Sunlight & nearby parks with hiking trails question from a Los Angeles resident prone to depression (Seattle: buy, school)

[americaine]

I am currently in grad school in LA and am very much hoping to move up to Seattle after graduation. I do struggle with depression, and exercise seems to be my best defense. With that, I would be so glad to get input from you all regarding two main topics:

1) Are there places for a young professional to live that are nearby (i.e., walking distance) to excellent parks with trails? I have my eye on Volunteer Park or Washington Park Arboretum in the Capitol Hill area, or perhaps Green Lake Park nearer to UW. Are these parks and their respective trails pretty large?
*For reference for anyone familiar with LA, the best times of my life have been living in Pasadena (by the Rose Bowl) and Los Feliz (by Griffith Park). Running/hiking/walking my dog on the trails are my favorite parts of every day. I would never want to lose this.

2) What is your take on being outdoors when everything is wet? Do people just adjust accordingly? Does taking the dog out turn into a big spectacle? (More specifically, do many people still hike and do other recreational activities year-round for the most part?). While I usually exercise in the AM before there's too much direct sunlight, does the persistent wet grey keep people indoors? I have done some reading on vitamin D and the sunlight lightbulbs, and both sound like good ideas to me.
*I know this question must drive you all crazy. I hope the way I've asked it is deeper than the stereotypical Californian rain attitude. I really just want to know about the lifestyle impact in terms of coping with depression.

Thanks for reading. I'm really excited about the prospect of moving to Seattle and finally leaving Los Angeles. From my brief time spent there, I feel like Seattle might be “my city,” and I'm trying to do my homework and make the best decision for my future self.

[angelenogirl]

I am a California native. That said, I am not a sun person at all. I love rain. Honestly, it doesn't rain nearly as much as I thought it would. And when the sun shines here, it blows California away.

1. Even though it's pretty, I can't ever breathe in Pasadena! The SGB is tough on the respiratory system, in my opinion - especially if you're an athlete or outdoorsy type. But imagine breathing easily. Imagine the beauty of Griffith Park without the sketch factor. Imagine everything in HD. It's crystal clear here, and you can take deep breaths! It's amazing. I walk around Greenlake quite a bit and love it. It feels brighter than Capitol Hill to me, though that is also a lovely area.

2. It rarely pours here. It's more misty-drizzly. I was worried that I would be stuck inside, but I go out in it all the time! I hardly ever carry an umbrella. (I've discovered rain hair is very much like beach hair - it dries sort of wavy and windblown.) If you don't just get out in it, you will go insane. It is dark here in winter. Like, dark dark. That said, I get out more here than I ever did in L.A. I get out here more than I did in San Diego! Everyone is outside here all the time.

Seattle is most definitely "my city." I hope you feel the same, but there is no shame in going back if it doesn't work out. It's also a great place to visit!

[Hemlock140]

If you like the sun, any depression will end up being far worse. People stay a few months and move back away because of the constant drizzle and lack of sun. I happen to like it a lot more than the constant sun of CA, and appreciate the hour or so "sun breaks" when we get them some afternoons, but the weather you are used to (though cooler) is about July5th-mid September only. For the natives and people like me that appreciate the constant green, most of the rain is a light, misty drizzle. A water repellent jacket with hood and you can still walk, hike, run, or take the dog out and think nothing of it.

[Inkpoe]

We don't know how the weather will affect you. Everyone is different. Even though I grew up here, admittedly I am not a pluviophile... For most part, personally it was manageable, life goes on and we still go out in the rain, even with the dog. It's actually not the rain that's the problem, it was the heavy cloud cover--that really wears me down.

Why limit yourself to those parks? Why not Discovery Park? Seward Park? The Burke-Gilman trail could work as well even though it's not a park. There's a good amount of parks to go around. Seattle Parks and Recreation: Parks

[angelenogirl]

Inkpoe is right! Seattle is spoiled with parks. And they're all so lovely.

[Ira500]

Volunteer Park is not especially large. It's a cool old park, an Olmstead park with a plant conservatory, but it's not really large enough to take a long walk in. The Arboretum is large enough for a long walk, and is a good place to take a dog. Central District/Madison Valley are nearby, and decent areas to live in.
Columbia City is near both Gennessee Park and Seward Park. Gennessee Park has an official off leash dog area.
I was more depressed living in a sunnier area, but your mileage may vary. I take my dog out everyday, rain or shine. Most of the time it's just fine. Wear a hat, walk in the woods, you won't even notice it.

[Kayela]

While they aren't parks per se, you might also want to consider trying to live near the Kirkland waterfront (S of DT Kirkland) or the West Seattle waterfront (near Alki). Really gorgeous, as bright as Seattle gets, nice views while you're out walking, and very vibrant with lots of cute little shops (in parts) and places to people watch. Those areas really make you just want to get outside. While they definitely get a lot more traffic in the summer, you'll see people out and about year round.

[modc]

If you move here and want to be outside a lot, find a place near the Burke Gilman trail, buy some rain pants and a rain jacket with a hood. Consider waterproof sneakers. Gore tex is your friend.

Don't let the fact that there are gray skies above and it looks like it will rain (or there's a forecast for rain) deter you from going outside. Sometimes it's just gray skies without precipitation. Even if you can only go to a park or on the trail for an hour rather than the whole day, you just need to go. Otherwise, you'll spend the whole Winter inside because "it might rain today".

I don't think its persistently wet here, but compared to California, it is gray here for most of the year.

[Ira500]

But if you're walking with a dog, the Burke Gilman isn't great for that. A lot of bicyclists. But Magnuson Park is very close to the Burke-Gilman, and is Doggie Disneyland.

[pinkcatwood]

As you can see from the posts above, Seattle and its surroundings have plenty of parks and trails. Now there are parks where you feel like being outside the city hiking in the woods (e.g., Discovery Park) and other parks are more vibrant, open areas, with people doing all sorts of activities (e.g., Green Lake). Alki and Kirkland have a beach area and waterfront to walk along. Redmond is the bicycle capital, plenty of on-street and off-street bike lanes.