Tag Archive for 'Seward Park'

Walking Lake Washington Blvd

A long (6.5 mi) scenic walk along Lake Washington on the eastern edge of Seattle with views toward Bellevue and the Cascade Mountains.


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You can start along this route anywhere you please. Our walking route will start at Seward Park. You can get here by vehicle or by taking the 39 bus.

Head north along the sidewalk. To your right is Bailey Peninsula, home of Seward Park. Depending on the weather, there may be quite a few boaters anchored in the water here.

As will be the case throughout most of this walk, here are quite a few impressive homes perched upon the hill overlooking the Lake.

After a short walk, the sidewalk will diverge from the road briefly to stay near the water, as it will do occasionally along the lake.

You will veer left and pass another parking lot and a conglomeration of water lilies near the shore near Lakewood Moorage.

A little farther along you will reach Sayres Memorial Park, named after Stanley Sayres who brought hydroplane racing to Seattle. This park is used to launch hydroplanes during the annual Seafair festival and is also home of the Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center.

It’s about another mile until you get to I-90 and there is not much in between except for a couple piers that will take you farther out into the beautiful blue of the lake. Lake Washington Blvd will veer left at Lake Washington Blvd Park and pass through Colman Park, but feel free to continue along Lakeside Ave S to enjoy the flat ground and stay near the lake.

A row of houses will interrupt the view of the lake around this point, but some of these homes are sights in themselves. I-90 marks the halfway point between Seward Park and Madison Park.

After passing some apartments, you’ll encounter the only commercial area along the walk, including some upscale lakeside dining. There are some parking lots in this area, so you’ll have to be careful for vehicle traffic.

You’ll encounter some slight elevation gain and another row of houses between the path and the water. You’ll pass by Viretta Park and then a complex intersection. Washington Blvd goes into Lakeview Park. Stay along McGilvra Ave E.

Continue north past the Seattle Tennis Club and into the neighborhood of Madison Park. Here you can start the short Madison Park walking route or get a bus ride back into downtown Seattle via the 11 bus. Or feel free to head 6.5 miles back to where we started.

highlights: Uninterrupted path with no streets to cross, lake views, beautiful homes, several parks

lowlights: A few parking lots, some interruptions to the lake view, not many places to stop for a drink

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Walking Seward Park

Seward Park is a large park on a peninsula extending into Lake Washington in the southeast part of the city. The trail around the perimeter of the park is a great place for a lake-side stroll.


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You can get here by vehicle or by taking the 39 bus.

We’ll start at the park entrance at Lake Washington Blvd S and S Juneau St. Between the entry and exit lanes at the entrance is a small wooded area, which has a stone lantern from the city of Yokohama.

From here, veer right so as to go counter clockwise around the peninsula. There is a sidewalk that parallels the parking lot. You can take this sidewalk or walk through the parking lot to be closer to the water. On a clear day, you’ll soon see Mount Rainier to the right, which looks beautiful behind the water of Lake Washington and the forested hill of Mercer Island.

Mount Rainier from Seward Park

Mount Rainier on a clear summer day from the south shore of Seward Park

As you continue walking, the path will curve left along the shore and head north. The path widens in this area as well, which is good since Seward Park is a popular place for families, joggers, and walkers. This area of the park is well shaded in the afternoon. Across the water to the right you’ll see the boat docks and extravagant homes on Mercer Island.

The path stays fairly straight for a while, until it reaches the northern tip of the park, where the shore bends to the left. From here you can see the I-90 bridge across the water to the north and depending on the time of day and time of year, you might have some sun in your eyes, especially on a summer afternoon. There is a beach on your right, which is popular with children. You can also see the tops of some buildings in Seattle’s skyline.

You’ll walk westward for less than 1,000 feet before turning left to go southward along the west side of the peninsula. You may see several boats parked in this part of the water. There are also some calm parts along the shore that are covered with plant life.

As you get closer to the entrance, you’ll pass the bathhouse and art studio. There is another beach in this area. You can circumnavigate the small parking lot here by staying along the sidewalk, or continue straight. Soon you’ll be back at where we started, and our walk finishes there at the Seward Park entrance.

Highlights: wide path, forest, beautiful view of Mount Rainier, surrounded by Lake Washington, beach, quiet, picnic tables

Lowlights: parking lots sometimes get in the way of sidewalks, can be busy, parking can be difficult to find within the park, not conveniently located

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