest Bathing, these experiences allow participants to see themselves (their own wild Nature) more clearly in ways that make lasting changes.

The program is based on several fundamentals of Nature Connection that I will briefly discuss later in this article–as they apply to finding Forest Bathing Near Me. If you’re interested in more details on questions to ask yourself to make a deeper nature connection, check out this article or watch one of my Nature Connection Videos on YouTube, including this experience about finding your true wild Nature in the Rainforest near Lake Quinault in Olympic National Park.

Ultimately, I see consistent results with my retreat participants harnessing Nature’s power to unlock powerful self-clarity in their daily lives. Forever changed, they find practical (and more intimate) ways to include the Natural World daily. A great way to enjoy tangible success with self-clarity is through regular Forest Bathing.

What is Nature’s Intelligence?

Forest bathing lands deepest when you treat it as a two-way relationship with what I call Nature’s Intelligence — the felt sense that you’re part of something larger. I unpack that idea, and the six questions that open it up, on my Nature Connection page.

Forest Bathing near me in Seattle?

Nature’s Intelligence abounds in the Emerald City. Although we’re known for a variety of attractions, you may not have considered an adventure going Forest Bathing in the rain. Check out this article with my favorite mystic places to go to enjoy Shinrin Yoku in and around Seattle. Don’t worry, these locations are still wonderful without the liquid sunshine!

How much time do you need for Forest Bathing?

My guided Nature Connection walks occur in the Washington Arboretum in Seattle and are scheduled for two hours. This is an excellent amount of time for people with busy daily lives to slow down enough to feel the benefits of Forest Bathing. Clients leave feeling relaxed, with tangible healing, wellness, and empowerment insights into their daily lives.

But it might be a stretch to try to engage in a two-hour experience on your own–especially for a beginner. Start where you can manage, even if that’s five minutes of looking at a plant in your home. Try to work your way up to twenty minutes of uninterrupted meditation, contemplation, or general connection.

Twenty minutes is also the estimated time for your energetic field to calm down–think like ripples in a bathtub–to equilibrium. If you engage in Forest Bathing at a favorite location by walking around and taking in the land’s energy. At some point, you’ll want to stop and stay put for at least twenty minutes to deepen the stillness experience.

When your energetic field balances, animals become curious, as do land spirits. This is where Nature’s Intelligence begins to serve you more powerful experiences that engage the self-clarity needed to embrace feelings of belonging, resilience, and purpose.

Join Matthew Kessi for a Mystic Forest Bathing experience in Seattle:

  1. Experience a super-charged version of Forest Bathing.
  2. Two hours with a private mystic guide.
  3. The magical beauty of Seattle’s flagship Arboretum.
  4. Leave with more self-clarity about your daily life.
  5. Learn tools to engage your own Nature Connection.

The Wild Cure

The heart of forest bathing is a mindful Nature Connection, which I’ve distilled into six simple questions — the Kinship Questions™ at the core of my book, The Wild Cure. Rather than repeat them here, I walk through all six, with prompts for each, on my Nature Connection page.

the kinship questions

How to find an excellent location for Forest Bathing Near Me?

Nature is omnipresent, and opportunities to connect more deeply are like tapping into a wifi network when you go to a coffee shop. You don’t need “social media natural beauty” to feel belonging, resilience, and purpose in a shinrin yoku experience. Here are a few steps to find an excellent location for Forest Bathing Near Me:

With minimal barriers, what place can I access for a regular forest bathing practice?  

A Nature Connection’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental benefits become more powerful when you can engage your environment at least 20 minutes a day or two hours weekly. Is there a neighborhood park that you enjoy? Is there a waterfront walking trail near your job where you can get away at lunch? Avoiding a stressful transit to reach a Forest Bathing location is helpful. Consider these factors.

If you have to drive two hours to a hiking location, ask yourself if this is a sustainable practice for the circumstances of your life. Such a location could be a weekend enjoyment with more regular weekday visits to walkable parks.  

Which places help me to slow down and relax?

Avoid distractions, especially when new to Forest Bathing. This might include walking pets. A squirrel-chasing pup might not be the best Nature Connection buddy at a particular moment. Or choosing a busy hiking trail on a Saturday morning. 

While linear trails are becoming more prominent in many places, be mindful of potential distractions. Are there trail offshoots where you can wander off the main pathway? There may be benches to use that face away from the busyness. 

Remember, the concept of Forest Bathing is about slowing down to take in the essential healing aspects of the land. Therefore, embarking on a five-mile out-and-back trail might negate the benefits you seek. In other words, do a different exercise activity and keep your Nature Connection distance short and straightforward. 

Where does my instinct tell me to go for forest bathing near me?

In many circumstances of daily life, we’re encouraged to go against our intuition for the sake of other incentives. But we each hold a powerful spirit within, guiding us. Try a little exercise at home to flex your gut instincts around a physical location for Forest Bathing Near Me. 

