The city of Seattle, Washington, is home to hundreds of parks of various classifications.
Seattle contains one area administered by the National Park Service.
| Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park |  | 1976 | Pioneer Square | This is one of four units that make up the national historical park. The other three are in Skagway, Alaska. |
Seattle's city parks are administered by Seattle Parks and Recreation, a city department. Several bike and pedestrian trails are maintained by the Seattle Department of Transportation or administered jointly by both departments. A number of waterfront parks are administered by the Port of Seattle, a municipal corporation.
Seattle's oldest park is Denny Park and its largest is Discovery Park. This list has only the notable parks.
| Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alki Beach Park |  | 1907 | West Seattle | 135.9 acres (55.0 ha) | |
| Alvin Larkins Park |  | 1975 | Madrona | ||
| Beer Sheva Park |  | 1905 | Rainier Beach | Originally named Atlantic City Park, it was renamed after Beer Sheva, Israel in 1977. | |
| Bryant Playground |  | 1978 | Bryant/View Ridge | 3.1 acres (1.3 ha) | |
| Burke–Gilman Trail |  | 1978 | 27 miles (43 km) | Jointly maintained with Seattle Department of Transportation. | |
| Cal Anderson Park |  | 1901 | Capitol Hill | 7.37 acres (2.98 ha) | |
| Carkeek Park |  | Broadview | 216 acres (87 ha) | ||
| Cascade Playground |  | Cascade | |||
| Chief Sealth Trail |  | 2007 | 3.6 miles (5.8 km) | Maintained by Seattle Department of Transportation. | |
| City Hall Park |  | 1916 | Pioneer Square | 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) | |
| Colman Park |  | 1907 | Mount Baker | 24.3 acres (9.8 ha) | |
| Cowen Park |  | 1906 | Ravenna | 8.4 acres (3.4 ha) | Contiguous with Ravenna Park. |
| Denny Park |  | 1883 | South Lake Union | Seattle's oldest park, it was completely flattened in the Denny Regrade in 1930. | |
| Denny-Blaine Park |  | Denny-Blaine | |||
| Discovery Park |  | 1973 | Magnolia | 534 acres (216 ha) | |
| Dr. Jose Rizal Park |  | 1979 | Beacon Hill | 9.6 acres (3.9 ha) | |
| East Montlake Park |  | Montlake | |||
| Fairview Park |  | Eastlake | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) | ||
| Fauntleroy Park | 1971 | Fauntleroy | 32.9 acres (13.3 ha) | ||
| Freeway Park |  | 1976 | Downtown/First Hill | 5.2 acres (2.1 ha) | |
| Fremont Peak Park |  | 2007 | Fremont | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) | |
| Frink Park |  | 1906 | Leschi | 17.2 acres (7.0 ha) | |
| Gas Works Park |  | 1975 | Wallingford | 19.1 acres (7.7 ha) | |
| Genesee Park | Rainier Valley | 57.7 acres (23.4 ha) | |||
| Golden Gardens Park |  | Ballard, Seattle | 87.8 acres (35.5 ha) | ||
| Green Lake Park |  | 1903 | Green Lake | ||
| Hamilton Viewpoint |  | 1954 | West Seattle | 16.9 acres (6.8 ha) | |
| Hing Hay Park |  | 1973 | Chinatown-International District | 0.64 acres (0.26 ha) | |
| Hoa Mai Park | 2024 | Little Saigon, Chinatown–International District | 0.27 acres (0.11 ha) | Pocket park | |
| I-5 Colonnade |  | 2005 | Capitol Hill/Eastlake | 7.5 acres (3.0 ha) | This park is located under Interstate 5. |
| Interlaken Park |  | Capitol Hill/Montlake | 51.7 acres (20.9 ha) | ||
| Jack Block Park |  | 2001 | West Seattle | 15 acres (6.1 ha) | Maintained by the Port of Seattle. |
| Jackson Park |  | 1928 | Haller Lake/Northgate/Lake City | 160.7 acres (65.0 ha) | |
| Jefferson Park |  | 1908 | Beacon Hill | 52.4 acres (21.2 ha) | |
| Kerry Park |  | 1927 | Queen Anne | 1.26 acres (0.51 ha) | |
| Kinnear Park |  | 1892-94 | Queen Anne | 14.1 acres (5.7 ha) | |
| Kiwanis Ravine |  | Magnolia | 8.7 acres (3.5 ha) | ||
| Kobe Terrace |  | Chinatown-International District | 1 acre (0.40 ha) | ||
| Kubota Garden |  | 1927 | Rainier Beach | 20 acres (8.1 ha) | It has been a public park since 1987. |
| Lake People Park |  | 2005 | Columbia City | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) | |
| Lake Union Park |  | 2010 | South Lake Union | 12 acres (4.9 ha) | |
| Lakeview Park |  | Denny-Blaine | 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) | ||
| Leschi Park |  | Leschi | 18.5 acres (7.5 ha) | ||
| Licton Springs |  | 1960 | Licton Springs | 6.3 acres (2.5 ha) | |
| Lincoln Park |  | West Seattle | 135 acres (55 ha) | ||
| Louisa Boren Park |  | 1913 | Capitol Hill | 7.2 acres (2.9 ha) | |
| Madison Park |  | Madison Park | 8.3 acres (3.4 ha) | ||
| Madrona Park |  | Madrona | 31.2 acres (12.6 ha) | ||
