One of the best things about living in Seattle is our proximity to many miles of trails and acres of parks. Discovery Park is one of those parks.
It’s May, the weather is finally looking up and we are back on the trail! This past weekend, Nick and I had a 2-day hiking marathon… and now our legs are very sore.
While we recover, I’ve kept myself busy going through and editing our recent photos. Photos of sunny ocean views from our adventures in Discovery Park and jungle-like greenery from Lime Kiln Trail in the Northern Cascades. Talk about variety. I’ll post my Lime Kiln report at a later date. Let’s dive into Discovery Park!
What to see in Discovery Park this Spring
Discovery Park overlooks the Puget Sound from Magnolia, a neighborhood north of Queen Anne and south of our hood in Ballard. (These neighborhoods are all part of Seattle.) It’s 534 lovely green and sandy acres of park with nearly 12 miles of walking tails. There’s a lighthouse, too!
Best part of Discovery Park is that it’s only a 3.5 mile walk from our front door. Nick and I have driven there a few times but we’d been meaning to test out a full round trip walking. Because it’s so close. And I love walking, I can’t help it. As soon as the first perfect day of the season shined through our windows – and on a Saturday, too! – I packed some sandwiches, filled our canteens with water and we were off. Well, after breakfast and caffeine of course.
I really still can’t get over that so much beauty is only a few short miles’ stroll from my front door. This is definitely a park to explore if you live in the area or if you’re visiting.
Vast ocean views, mossy trees & everything in between
There were plenty of yellow wildflowers framing a western view of the Sound outside of the Daybreak Star Cultural Center. I found some cute little mushrooms nestled comfortably at the base of a large mossy tree. We saw a trio of mallards swimming in one pond, and found another pond covered by a blanket of teeny tiny green plants.
I highly recommend having lunch at the beach. We sat on a large driftwood log, legs warmed by the sun, looked out at the gentle waves and ate the sandwiches I’d packed. It was high tide so there was less beach to explore. It was also not too crowded.
We explored Wolf Tree Nature trail before heading home. Much of Discovery Park is open and highly populated but this section was secluded. It felt hidden and new. It had large mossy trees that covered much of the sky. We found the Wolf Tree in the center of the trail. Numerous white stones had been placed at its base. You can access this trail from the North Parking lot.
In total, there and back and through the trails we walked just over 7 miles. WTA.org recommends exploring all of Discovery Park’s trails thoroughly and then returning each season to see what’s changed. There is always something new to see. I think I’ll take them up on that.
See you out there! xo
