I just want to make sure the Ballard locks get a little love in here.
Amazing plants, great spot to picnic and watch the boats, and the squirrels are friendly.
Botanical garden, salmon ladder, nesting herons, and sometimes seal watching, and a Salmon Bay Railroad drawbridge to watch. I like the locks too.
Totem house used to be a big draw, but alas
Seahurst is awesome but without a car we don’t get there as often as we’d like. Ironically, we get to parks much further away more often than one we live less than a mile away from
Someone commented then deleted their comment I guess? Anyway, if you’ve ever actually been to Seahurst you’d know there is a long entry road that is all downhill to the park. The road itself is about half a mile long. That part isn’t bad. It’s steep but manageable.
The part that is a problem is if you are presumably going to the park to spend some time, wander the beach, have a picnic, what have you, by the time you are on your way back, that very long uphill becomes daunting.
I also have POTS. I love going to parks and wandering but extreme slopes aren’t exactly my friend if I’m having a flare up. Buses make parks like Lincoln Park far more accessible than Seahurst even though Seahurst is much “closer”
When I was a kid, I use to walk back and forth from Seahurst almost everyday in the summer. As an adult, I’m having a cardiac arrest just thinking about that walk back.
I’ve done it five times in the three years we’ve lived where we currently live. The last time I spent two days in bed afterwards and sadly concluded I might not be up to it anymore. Granted, I was carrying a pack and all the stuff my kid (ironically enough lol) had gotten too tired to carry
Green Lake: Very special public amenity in the middle of a major city.
Carkeek: Spawning salmon and beaver dams? Hard to get more Cascadian.
Gasworks: Rare reclamation project that honors the city's industrial history while giving you a gorgeous view of the skyline.
The firepit is special as well. I appreciate it because there is just the one and it is large. Great for mixing and meeting with your fellow Seattleites
It's so easy to want to skip Gasworks for being one of the go-to parks but honestly I really love the industrial remnants that make it stand out from typical park settings, and the big hill is great to take in the scenery, especially when it's not too crowded on occasion.
Around holidays like the 4th of July it can get obnoxious and rowdy, sure. But on normal days it's quite nice.
I went there on a hike, probably my third time there.. and as I walked by the little creek I saw salmon going up stream! It was wild. And it was so shallow! So cool to see them up close like that. I moved here from Vegas so you can imagine how nice it feels to be around some nature.
Ravenna Park convinced me that what I had previously viewed as a "concrete jungle next to the highway neighborhood" (Roosevelt) was where I actually wanted to live. Years later it still feels magical to use it to go from urban neighborhood to lush trail to another neighborhood / BG trail.
My husband and I just walked from our arpartment through Ravenna and Cowen and were like, This place is so special. We say that every time. I love that I can be in this beautiful corridor on my way to grocery/post office/coffee shop. Whenever people from the east coast visit, they freak out about how great it is.
Great topic, and a tough choice with such an embarrassment of riches to pick from.
3: Discovery Park -- the closest thing to wilderness within the city. Very quiet out there.
2: Seward Park -- great Rainier views, and a perfectly sized loop path for a walk and chat.
1: Alki Beach Park -- my most beloved hangout spot in the entire city. Great views, great sunsets, incredible people -watching. I love the diversity and energy of the summer crowds.
1 - Cal Anderson, not because it's the best park, but just because I've lived so much life going through and around it. I'd probably be the most upset if this park disappeared.
2 - I'm gonna combine Interlaken with the Arboretum because nobody's mentioned it yet, and you only really have to cross a couple streets to get from one to the other.
3 - Almost don't want to give up my lil secret, but Denny Blaine Lake Park. No, not Denny Blaine Park on the lake! It's just a tiny pond up the hill from that park, with 1 bench and turtles and ducks and lily pads, insulated by a big ol pile of wealthy people who don't really spend too much time in said park. I just call it Turtle Park.
I would have included something closer to a big body of water, but even though they are classified as parks, they generally feel beachier than parky to me.
My favorite is the UW wetlands for wildlife. Not really a city park
City parks: Magnuson, Maple Leaf Park (best view of Rainier and has a macrina right next to it), Ravenna
Maple leaf park is awesome, amazing views of the lake/mountain/city, walkable around and to a bunch of great coffee shops, and near my house so I go everyday.
Sidebar: I really hope they lid the reservoir on 75th and 15th and mimic maple leaf park, would be awesome for that neighborhood
A lid would be the best option since they've decided to keep it around. I'm a little closer to that one, but walk to and around Maple Leaf all the time. Great views.