| Magnuson Park |  | 1977 | Sand Point | 350 acres (140 ha) | Originally called Carkeek Park and occupied by the United States Navy from 1922-1975. |
| Matthews Beach Park |  | 1951 | Matthews Beach | 22 acres (8.9 ha) | |
| McCurdy Park |  | Montlake | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) | ||
| Me-Kwa-Mooks Park |  | 1994 | West Seattle | 20.2 acres (8.2 ha) | |
| Meridian Playground |  | Wallingford | The site features a building called the Good Shepherd Center, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Home of the Good Shepherd. | ||
| Montlake Playfield |  | 1935 | Montlake | 27 acres (11 ha) | |
| Myrtle Edwards Park |  | Belltown | 4.8 acres (1.9 ha) | ||
| North Passage Point Park |  | 1977 | Northlake | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) | |
| Northacres Park |  | Haller Lake | 20.7 acres (8.4 ha) | ||
| Northeast 130th Street Beach |  | Cedar Park | 0.084 acres (0.034 ha) land; 0.315 acres (0.127 ha) including water | ||
| Occidental Park |  | 1971 | Pioneer Square | 0.6 acres (0.24 ha) | |
| Oxbow Park |  | Georgetown | |||
| Peace Park |  | 1990 | University District | ||
| Ravenna Park |  | Ravenna | 49.9 acres (20.2 ha) | Contiguous with Cowen Park. | |
| Roanoke Park |  | 1908 | Capitol Hill/Portage Bay | 2.2 acres (0.89 ha) | |
| Schmitz Park |  | 1908 | West Seattle | 53.1 acres (21.5 ha) | |
| Seattle Center |  | 1962 | Lower Queen Anne | 74 acres (30 ha) | Administered by the Seattle Center Department, a city department. |
| Seattle Japanese Garden |  | 1960 | Madison Park | 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) | |
| Seward Park |  | 1911 | Seward Park | 300 acres (120 ha) | |
| South Passage Point Park |  | 1977 | Eastlake | 0.9 acres (0.36 ha) | |
| Terry Pettus Park |  | Eastlake | 0.9 acres (0.36 ha) | ||
| Tilikum Place |  | Belltown | |||
| Victor Steinbrueck Park |  | 1970 | Downtown | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) | |
| Viretta Park |  | Denny-Blaine | 1.8 acres (0.73 ha) | ||
| Volunteer Park |  | 1901 | Capitol Hill | 48.3 acres (19.5 ha) | |
| Washington Park Arboretum |  | 1934 | Montlake/Madison Valley/Washington Park | 230 acres (93 ha) | Jointly administered by Seattle Parks and Recreation, the University of Washington, and the Arboretum Foundation. |
| Waterfront Park |  | Central Waterfront | |||
| Westlake Park |  | 1988 | Downtown | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) | |
| West Montlake Park |  | 1909 | Montlake | ||
| Woodland Park |  | 1902 | Phinney Ridge/Green Lake | 90.9 acres (36.8 ha) | Site of Woodland Park Zoo, and contiguous with Green Lake Park. |
A number of parks are operated by educational institutions or other non-profit organizations.
| Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens |  | Ballard | Part of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. | ||
| Olympic Sculpture Park |  | 2007 | Belltown | 9 acres (3.6 ha) | Operated by the Seattle Art Museum. |
| South Seattle College Arboretum | West Seattle | ||||
| Union Bay Natural Area |  | 1972 | University District | 50 acres (20 ha) | Administered by University of Washington Botanic Gardens. |
| Woodland Park Zoo |  | Phinney Ridge | Operated by a non-profit organization. |
Private individuals and organizations maintain a number of parks which are open for use by the public.
| Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streissguth Gardens |  | 1962 | Capitol Hill | ||
| Waterfall Garden Park |  | 1978 | Pioneer Square |
| Name | Image | Established | Location | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O.O. Denny Park |  | 1922 | 47°42′36″N122°14′55″W / 47.71°N 122.248611°W | 46 acres (19 ha) | Owned by Seattle since its inception, but currently managed by the city of Kirkland. [1] |
Parks administered by Seattle Parks and Recreation.
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It borders the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south, and Kenmore on the north, and encloses Mercer Island. The lake is fed by the Sammamish River at its north end and the Cedar River at its south.
Elliott Bay is a part of the Central Basin region of Puget Sound. It is in the U.S. state of Washington, extending southeastward between West Point in the north and Alki Point in the south. Seattle was founded on this body of water in the 1850s and has since grown to encompass it completely. The waterway it provides to the Pacific Ocean has served as a key element of the city's economy, enabling the Port of Seattle to become one of the busiest ports in the United States.
