Location: North Seattle/Ravenna
Address: 5520 Ravenna Ave. N.E.
Acreage: 49.9
I can’t believe I had never been to Ravenna Park before. Fifty acres of quiet, wooded trails carved out of a ravine that was formed by run-off from the Vashon Glacial Ice Sheet.
The park seems like such a gem it’s hard to believe that it is just a small piece of what used to be a huge forest before logging cleared out most of the trees in this part of north Seattle. Luckily, this land was turned into a city park in 1911 giving us at least a taste of what must have been an amazing forest.
I’m content with what is left of these woods as I take my inaugural hike down the main trail into Ravenna Park entering from the northwestern corner at Cowen Park.
It would take several visits to cover all of the trails in this park, which total 4.5 miles. A map of the trail system shows dozens of small offshoots that crisscross the ravine. After following the main arterial through the center of the park and under the Cowen Park Bridge, we loop down and find ourselves crossing a footbridge over Ravenna Creek. This lovely part of the park was the result of a city project that involved daylighting the creek and planting native vegetation. The winding path gives you a great view of this project.
Climb a few stairs and you’ll end up in a large lawn next to a nice children’s playground that includes a built-in sandbox filled with toys. Adjacent to this end of the park is a small plot of land the city has designated as a separate park called the Ravenna Park Triangle. At 0.06 acres, it’s just a small grassy area that must have been tacked onto the larger park.
You can take a different set of trails back to the western end of the park. We passed tennis courts, a barbecue/picnic area with a covered shelter and a wading pool on the way.
As you emerge from the ravine at the end of your visit, take one more opportunity to stop and appreciate these precious trees.
#29 & 30 (Visited 9/15/09)