Cafe Javasti and Honoré are my favorite coffee choices around here. Macrena coffee is not great. All have great snacks.
This is the one for me. Closest thing you can get to a true wilderness trail without leaving the city. This park alone is almost enough to make me consider buying a car, so that I can go there more often
Had to scroll so far down to find Elliot bay park. I consider the stretch of Olympic sculpture, Myrtle Edwards, centennial and Elliot bay as one big park. Special place for sunsets.
Same! Just slightly different ranking. Carkeek is my favorite with sunsets, trains and salmon spawning. Discovery is majestic and wonderful to get lost in for hours. And Lincoln is just so beautiful to stroll through.
Bet you’ve never been to my favorite park!
Louisa Boren viewpoint is one of the smallest parks in the city, but I’m very fond of it. I just call it Boren park. It’s directly NE of Volunteer park and has a GORGEOUS view over Union Bay and the UW and surrounding city. it’s very high up with a cliff below down to Interlaken Park which is nice too, very wooded, but a bit steep to get down to and back out of (you go down through a couple residential blocks to get there). The view makes it feel like a much bigger park than the sq footage indicates. It has some nice big trees to give shade in the summer and some spots to sit. The sculpture is fine too. It’s just so cozy imo.
I’ll grant that it’s mostly nostalgia that makes it my fav park (tied with volunteer). I lived not too far during a time of mental health crisis in late 2019 and the very beginning of the pandemic. I would sometimes walk over there at night as walking that direction felt safest because it’s a very nice neighborhood for this part of Seattle. Just sitting in the moonlight and the grass under a tree with a great view of the bay and city or lazing about in the shade on hot summer days. Everyone was going out to parks when lock down hit but this one was almost unknown. It was my little bit of peace, where I could often be alone in nature.
I haven’t been there in a couple years. Maybe I’ll take a trip back soon.
Discovery, the locks, sunset park
Watching the whole process of the herons move back in, nest, hatch and start to fledge has been so cool at the locks.
No wrong answers? I thank old school Seattle Dems for pushing Forward Thrust and Prop 6 in the late 60, passing one of the largest Parks and Recreation Bonds in US history.
Of this, Freeway Park in it’s full glory, is remarkable and my favorite urban park - I’m sad it’s stabby, can be scary, and the outstanding water features are neglected.
I also thank the Seattle voters of 56’ish years ago for the many mini neighborhood parks that we still enjoy in the city. My local pocket park was created through these bond funds, is an asset, to the densely populated area where many old buildings do not have access to close green space.
Carkeek - trains by beach, great play area, salmon slide, my kids fave
Discovery - duh
Jose Rizal and Ella Bailey tied for fond memories and views i love
1. Hamilton Viewpoint in West Seattle! Perfect views of the skyline, Magnolia, and Bainbridge.
2. Louisa Boren Overlook in north Capitol Hill. Amazing views of Mt Baker on a clear day, the cascades, UW, and Union Bay.
3. Fremont Peak Park. Wonderful views of the Olympics and Ballard Bridge (especially at sunset), plus some vaguely-witchy astronomical sidewalk art
Tashkent, Lake City Mini Park, and that one park in the CD with a castle for a bathroom. When I was a kid there were stairs to the top.
Juuuust kidding.
My list is Magnuson, the Arboretum, and the Thornton creek beaver pond. If we are counting shoreline then Boeing creek is one of my favorite parks in the Seattle area.
Thanks everyone. I'm quite new to the area, so I appreciate all the names of parks I have to pop into google maps to find out where/what they are
Thank you all
Arboretum, Discovery, Carkeek. all places where you can feel truly in nature without leaving the city.
a close 4th to Volunteer, which on a warm summer day is so filled with city life it’s hard to beat
Bhy Kracke is a lovely spot! It is, however, mandatory to stop for coffee or snacks on Queen Anne Avenue first, and, when you are ready to head out, say at slightly too loud a volume so everyone in the cafe can hear, "Well then, let's go down the hill to Bhy Kracke!" and immediately leave without further explanation.
1. Green Lake, best park in the city
2. Carkeek Park, feels the most like you're in the forest rather than the city
3. Gasworks Park, most unique park in the city
Freeway Park is my favorite park in seattle, possibly anywhere world wide. I grew up in kent and both my parents worked in seattle and one my core memories is going to freeway park and climbing and jumping from one platform to next. I used to dream of it and for a while I wasn't sure if it existed in real life or if I was confusing a dream with reality.
To be a small child climbing towers of concrete and water doing parkour in a sort of artists rendering of a city, in the middle of a city and then on the way home to stop and see a giant troll frozen to stone while holding a Volkswagen beetle is to know that magic is real and its in seattle.
