Take a Hike: Walking Seattle’s Best Parks

It’s time to explore your own backyard. What trails await you? Photo by Sebastian Unrau.

By Regina Winkle-Bryan

Seattle’s natural areas are vast and gorgeous. An urban explorer could spend many weekends walking in the woods and along the water and never leave the Seattle-metro area. Here are a few parks in or near the Emerald City to visit for the first time or discover again.

Seward Park—Near Columbia City & Rainier Valley

Set on a peninsula in Lake Washington, Seward feels like an island. A 2.5-mile trail follows the lake’s shoreline offering views of stately waterfront homes along Mercer Island across the water. On a sunny day, the water is busy. Kayakers glide by as do a rowdier crew of revelers on jet skis and motorboats. Sit on the pebble beach with a sandwich and enjoy the show as SUP aficionados try to keep their balance and water skiers attempt to stay upright. Despite all the action on and off dry land, animals abound at Seward Park. We spotted turtles, heron, rabbits, fish, and all sorts of waterfowl.

The interior trails at Seward are less trafficked. Here you’ll find one of the largest madrones in the state along with fir, cedar, and hemlock. Some of the trees in Seward are 200 years old.

More: The park is named after William Seward, who helped purchase what is now Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million.

Spot blue heron and other lakeside wildlife as you walk in Seward Park in Seattle, Washington.

Discovery Park—In the Magnolia neighborhood.

This was one of the first parks I visited when I moved to Seattle, and it is one I go back to again and again. The park juts out between Shilshole and Elliott Bays, with the West Point Light House illuminating its tip. It is the city’s largest park, and it’s a popular one. The 3-mile loop trail makes for a good day trip, especially if you add on a hike down to the beach (and therefore, back up again) for a bit more cardio. Counting interior and side trails, you can ramble about 10 miles. There are ample fields for picnicking and dramatic views to be marveled at from Magnolia Bluff.

More: Bernie Whitebear led a standoff here in 1970 when the US government decommissioned Fort Lawton (you can still see former military housing in the park). Whitebear’s activism resulted in the government allotting 20 acres of the park to the UIATF.

Spend a morning hiking in Discovery Park, one of the most beautiful wooded retreats in Seattle. Photo by Jesse Orrico.

Saint Edward State Park—Just north of Seattle in Kenmore.

You could come solely to enjoy the grassy lawns that extend from the former Catholic seminary, a perfect location for a picnic and a game of Frisbee. But most people visit Saint Edward for the moderate 2.4-mile loop trail that descends from a bluff to Lake Washington. There are small pockets of the beach where kids swim and kayakers occasionally dock. About a third of the loop trail hugs the water and the rest of the pathway snakes through the forest. Follow the inner-loop trails for more of a challenge and be sure to seek out the Grotto, a popular outdoor wedding spot. When we visited, we set up our picnic near the Grotto under the trees. It was, as Lou Reed once said, a perfect day.

More: The former seminary is being transformed into a hotel and restaurant. This will be a smart spot to grab lunch or a glass of wine once it’s open to the public.

Note: To visit any of the State Parks listed here you will need a Discover Pass.