Head Into the Forest
Discovery Park
Start with Discovery Park, the city's largest park, spread across the grounds of the former Fort Lawton. Follow the 2.8-mile Loop Trail through woods, open meadow and exposed bluff, then take a side path down to the beach and the West Point Lighthouse, which has stood here since 1881.
Bring binoculars, because birders have counted more than 270 species, from bald eagles and woodpeckers to great blue herons. Time your visit for low tide and the beaches open up for tidepooling, with sea stars, crabs and anemones to spot. Kids can burn off energy at the renovated play area with its zip line, while you settle in at the picnic tables.
Here is a fun bit of trivia for the walk: the Magnolia neighborhood has no native magnolias. Early namers mistook the Pacific madrone, with its peeling red bark, for the flowering tree.
Seward Park
Seward Park takes up all of Bailey Peninsula on Lake Washington, and about 120 acres of it are old-growth forest, a rare sight inside any American city. Stroll or pedal the flat, car-free shoreline loop, which circles the peninsula for 2.4 miles with water views the entire way.
Stay for the swimming beaches, the boat launch and the Seward Park Audubon Center. Lifeguards are on duty only at certain times, so check with Seattle Parks and Recreation before you plan a swim.
Carkeek Park and Schmitz Preserve
In Broadview, Carkeek Park fills a 216-acre canyon where trails wind down toward a Puget Sound beach. Come in fall to see chum salmon returning to Pipers Creek, and wander through the city's oldest orchard. Trains roll along the shore, a reminder that the city is never far away.
Over in West Seattle, Schmitz Preserve Park is smaller at 53 acres but feels ancient. Most of the land was donated between 1908 and 1912, and its towering hemlocks, firs and cedars escaped the logging that cleared most of Seattle.
Ravenna Park
Follow the forested ravine of Ravenna Park in Northeast Seattle, where Ravenna Creek flows beneath two historic bridges. It connects with Cowen Park, making it an easy neighborhood escape with no long drive required.
Lake Days, Beaches and Swims
Green Lake Park
Join the runners, cyclists and stroller pushers on the city's busiest loop at Green Lake Park. A 2.8-mile path rings the lake, and you can round out the day with boating, swimming, a picnic on the lawns or a game on the athletic fields.
Alki Beach and Golden Gardens
Alki Beach Park stretches along Elliott Bay in West Seattle, from Alki Point to Duwamish Head. Gaze across the Sound toward the Olympic and Cascade ranges, and look for the Statue of Liberty replica and the pioneer monument along the way.
In Ballard, Golden Gardens Park pairs a sandy Puget Sound beach and dunes with wetland ponds that are home to birds, beavers and turtles. Gather around the fire pits for an evening by the water, a local favorite, and let your dog run in the off-leash area at the north end.
Magnuson, Matthews Beach and Lincoln Park
Magnuson Park covers 350 acres of the Sand Point peninsula, once a naval air station. Today you can swim at the beach, launch from the boat ramps, explore restored wetlands, visit the off-leash dog area or let the kids loose on Seattle's biggest playground, all among brick and Art Deco buildings from the 1930s and 1940s.
Matthews Beach Park has a lifeguarded summer beach with an offshore diving platform, and it hosts a Polar Bear Plunge on New Year's Day. Across town, Lincoln Park spreads over 135 acres of West Seattle headland, with forest trails, a shoreline walk, play features like saucer swings and a tree house, and Colman Pool, a heated saltwater pool open in summer.
Gardens, Glasshouses and Quiet Corners
Volunteer Park
On Capitol Hill, Volunteer Park unfolds across 48.3 acres designed by the Olmsteds. Step inside its centerpiece, the Volunteer Park Conservatory, a Victorian-style glasshouse from 1912. Climb the 1906 water tower, browse the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and catch the dahlias tended by the Puget Sound Dahlia Association, which start blooming in July.
Washington Park Arboretum and the Japanese Garden
Wander at your own pace through the Washington Park Arboretum, following Azalea Way, a spring-fed creek and wetland trails along Union Bay. Tucked inside is the 3.5-acre Seattle Japanese Garden, designed by a team from Tokyo and dedicated in 1960, complete with a working teahouse. It is generally open from March to November, so confirm current dates before you go.
Kubota Garden
In Rainier Beach, Kubota Garden spans 20 acres that an immigrant gardener began shaping out of swampland in 1927. Linger by the ponds, walk through the bamboo grove and explore the landmark core of one of the most peaceful places in South Seattle.
Waterfront Strolls and Skyline Views
The downtown shoreline
Begin at the newest addition, Waterfront Park on rebuilt Pier 58 next to the Seattle Aquarium, which officially opened on September 6, 2025. A short walk away, Victor Steinbrueck Park reopened in March 2025 with Elliott Bay views right beside Pike Place Market.
North of downtown, the Seattle Art Museum's free, 9-acre Olympic Sculpture Park turns a former industrial site into an outdoor gallery that slopes down to the water. Keep going into Myrtle Edwards Park, a narrow ribbon of shoreline with a 1.25-mile path for walking and biking.
Gas Works Park
At Gas Works Park, the rusted towers of the last coal gasification plant in the United States rise from a grassy point in Lake Union. Climb the hill for wide views across the water to downtown.
Kerry Park and other viewpoints
Kerry Park measures just 1.26 acres, yet its perch on Queen Anne Hill takes in the Space Needle, downtown, Elliott Bay and, on clear days, Mount Rainier. For a quieter angle, head to Bhy Kracke Park, which looks over Lake Union and the Cascades, or Sunset Hill Park in Ballard, which faces the Olympic Mountains.
Parks With Deep Roots
Some parks are best appreciated for their history. Licton Springs Park surrounds a spring used by Coast Salish people for thousands of years, and in 2019 it became the first Native cultural site named a Seattle landmark. Hing Hay Park serves as the main square of the Chinatown International District, and Jimi Hendrix Park honors the Seattle-born guitarist.
Day Trips to National Parks
There is no national park inside the city, but three are within driving distance. Mount Rainier National Park, established in 1899, protects the very peak you see from Kerry Park, and North Cascades National Park and Olympic National Park round out the trio. Check the National Park Service for road conditions and seasonal access before you set out.