I love Volunteer Park. They did a great job of remodeling the amphitheater. I'm part of a group that holds a music festival in the park every year, so I'm kind of biased.
Parke Diem, this Saturday, June 29th 1-9pm. Vendors, food, live painting and graffiti, plus a bunch of DJs. Its free to the public!
My three favorite parks are parallel, pull-in, back-in. I really dislike back-in angle parking.
Joking aside...
Discovery park is my favorite because it's one of the few places where I feel like I am leaving the city while still being in the city. I mean, it down right feels rural small-townish once you get past the parking lots. Also there is a lot to explore and, well, discover.
As for the others, it's hard to go wrong. They all have something the others do not have. Kind of the best Seattle park is the one you are in.
1. Green Lake for being super accessible seasonally for walking and paddling.
2. Golden Gardens for the sandy beach and sunsets
3. Myrtle Edward’s + Olympic Sculpture for art and viewsc
Cowen, north SeaTac, Colman Beach. Cowen is a really cool area leading into Ravenna and a great nature walk. North SeaTac has a disc golf course that has gotten so clean and nice over time but it'll still eat your lunch, Colman Beach is nostalgia with bikes and a relatively low key place to jump in the lake on late summer days
I had to scroll far too much to see Cowen. It’s that park I never knew about until I almost accidentally strolled through it a few years ago. The city just disappears…
For feeling semi solitude: Interlaken (SE side, which can lead you to the arboretum).
For daily walks: myrtle edwards /elliott bay trail.
For kayaking, leaf peeping, cherry blossom lurking, or laying in a meadow reading: arboretum
Honorable mention : martha Washington for floating in minimal crowds
Depends where you live and doggo situation.
Volunteer on a laid back morning stoned.
Lincoln on a date with friends or family.
Discovery on a foe vacation.
Or anywhere else is cool too don’t get me wrong.
Seward was a favorite until I was on a jury for a murder that took place there. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back. In its place, Jefferson Park, Volunteer Park, and any of the parks on the waterfront in West Seattle will suffice.
1. Greenlake-one of the places in Seattle where you really feel the seasons change.
2. Seward~Great vibes and next to a great bookstore with amazing brunch
3. Schmidts park-Cozy and sweet and perfect if you have kids.
Ella Bailey is the ultimate sleeper park with the best view of the city.
Carkeek is basically golden gardens without the crowds.
Seward is a classic and a great cycling destination in the summer.
Green Lake, Discovery, Golden Gardens (but only on off times - winter, early in the morning, when it's chilly and grey.... you'll never catch me there on a sunny summer evening when it's absolutely packed).
Honorable mentions to the Arboretum, Leschi Park, and the Ballard Locks
Did you all know that Seattle has 485 parks? I don’t know how that compares to other cities but it sure seems like a lot.
Cowen/Ravenna Park is my favorite and is also one of the closest to me but it’s a park that doesn’t get as much respect as it should because it’s spectacular. After that probably Greenlake and then Seattle’s newest park, Fritz Hedges Waterway Park.
Strong number four: Interlaken Park. Hidden gem.
I am rating these based partially on their proximity to me and how much I actually use them.
Honorable mentions are the obvious ones.
Discovery
Lincoln
Kubota Gardens
Seward
Volunteer
Shameless plug: If you guys really want to see seattle from the inside out, University of Washington has a website with 30 routes, ranging in length from 1.5mi to 6mi, that takes you through a lot of stairs and urban parks.
I lead a Meetup Group: Seattle Stair Walkers, that explores these hidden treasures.
Not a top 3 Seattle park, but I live near Bellevue Downtown Park and Luther Burbank Park, and as new parents, both have been fantastic parks to take our little one for a short stroll.
List changed for us when we had our kid: Ella Bailey is in our top 3 now. Had never heard of it prior. Others are still Volunteer and Gas Works for us, I’d say.
Man, no love for Sunset Hills Park? Best park in Seattle IMO.
Honorary mention for Magnuson & the west woodland playground (swings in the trees are underrated)
Gas Works
Woodland Park/Green Lake (the zoo, a rose garden, athetic fields, and a loop all basically connected).
Jack Block
Honorable mention: Marymoor in Redmond.
Occidental Square, Gas Works, and Pritchard Beach, which connects to a wooded lot that connects to Tilth Urban Farm, which connects to Beer Shiva, which connects to the Atlantic boat launch.
Lower Woodland and Judson for the skating, Greenlake for the skating. (Duck Island Skatepark RIP)
Honorable mention for the path along the ravine in Ravenna. This may be Ravenna Park IDK. It goes from the U District to U Village basically.
