Daniel_Williams

Hi!

This year I think I'm really going to make it out to Seattle (from eastern Canada). I'm planning on staying in a B&B in the Capitol Hill area this July, and will not rent a car.

So what I want to know is what are your favourite parks in the city (accessible by public transit or bike trail, as I plan to rent a bike for a nice day), as there is nothing more I like to do on vacation than to just and sit and savour special parks! Ones you appreciate for a special view of water, charming statuary, fun people-watching ambience, interesting oudoorsy activity, anything really... if you love it, I want to know about it! I'm planning 4 nights, so there's only so many parks one can enjoy!

Thanks! DAN

fritzrl

Well, if you're staying on Capitol Hill, you can easily stroll to Volunteer Park, one of my favorites. Good city skyline views, with a peek-a-boo glimpse of the Sound.

Others I'd recommend: Discovery Park in the NW quadrant of the city. As close to a 'wild' park as one can get in an urban setting, nestled right at the top of a bluff overlooking the bay.

Also -- Lincoln Park in West Seattle, again looking to the west over water to the mountains. A plus is that one can interrupt one's trip to Lincoln Park with a stopover at the beach area at Alki. Not exactly a park, but lots to enjoy by way of people-watching.

All of these are accessible by public transit, and your rented bike can usually be carried on the bus. Specifically which buses? Check the trip-planning facility on the Metro website: http://transit.metrokc.gov/

July is a great time to be here -- great weather, lots of festivals and other events, lots of people happy to see long strings of sunny days.

traveler24

Go to Google and type in "Seattle, WA parks"--one of the site refers to Beaches and parks-via city search and has map of many parks.
this is a good start --- I bet there is a map "somewhere" of bike paths--hopefully someone will give you more info on this..

fritzrl

Oh...almost forgot one excellent park right in my own neighborhood: Seward Park, on a peninsula sticking out into Lake Washington, and adjacent to Lake Washington Boulevard, which is *prime* bike-riding turf. In fact, the Boulevard is one long, narrow park hugging the lakeshore.

Seward Park is unique in that it offers a chance to walk or bike through what must be the last stand of old-growth forest in all of King County, and one of a few such in all of Washington state.

A few buses go close, but none go directly there. Again, King County Metro could probably plot a route there for you.

suze

I live on Capitol Hill. My favorite is Volunteer Park, which will be walking distance for you. It is an old park and home to the Asian branch of the Seattle Art Museum, a water tower you can climb for the view (poor man's space needle), and the old Victorian era plant conservatory. Check events schedules in the summer sometimes you can catch free Shakespeare in the Park which is fantastic. It is the end of the line of the #10 bus.

Next favorite I like Madison Beach, which is a small park with lake swimming beach in the Madison Park neighborhood. It is the end of the line of the #11 bus. If you did this on bike you could include the Lake Washington shorline heading south to Madrona and Leshi.

The Arboretum and Japanese Garden are my other favorite. The Arboretum is huge so you'd definitely need a bike for it (or a car). You can't really do it on public transit.

lennyba

On the day you have the bike, try the parks of West Seattle. I'm pretty sure you can take a bike on the water taxi - if not you can ride around on Spokane St. Turn right onto the bike path at Harbor Avenue and ride along Elliott Bay for the best city views you'll get. After a couple of miles you'll be heading west and will have views of the Olympics straight ahead. Alki Beach is right here and you can stop for a bite or coffee. Continue along (past Alki you'll ride on the street, which will eventually turn into Beach Drive SW) and you'll come to a neat little pocket park with copper star maps in the sidewalk. Another couple of miles will take you through a nice residential area with views of the Sound to the south. You'll arrive at the back entrance to Lincoln Park (my personal favorite Seattle park). The ferries to Vashon Island depart from the south end of the park. From here you can loop back through West Seattle via Fauntleroy/Avalon, or reverse directions and cut up Admiral Way to the top of the hill. There are two great lookout parks at the top of Admiral.

Magnuson Park is also nice...you could go via the arboretum.

Daniel_Williams

Thanks for all the stellar suggestions; I've spotted most of the locations you mentioned on the Seattle maps in my Lonely Planet book, so know that all advice is being taken seriously (and with dreaming). If I enjoy my bike ride enough (I can do this for hours!), weather permitting, I may even rent a bike for more than one day of my visit!

That bit of old growth forest in Seward Park sounds particularly tempting (and I know from my two jaunts out to the West Coast how terrific and different the trees can be from the East).

Best wishes, DAN

suze

Since we're talking about biking, has anyone mentioned the Burke Gilman trail yet? Check it out!

www.cityofseattle.net/parks/BurkeGilman/bgtrail

Daniel_Williams

Thanks again! I've heard so much about this Burke-Gilman trail that I think I will have NO CHOICE but to do it given a nice day for cycling . (I bike on city streets in Montreal if need be which has taken me to some lovely parts of the city, so I think I'll enjoy this!)

Best wishes, DAN

lennyba

Then you'll have to go to Gasworks park and Fremont, center of the universe.

Daniel_Williams

Hi all

I wanted to thank all for the advice given; I managed to hit a number of the parks you all suggested.

I wrote a trip report if you're interested.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35140799