Seward Park

This is a place of solice and peace. The walk around the lake is great even on an overcast day and stunning on a clear one. You can see the reflection of the water off the trees. It is a favorite spot for people who live close by and for those who have discovered it. more

It's one of those places with a few very stunning views that I recommend for photo excursions. It's a quite park in a quiet, affluent neighborhood, that seems like a safely kept secret. Perhaps a century ago it was merely a favored campsite miles from town where scouts and families would go on outings. Come at dawn for a quiet walk or at dusk, when the city starts to relax, breathe relatively clean air and at times get a glimpse of what life might have been like before some of our urban sprawl changed the face of Seattle. more

Seattleites looking for exercise, nature, and quality time with the family come to Seward Park. On any given day, but especially Saturday or Sunday, this place is teeming with people but never feels crowded unless you happen to hit it on a race day. Seward Park is used for triathlons and other race courses because it has a smooth asphalt jogging loop (2.4 miles the whole way around), several gravel swimming beaches, easy access to I-90, and plenty of green lawn for spectators and picnickers. For more information: http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/parks/parkspaces/sewardpark.htm This is my favorite place to jog because: 1) the asphalt is smooth and relatively flat all the way around; 2) you get to run right alongside Lake Washington for three-quarters of the loop; and 3) it has mileposts that indicate each half mile so you know your progress. I should note that using the mile markers is a little confusing because the start/end appears to be somewhere in the nether region that is basically the main parking lot. As a result, the first half-mile marker will appear sooner than you think. (On 5K race days, officials use the entire loop as well as add an additional climb up and back down a service road in the interior of the park.) There are always people walking, jogging, or biking along the loop. Kids love the playground with the slides built into the small hill. I've even seen meditation groups on the beach here. Seward Park is especially popular as a dog-walking spot. There are tons of families who walk their dogs here as a family unit. There are also lots of parents who bring their kids here to ride bikes because even when the kids zoom ahead, they're almost always in sight. In the interior of the park, there are hiking trails. It's a neat way to disappear into "the woods" without leaving the city. Tons of eagles and other birds make the park their home, so it's a great place for birdwatchers. It's important to note that you should never leave anything valuable in your car. There is a very real problem with break-ins because prowlers know that you'll be away from your car for as long as it takes to do the loop. I've never seen the lurkers, but one time, they broke the window of my in-laws' SUV, which was loaded up with stuff from a road trip, and stole a very nice camera. I come here all the time and have never had my car broken into, but it's got an alarm and I don't keep anything tempting inside. more

I live 5 minutes away from Seward Park and visit it very frequently. It's a great place to walk your dog and take the kids. The parks are amazing and the view while you're walking is spectacular. The bar-b-que area makes it an ideal place to have family gatherings. I love seeing the rabbits and wildlife running throughout the park; it's a very rare thing nowadays to see objects other than cars, bikes and people. My only complaint is the tennis court. It's old, cracked, and needs a lot of repairs. If they installed a new net and fixed some of the cracks, I'd bet it would be one of the best places to play tennis in Seattle - shoot, it's got a perfect view of the water already! more

This is a great place to walk along the water without being overrun by everyone else in the city who is trying to do the same thing. And, if you crave some forest time, just head inside the area in the center of the popular loop and you will find yourself alone among the trees. There is swimming too with a lifeguard in the summer. more

Seward Park is something special. A stand of old-growth forest in the city, it's reputed to be one of the rare places inside city limits to find chanterelle mushrooms, and it's the only place I've seen bald eagles and golden eagles without leaving Seattle. There's more ordinary wildlife here as well: birds and waterfowl, squirrels and a surprising number of "liberated" domestic rabbits live here. The trees in the center of the park (there's a criscrossing network of easy to navigate gravel trails in the center) are astoundingly big and majestic. On the edges, where there's a blacktop road around the circumference by the water, there are madronas and other deciduous trees. It's a great place to go for a walk or run, and the picnic facilities and playground make it a good place for children. It would be especially nice on a summer weekend day when Lake Washington Boulevard is closed to car traffic -- a great bicycle destination. more

With a beautiful view of Lake Washington this is a great park to go to to relax. Its fun to have a picnic there, bring your kids to the playground, go rollerblading with a friend down their trails, fly a kite, take a swim in the lake, play a game of tennis, watch the boats and jet ski's on the lake, and more. Whatever it is you like to do outdoors, this park features a lot of choices. Its also the home to many different species of birds, as well as eagles. During the summertime you can go here to watch the Blue Angels perform, or the hydro races. Its really fun. more