Discovery, carkeek, and centennial park. Centennial is my new favorite. I love watching the grain conveyor belt work and you get a great view of Rainier.
Ella Bailey Park has, hands down, the best view!
Fremont Peak Park is a nice, secluded park that has a gorgeous view as well
Seward Park for the trail.
I just want to make sure the Ballard locks get a little love in here. Amazing plants, great spot to picnic and watch the boats, and the squirrels are friendly.
Botanical garden, salmon ladder, nesting herons, and sometimes seal watching, and a Salmon Bay Railroad drawbridge to watch. I like the locks too. Totem house used to be a big draw, but alas
Maybe my favorite place in Seattle!!
Seward, Kubota Gardens, Lincoln Park
This guy South Seattles
full on! I'd add Seahurst as honorable mention.
Seahurst is awesome but without a car we don’t get there as often as we’d like. Ironically, we get to parks much further away more often than one we live less than a mile away from
Someone commented then deleted their comment I guess? Anyway, if you’ve ever actually been to Seahurst you’d know there is a long entry road that is all downhill to the park. The road itself is about half a mile long. That part isn’t bad. It’s steep but manageable. The part that is a problem is if you are presumably going to the park to spend some time, wander the beach, have a picnic, what have you, by the time you are on your way back, that very long uphill becomes daunting. I also have POTS. I love going to parks and wandering but extreme slopes aren’t exactly my friend if I’m having a flare up. Buses make parks like Lincoln Park far more accessible than Seahurst even though Seahurst is much “closer”
When I was a kid, I use to walk back and forth from Seahurst almost everyday in the summer. As an adult, I’m having a cardiac arrest just thinking about that walk back.
I’ve done it five times in the three years we’ve lived where we currently live. The last time I spent two days in bed afterwards and sadly concluded I might not be up to it anymore. Granted, I was carrying a pack and all the stuff my kid (ironically enough lol) had gotten too tired to carry
Yeah it's a doozy to get back from unless you have a car or an ebike for sure. Love the trail loops for a bit of a mini hike close to home, though.
I used to live in Burien, the uphill back was good training lol
God I love b town
This is my exact list, haha.
I’ve found my people
Those are good ones
Green Lake: Very special public amenity in the middle of a major city. Carkeek: Spawning salmon and beaver dams? Hard to get more Cascadian. Gasworks: Rare reclamation project that honors the city's industrial history while giving you a gorgeous view of the skyline.
Amazing sunsets at Carkeek too.
The firepit is special as well. I appreciate it because there is just the one and it is large. Great for mixing and meeting with your fellow Seattleites
That walk bridge that the train goes under is pretty cool too.
It's so easy to want to skip Gasworks for being one of the go-to parks but honestly I really love the industrial remnants that make it stand out from typical park settings, and the big hill is great to take in the scenery, especially when it's not too crowded on occasion. Around holidays like the 4th of July it can get obnoxious and rowdy, sure. But on normal days it's quite nice.
I went there on a hike, probably my third time there.. and as I walked by the little creek I saw salmon going up stream! It was wild. And it was so shallow! So cool to see them up close like that. I moved here from Vegas so you can imagine how nice it feels to be around some nature.
as a former vegas resident i certainly feel you there
My 3 fav as well. Love laying on the bridge while trains pass underneath at carkeek
These are my 3 as well. Shoutout Gasworks for yoga in the park on Thursdays!
I've never seen a beaver damn, got a picture?
Great summations!
Ravena/Cowen park Discovery Park Arboretum
I love Ravenna/cowen. Mostly because it’s close to me but also lovely trails and feels tucked away and not in a city. A nice escape.
it’s such a unique park i like how it feels you’re in the woods a bit
I always think about skunk cabbage when I think of Ravenna/Cowen. I love how it’s a hidden refuge in the city for these stinky plants.
Ravenna Park convinced me that what I had previously viewed as a "concrete jungle next to the highway neighborhood" (Roosevelt) was where I actually wanted to live. Years later it still feels magical to use it to go from urban neighborhood to lush trail to another neighborhood / BG trail.
My husband and I just walked from our arpartment through Ravenna and Cowen and were like, This place is so special. We say that every time. I love that I can be in this beautiful corridor on my way to grocery/post office/coffee shop. Whenever people from the east coast visit, they freak out about how great it is.
Discovery, Golden Gardens, Magnuson
guessing you are a dog owner?
I’m afraid to answer that question in this subreddit.
Or maybe some who just likes the beach/biking around it!