The Montlake Cut is the easternmost section of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which passes through the city of Seattle, linking Lake Washington to Puget Sound. It opened in 1916 after 56 years of conversation and construction to create the manmade canal.
Union Bay is a body of water located in Seattle, Washington. Part of Lake Washington, it is bounded by the Laurelhurst neighborhood to the north and the Montlake and Madison Park neighborhoods to the south. The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, which carries State Route 520, crosses over a portion of the bay.
Montlake is a wealthy residential neighborhood in central Seattle, Washington. It is located along the Montlake Cut of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, bounded to the north by Portage Bay, to the east by the Washington Park Arboretum, and to the south and west by Interlaken Park. Capitol Hill is on its south and west sides, and the University of Washington campus lies across the Montlake Cut to the north. State Route 520 runs through the northern tip of Montlake, isolating four blocks from the rest of the neighborhood. The (unofficial) City Clerk's map of Montlake considers it to extend further west, past Interlaken Park, extending to Broadway Avenue E. and, between Lynn Street and State Route 520, all the way to Interstate 5.
Leschi is a neighborhood in the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Washington, the residential neighborhood was named by its 19th-century developer for Chief Leschi of the Nisqually tribe, who was executed by territorial authorities in 1858 in Pierce County, Washington.
The Port of Seattle is a public agency that is in King County, Washington. It oversees the seaport of Seattle as well as Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. With a portfolio of properties ranging from parks and waterfront real estate, to one of the largest airports and container terminals on the West Coast, the Port of Seattle is one of the Pacific Northwest's leading economic engines.
State Route 513 (SR 513) is a 3.35-mile-long (5.39 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, located entirely within the city of Seattle in King County. The highway travels north as Montlake Boulevard from an interchange with SR 520 and over the Montlake Bridge to the University of Washington campus in the University District. SR 513 continues past University Village before it turns northeast onto Sand Point Way and ends at the entrance to Magnuson Park in the Sand Point neighborhood.
Magnuson Park is a park in the Sand Point neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. At 350 acres (140 ha) it is the second-largest park in Seattle, after Discovery Park in Magnolia. Magnuson Park is located at the site of the former Naval Station Puget Sound, on the Sand Point peninsula with Pontiac and Wolf bays that juts into Lake Washington in northeast Seattle.
Washington Park is a public park in Seattle, Washington, United States, most of which is taken up by the Washington Park Arboretum, a joint project of the University of Washington, the Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the nonprofit Arboretum Foundation. Washington Park also includes a playfield and the Seattle Japanese Garden in its southwest corner. To the north is Union Bay; to the west are Montlake and Madison Valley; to the south is the Washington Park neighborhood; and to the east is the Broadmoor Golf Club.
Magnolia is the second largest neighborhood of Seattle, Washington by area, located in northwestern Seattle. It occupies a hilly peninsula northwest of downtown. Magnolia has been a part of the city since 1891. A good portion of the peninsula is taken up by Discovery Park, formerly the U.S. Army's Fort Lawton.
Delridge is a district in Seattle, Washington, United States that stretches along Delridge Way, an arterial that follows the eastern slope of the valley of Longfellow Creek, from near its source just within the southern city limits north to the West Seattle Bridge over the Duwamish River. It is generally associated with the neighborhing district of West Seattle, or even considered a sub-district of West Seattle.
Matthews Beach is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington; it and Meadowbrook are the southern neighborhoods of the annexed township of Lake City (1954). Matthews Beach lies about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of the University of Washington, about 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Downtown.
Rainier Beach is a set of neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington that are mostly residential. Also called Atlantic City, Rainier Beach can include Dunlap, Pritchard Island, and Rainier View neighborhoods.
Meadowbrook is a neighborhood in the Lake City district of Seattle, Washington. Meadowbrook is centered on open fields adjacent to the Community Center, Meadowbrook swimming pool, and Nathan Hale High School. It is bounded on the south by NE 95th Street and the Wedgwood neighborhood, on the north by NE 120th Street and Cedar Park, on the west by Lake City Way NE and Victory Heights, and on the east by 35th Avenue NE and Matthews Beach.
In the history of Seattle before white settlement, thirteen prominent villages existed in what is now the city of Seattle. The people living near Elliott Bay, and along the Duwamish, Black and Cedar Rivers were collectively known as the doo-AHBSH, or People of the Doo ("Inside"). Four prominent villages existed near what is now Elliott Bay and the (then-estuarial) lower Duwamish River. Before civil engineers rechanneled the Duwamish, the area had extensive tidelands, and had an abundance of seafoods.
In 1996, the city of Seattle, Washington adopted a resolution to preserve shoreline street ends throughout the city as public rights-of-way, to allow improvements for public uses and access. This resolution gave a broad outline of considerations that would apply to public access improvements to shoreline street ends and to removing private encroachments and severely limiting future permits for private uses of street ends. Three years later, this was enhanced with a statement, "Fees for use of shoreline street ends may take into consideration City policy of discouraging encroachments inconsistent with the public right of access to shorelines and may be included in the schedule of fees for use of public places under the jurisdiction of Seattle Transportation."
