Location: Tacoma/University PlaceAddress: 6320 Grandview Dr. W.Acreage: 930 This amazing park just south of Tacoma makes for a fantastic year-round outing. My favorite time to visit is on a clear winter or spring day when the Puget Sound seems to sparkle in the sunlight. Chambers Creek feels almost other-worldly with most of its 930 acres… Continue reading Chambers Creek Regional Park
Category: views
Waterway 15
Location: Wallingford/University DistrictAddress: 4th Ave. N.E. and N.E. Northlake WayAcreage: Approx. 0.15 This secret waterfront spot sits along the Burke-Gilman Trail between Wallingford and the U-District and close to North Passage Point Park. If you look closely as you walk or bike this area, you’ll find many small pieces of public waterfront available to explore.… Continue reading Waterway 15
Fritz Hedges Waterway Park
Location: University DistrictAddress: 1117 N.E. Boat St.Acreage: 3.5 This really cool waterfront space opened in 2020 offering up another way to access Portage Bay along its north shore. No doubt already popular with students at University of Washington, Fritz Hedges is a lovely stretch of park within walking distance of campus. Pull up a seat… Continue reading Fritz Hedges Waterway Park
Maury Island Marine Park
Location: Maury/Vashon Island Address: 5900 S.W. 248th St. Acreage: 320 This park is a very special place. But you’ll have to exert some energy to fully enjoy these 300 acres of preserved land. The least energy-intensive way to visit is to park near the viewpoint on S.W. 248th St. at the very top of the… Continue reading Maury Island Marine Park
Dockton Park, Forest & Natural Area
Location: Vashon Island Address: 9500 S.W. Dock St., Vashon Acreage: 193 This is the 500th park I’ve written about on this blog. 500! Now on with the show… I spent a sunny day last year with my family touring a handful of really great parks on Vashon Island, and Dockton may be my favorite. We… Continue reading Dockton Park, Forest & Natural Area
Point Robinson Park
Location: Vashon Island Address: 3705 S.W. Point Robinson Rd., Vashon Acreage: 10 History buffs can find plenty of interesting diversions on Vashon Island, and in particular on its sister, Maury Island. A great first stop is Point Robinson Park, where a lighthouse that dates to 1884 still guides boats around a tight turn between the… Continue reading Point Robinson Park
901 5th Avenue Plaza
Location: Downtown Seattle Address: 901 5th Ave. Acreage: Approx. 0.5 One of the best secret public plazas in downtown Seattle is accessed from a paved pathway off 5th Ave. Bright green ferns and other native plants burst from their planters, making this feel like a true Northwest oasis. A striking wall of iridescent blue, orange… Continue reading 901 5th Avenue Plaza
Harbor Steps
Location: Downtown Seattle Address: 1st Ave. and University St. Acreage: 0.37 A lot of the new condo and office developments in downtown Seattle and South Lake Union have fun little public spaces like courtyards or quaint seating areas. But, it’s easy to forget that Harbor Steps in the heart of downtown was one of the… Continue reading Harbor Steps