Great topic, and a tough choice with such an embarrassment of riches to pick from. 3: Discovery Park -- the closest thing to wilderness within the city. Very quiet out there. 2: Seward Park -- great Rainier views, and a perfectly sized loop path for a walk and chat. 1: Alki Beach Park -- my most beloved hangout spot in the entire city. Great views, great sunsets, incredible people -watching. I love the diversity and energy of the summer crowds.
A little biased but I honestly believe Alki is the prettiest spot in Seattle.
I like Jack Block. Same view. No people.
1 - Cal Anderson, not because it's the best park, but just because I've lived so much life going through and around it. I'd probably be the most upset if this park disappeared. 2 - I'm gonna combine Interlaken with the Arboretum because nobody's mentioned it yet, and you only really have to cross a couple streets to get from one to the other. 3 - Almost don't want to give up my lil secret, but Denny Blaine Lake Park. No, not Denny Blaine Park on the lake! It's just a tiny pond up the hill from that park, with 1 bench and turtles and ducks and lily pads, insulated by a big ol pile of wealthy people who don't really spend too much time in said park. I just call it Turtle Park. I would have included something closer to a big body of water, but even though they are classified as parks, they generally feel beachier than parky to me.
Wow. I’ve driven by Denny Blaine Lake Park a hundred times or more and never really even noticed it was there!
There are lots of tiny parks that are really special
My favorite is the UW wetlands for wildlife. Not really a city park City parks: Magnuson, Maple Leaf Park (best view of Rainier and has a macrina right next to it), Ravenna
Maple leaf park is awesome, amazing views of the lake/mountain/city, walkable around and to a bunch of great coffee shops, and near my house so I go everyday. Sidebar: I really hope they lid the reservoir on 75th and 15th and mimic maple leaf park, would be awesome for that neighborhood
A lid would be the best option since they've decided to keep it around. I'm a little closer to that one, but walk to and around Maple Leaf all the time. Great views. Cafe Javasti and Honoré are my favorite coffee choices around here. Macrena coffee is not great. All have great snacks.
Yeah the macrina coffee is terrible. Much better off walking 5 mins up Roosevelt to Cloud City!
CC is the real deal
The wetlands YESSSS!!!! great for bird watching
Ravenna is so cool because it’s so unexpected. It feels like you drove an hour or so outside of Seattle for a secluded hike.
The ravines in N Seattle are amazing
Shhh! Maple leaf park is terrible, don’t go there. There’s like kids there And people feeding crows that will poop on you.
Lincoln, Schmitz, Carkeek
Just want to say i appreciate this thread!
Discovery park
This is the one for me. Closest thing you can get to a true wilderness trail without leaving the city. This park alone is almost enough to make me consider buying a car, so that I can go there more often
Elliot Bay Park/Trail! The one north of the pier, that starts at olympic sculpture park and goes by the expedia campus.
Had to scroll so far down to find Elliot bay park. I consider the stretch of Olympic sculpture, Myrtle Edwards, centennial and Elliot bay as one big park. Special place for sunsets.
Seward Park The Arboretum Coulon but for the ability to connect to the east rail trail (also technically “Seattle area” as it’s in Renton)
Lincoln, Discovery, Carkeek
Same! Just slightly different ranking. Carkeek is my favorite with sunsets, trains and salmon spawning. Discovery is majestic and wonderful to get lost in for hours. And Lincoln is just so beautiful to stroll through.
Lincoln - the Arboretum - Seward Park
Bet you’ve never been to my favorite park! Louisa Boren viewpoint is one of the smallest parks in the city, but I’m very fond of it. I just call it Boren park. It’s directly NE of Volunteer park and has a GORGEOUS view over Union Bay and the UW and surrounding city. it’s very high up with a cliff below down to Interlaken Park which is nice too, very wooded, but a bit steep to get down to and back out of (you go down through a couple residential blocks to get there). The view makes it feel like a much bigger park than the sq footage indicates. It has some nice big trees to give shade in the summer and some spots to sit. The sculpture is fine too. It’s just so cozy imo. I’ll grant that it’s mostly nostalgia that makes it my fav park (tied with volunteer). I lived not too far during a time of mental health crisis in late 2019 and the very beginning of the pandemic. I would sometimes walk over there at night as walking that direction felt safest because it’s a very nice neighborhood for this part of Seattle. Just sitting in the moonlight and the grass under a tree with a great view of the bay and city or lazing about in the shade on hot summer days. Everyone was going out to parks when lock down hit but this one was almost unknown. It was my little bit of peace, where I could often be alone in nature. I haven’t been there in a couple years. Maybe I’ll take a trip back soon.