Ask yourself, “What do I need today?” Ask the land you live on, “What would be best for my Nature Connection this week?” Sit with this question in as quiet of a mode as possible. You might not get an obvious answer, and that’s okay. Keep asking the questions. Glance at the nearby green spaces online and see if anything “pings” you. Trust your curiosity and instincts and give something a try. 

How do I find Forest Bathing locations Near Me when traveling?

Public access to Nature goes well beyond the famous National and State Parks. Locations less celebrated on social media mean fewer people and more convenient options. For example (in my area), even though Olympic National Park gets all the attention (and it’s fantastic), plenty of quieter public options exist nearby.

At the time of this writing, I’ve recently traveled around the Pacific Northwest to spend time with family and friends. Here are examples of local forest bathing options waiting to be explored based on my particular routing:

  • West Hylebos Wetlands Park—Federal Way (also included in this article)
  • Nisqually Nature Preserve—Near Olympia 
  • Crown Z Linear Trail—Scappoose to Vernonia (I like to start in the middle at the Nehalem Divide)
  • Willapa Hills State Park Trail—Chehalis to South Bend, WA
  • Westport Light Boardwalk Trail—Westport, WA
  • Olympic Discovery Trail—Port Angeles, WA

Many of these are relatively flat and mostly host local people wanting to get out into the elements near their homes. If you are curious about what options might be available to you, consider searching online using these terms:

  • “Linear Trails near me”
  • “Conservation areas near me”
  • “Conservation area _______ county (or ________ city)”

When looking for exploration, I also pull an online map and zoom in on green spaces. Usually, the names of parks and trails pop up along the way. 

Are you traveling to, or in the Pacific Northwest?

If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, you might also consider a gander at the plethora of articles about parks and gardens in Washington and Oregon — where I write about all my favorite enchanting places to visit, including maps of popular areas like the Oregon Coast and Olympic Peninsula.

Suppose you’re curious about what Forest Bathing locations might be beneficial for a deeper Nature Connection. In that case, I offer a YouTube series of Guided Nature Connection videos. They are a mystic hybrid of meditation, contemplation, and enchantment—always in beautiful locations. The 20-minute dose is enough to maintain a strong connection with the Natural World when you cannot get outdoors daily.

Here is an example of a Forest Bathing video on my YouTube channel:

What do I wear for Forest Bathing near me? 

The key is to be comfortable so you don’t get distracted by temperature, texture, or the elements. Wear layers of clothing and waterproof footwear in the wet seasons. My rule is to wear one more layer than I’ll need. When I lead clients on guided Nature Connection walks in a local Seattle park, I bring mats for them to use when sitting down–always be prepared for the elements. 

What should I bring for Forest Bathing near me?

Traditional Shinrin Yoku usually includes a tea ceremony after the experience. Sometimes, this includes snacks and a reflection on the Nature Connection. Create your gestures of gratitude to the land and yourself for choosing to show up and be present in the outdoors. 

It is helpful to have a backpack with essential items like water, snacks, sunscreen–and proper safety gear if venturing into more remote wilderness areas. A journal helps jot down notes and reflections in real-time during your forest bathing experience. 

What about other Forest Bathing resources?

Here are a few other resources for information on Shinrin Yoku:

What if I can’t get outside to go Forest Bathing?

While I’ll always advocate for experiences in person on the land, if you’re not able to engage Shinrin Yoku in the Great Outdoors, consider watching my series of Nature Connection videos on YouTube.

The 20-minute Guided Nature Connections are more than soul-inspiring nature scenes and calming sounds. It’s all about getting out of your head and into your own wild Nature—which is self-clarity. In proven, practical methods, you will learn to quiet your mind, open your heart, and allow your intuition to flow. And that’s just the starting point! 

All the footage is original, real-time mystic work in progress. There are no scripts or re-takes. By saying yes to this meditation experience, you open up to an exciting and powerful virtual Forest Bathing opportunity. 

This is like any relationship that organically grows. You might not feel “anything” after the first few minutes. Then, perhaps it begins with a quieter mind, reduced anxiety, or a well-deserved 20-minute daily pause. Then… curiosity? 

Or, it may seem like you already know everything about this relationship. But—with a willingness to bring fresh eyes to Nature’s version of belonging, resilience, and purpose—the results can surprise you.

Give virtual Forest Bathing a try with the three-part series working with the land spirits around Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park.

This Guided Nature Connection experience, “How the Forest Empowers Metamorphosis,” takes place on the Spruce Railroad linear trail along the banks of Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park. It represents a Natural World conversation about transforming your life by acknowledging your inner courage, letting go of the past, and embracing your creativity, trust, and passion to write the next chapter of your life. Using brooding footage of a winter forest scene, we ask questions and ponder the answers.

There’s a deeper way in — The Wild Cure

If this practice speaks to you, the six questions behind it are the heart of my book, The Wild Cure — a simple, repeatable way to carry the calm and clarity off the trail and into everyday life. And if you’d like to go further, book a free Nature Alignment Call, or walk with me in person on a guided forest bathing experience near Seattle.

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