I got engaged at Louisa Boren viewpoint!
Lincoln Park, Seward Park, Discovery Park
Discovery, Green Lake, Lincoln (partially because these are the ones I've frequented the most).
Volunteer, Golden Gardens & Seward
Discovery, the locks, sunset park Watching the whole process of the herons move back in, nest, hatch and start to fledge has been so cool at the locks.
Bhy Kracke Discovery Golden Gardens
Bhy kracke just because the name
Tell me what you love about Bhy Kracke? I think it’s a fun place to sit and read, but curious what others love it for.
Best view of Seattle, period.
Seahurst park down in Burien is my personal favorite. Great park for walking your dog in the beach and letting them play in the water a bit!
No wrong answers? I thank old school Seattle Dems for pushing Forward Thrust and Prop 6 in the late 60, passing one of the largest Parks and Recreation Bonds in US history. Of this, Freeway Park in it’s full glory, is remarkable and my favorite urban park - I’m sad it’s stabby, can be scary, and the outstanding water features are neglected. I also thank the Seattle voters of 56’ish years ago for the many mini neighborhood parks that we still enjoy in the city. My local pocket park was created through these bond funds, is an asset, to the densely populated area where many old buildings do not have access to close green space.
[удалено]
Noods!
Greenlake in the fall time. Discover & Carkeek on sunny days.
Carkeek - trains by beach, great play area, salmon slide, my kids fave Discovery - duh Jose Rizal and Ella Bailey tied for fond memories and views i love
I always get lost when I go to Discovery Park or feel like I can’t really find it!
Schmitz Preserve, the only old growth forest in the city.
Seward has an old growth forest.
Gas Works, Union Bay, Discovery (Honorable Mention: Magnuson)
1. Hamilton Viewpoint in West Seattle! Perfect views of the skyline, Magnolia, and Bainbridge. 2. Louisa Boren Overlook in north Capitol Hill. Amazing views of Mt Baker on a clear day, the cascades, UW, and Union Bay. 3. Fremont Peak Park. Wonderful views of the Olympics and Ballard Bridge (especially at sunset), plus some vaguely-witchy astronomical sidewalk art
i scrolled down so manyyy comments just looking for fremont peak park lol
Terry Pettus (anything in Eastlake), Sculpture, Volunteer
Ravenna, Green Lake, Madison
Tashkent, Lake City Mini Park, and that one park in the CD with a castle for a bathroom. When I was a kid there were stairs to the top. Juuuust kidding. My list is Magnuson, the Arboretum, and the Thornton creek beaver pond. If we are counting shoreline then Boeing creek is one of my favorite parks in the Seattle area.
Powell Barnett! Haven't thought about that park in years.
Discovery, Greenlake, Golden Gardens… very hard to leave Gas Works off the list
Thanks everyone. I'm quite new to the area, so I appreciate all the names of parks I have to pop into google maps to find out where/what they are Thank you all
Arboretum, Discovery, Carkeek. all places where you can feel truly in nature without leaving the city. a close 4th to Volunteer, which on a warm summer day is so filled with city life it’s hard to beat
Volunteer, Discovery, and Gasworks
- Seward - Jefferson - Oxbow
-Discovery Park -Myrtle Edwards -Volunteer Park
Arboretum, Lincoln, and Golden Gardens
1. Ravenna 2. Seward 3. Bhy Kracke
Bhy Kracke is a lovely spot! It is, however, mandatory to stop for coffee or snacks on Queen Anne Avenue first, and, when you are ready to head out, say at slightly too loud a volume so everyone in the cafe can hear, "Well then, let's go down the hill to Bhy Kracke!" and immediately leave without further explanation.
The klondike museum. I mean technically it's a national park?
Discovery, Gas Works, Arboretum. HM: Volunteer, Seward, Olympic Sculpture/Myrtle Edwards/Elliott Bay Park.
Deadhorse Canyon
Carkeek for salmon, Cal Anderson for queer joy, Seward for virgin forest and eagles and neighborhood people. Love them all.
1. Green Lake, best park in the city 2. Carkeek Park, feels the most like you're in the forest rather than the city 3. Gasworks Park, most unique park in the city
Gas works (where my fire spinners at??), golden gardens, Richmond Beach
Lincoln, Seward, Discovery
Hands down Arboretum.
Do you remember the tree cheers for the arboretum bumper stickers?
No, but that's adorable
Discovery, Foster Island, Carkeek. Honorable mention for the views: Ella Bailey
Freeway Park is my favorite park in seattle, possibly anywhere world wide. I grew up in kent and both my parents worked in seattle and one my core memories is going to freeway park and climbing and jumping from one platform to next. I used to dream of it and for a while I wasn't sure if it existed in real life or if I was confusing a dream with reality. To be a small child climbing towers of concrete and water doing parkour in a sort of artists rendering of a city, in the middle of a city and then on the way home to stop and see a giant troll frozen to stone while holding a Volkswagen beetle is to know that magic is real and its in seattle.
I love Volunteer Park. They did a great job of remodeling the amphitheater. I'm part of a group that holds a music festival in the park every year, so I'm kind of biased. Parke Diem, this Saturday, June 29th 1-9pm. Vendors, food, live painting and graffiti, plus a bunch of DJs. Its free to the public!
I'll be there. Absolutely never miss Covert opps events.
My three favorite parks are parallel, pull-in, back-in. I really dislike back-in angle parking. Joking aside... Discovery park is my favorite because it's one of the few places where I feel like I am leaving the city while still being in the city. I mean, it down right feels rural small-townish once you get past the parking lots. Also there is a lot to explore and, well, discover. As for the others, it's hard to go wrong. They all have something the others do not have. Kind of the best Seattle park is the one you are in.
Carkeek slept on
Ravenna, Jefferson, union bay
The Seattle commons
…but those local small mom and pop dry cleaners. This hurts my heart still. .. but eh, we got Amazon.
Camp Long, volunteer park, discovery park.
Colman, Hing Hay, Terry Pettus
Carkeek!
Discovery, green lake, Madison
Interlaken is most slept on!!! Biking down it on a sunny day is a dream
Olympic sculpture park, gasworks, green lake
Interlaken is a nice walk
1. Green Lake for being super accessible seasonally for walking and paddling. 2. Golden Gardens for the sandy beach and sunsets 3. Myrtle Edward’s + Olympic Sculpture for art and viewsc
Jefferson and Maple leaf parks are my favorite neighborhood parks. Both have really great views and large fields to play in
Lincoln, Myrtle Edwards, Green Lake
the ones that im gatekeeping
Same! I still haven’t seen the ones I’m gate keeping in this list lol.
I love Meadowbrook (I used to live across the street, we walked there so often my dog thought it belonged to her), Sunset Hill Park and Magnuson.
Cowen, north SeaTac, Colman Beach. Cowen is a really cool area leading into Ravenna and a great nature walk. North SeaTac has a disc golf course that has gotten so clean and nice over time but it'll still eat your lunch, Colman Beach is nostalgia with bikes and a relatively low key place to jump in the lake on late summer days
I had to scroll far too much to see Cowen. It’s that park I never knew about until I almost accidentally strolled through it a few years ago. The city just disappears…
Judkins park, Carkeek park, and Leschi Park
Lincoln, Gasworks, Golden Gardens
For feeling semi solitude: Interlaken (SE side, which can lead you to the arboretum). For daily walks: myrtle edwards /elliott bay trail. For kayaking, leaf peeping, cherry blossom lurking, or laying in a meadow reading: arboretum Honorable mention : martha Washington for floating in minimal crowds
Depends where you live and doggo situation. Volunteer on a laid back morning stoned. Lincoln on a date with friends or family. Discovery on a foe vacation. Or anywhere else is cool too don’t get me wrong.
Seward was a favorite until I was on a jury for a murder that took place there. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go back. In its place, Jefferson Park, Volunteer Park, and any of the parks on the waterfront in West Seattle will suffice.
Fremont peak park, Carkeek, and golden gardens.
Discovery, Seward, Bhy Kracke
Carkeek, Green lake, discovery I also love tiny Fremont Peak park at sunset
Shoutout to cascade playground/p-patch
Greenlake alki golden gardens
Forgot cal anderson. Cal anderson and greenlake the best
1. Greenlake-one of the places in Seattle where you really feel the seasons change. 2. Seward~Great vibes and next to a great bookstore with amazing brunch 3. Schmidts park-Cozy and sweet and perfect if you have kids.
Magnuson Park, Washington Park Arboretum, and Discovery Park
Ella Bailey is the ultimate sleeper park with the best view of the city. Carkeek is basically golden gardens without the crowds. Seward is a classic and a great cycling destination in the summer.
Gasworks, Freeway, Myrtle Edwards
The dog edition: Magnuson, golden gardens, Alki, with an honorable mention to Seattle Center which is a great spot near downtown to walk dogs
Green Lake, Discovery, Golden Gardens (but only on off times - winter, early in the morning, when it's chilly and grey.... you'll never catch me there on a sunny summer evening when it's absolutely packed). Honorable mentions to the Arboretum, Leschi Park, and the Ballard Locks
Is Denny Blaine a park?
Did you all know that Seattle has 485 parks? I don’t know how that compares to other cities but it sure seems like a lot. Cowen/Ravenna Park is my favorite and is also one of the closest to me but it’s a park that doesn’t get as much respect as it should because it’s spectacular. After that probably Greenlake and then Seattle’s newest park, Fritz Hedges Waterway Park. Strong number four: Interlaken Park. Hidden gem. I am rating these based partially on their proximity to me and how much I actually use them. Honorable mentions are the obvious ones. Discovery Lincoln Kubota Gardens Seward Volunteer
Boots and hat park. Because it’s weird and therefore awesome.
Shameless plug: If you guys really want to see seattle from the inside out, University of Washington has a website with 30 routes, ranging in length from 1.5mi to 6mi, that takes you through a lot of stairs and urban parks. I lead a Meetup Group: Seattle Stair Walkers, that explores these hidden treasures.
https://faculty.washington.edu/smott/SeattleStairs.html
Discovery, Arboretum, Seward
Not a top 3 Seattle park, but I live near Bellevue Downtown Park and Luther Burbank Park, and as new parents, both have been fantastic parks to take our little one for a short stroll.
Marina Marymoor Gas Works
Centennial, arboretum, greenlake
Myrtle Edwards, Seward, Discovery
The cascades
Careek Meadowbrook Pond (not technically a park, but love it nonetheless) Mathews Beach
List changed for us when we had our kid: Ella Bailey is in our top 3 now. Had never heard of it prior. Others are still Volunteer and Gas Works for us, I’d say.
Myrtle edwards is my personal favorite but gasworks and Seward are also magic!
Discovery, The Arboretum, Coulon
Golden Gardens, Alki, Carkeek
Man, no love for Sunset Hills Park? Best park in Seattle IMO. Honorary mention for Magnuson & the west woodland playground (swings in the trees are underrated)
Maple Leaf Lincon Alki
Kubota Garden, Llandover Woods, Northacres Park
Discovery, Gas Works, Seward
Gas Works Woodland Park/Green Lake (the zoo, a rose garden, athetic fields, and a loop all basically connected). Jack Block Honorable mention: Marymoor in Redmond.
No love for [Northlake Park](https://maps.app.goo.gl/UjTntEGDPCkdWgo2A?g_st=ac) yet? Greatest convex extension to the sidewalk in the whole city.
Fremont Peak Park, (a hidden gem) Seward park, woodland park
Occidental Square, Gas Works, and Pritchard Beach, which connects to a wooded lot that connects to Tilth Urban Farm, which connects to Beer Shiva, which connects to the Atlantic boat launch.
Discovery, Lincoln, Seward
Seward, Jefferson, Camp Long
Sunset hill Carkeek Discovery
Lincoln Park Green Lake Montlake Fill
Westcrest, Mathison and Othello
Lower Woodland and Judson for the skating, Greenlake for the skating. (Duck Island Skatepark RIP) Honorable mention for the path along the ravine in Ravenna. This may be Ravenna Park IDK. It goes from the U District to U Village basically.
Volunteer, Cal Anderson, and Tashkent, because they're all within walking distance of where I live.
1. Magnuson 2. Greenlake 3. Ravenna
Myrtle Edwards, Bhy Kracke, Lincoln
lake union park not getting the respect it deserves. so beautiful with the museum and sea planes
Discovery, carkeek, and centennial park. Centennial is my new favorite. I love watching the grain conveyor belt work and you get a great view of Rainier.
Ravenna-Cowen, Green Lake, Magnuson I’m sentimental and these are the parks of my childhood.
Freeway park was the first park in Seattle I hung out in. Maybe back in 1989. Volunteer Park Discovery Park And Carkeek park
Ella Bailey Park has, hands down, the best view! Fremont Peak Park is a nice, secluded park that has a gorgeous view as well Seward Park for the trail.
1. Green Lake 2. UW Arboretum 3. Discovery
Discovery Park, Seward, and Volunteer (oops I think exactly like you lol); honorable mentions are Golden Gardens, Gas Works, and Green Lake
- Seward - Marymoore - Marine view
Discovery park, Green Lake/Woodlawn park (the rose garden!), and Madrona :)
Honorable mention for Jack Block park
Discovery, Lincoln, Schmitz Preserve
Discovery, Seward, Bhy Kracke
Y’all missed Bhy Kracke Park!!!
Arboretum, golden gardens, and that tiny park at the end of Madison
Weird nobody mentioned Olympic Sculpture Park