Discovery Park

Wander around in Seattle's Largest Park

Hike Length 4 miles including the South Beach side trip, 5 Miles with Ballard Locks side trip

Elevation Gain: 400 feet

Hike Difficulty: Easy

Map: Discovery Park Map available at park visitor center

revised 9/23/2021

With its seven miles of trails on 534 acres, Discovery Park offers the finest in-city hiking in Seattle. The park is maintained as an urban wilderness with a diverse variety of terrain including saltwater beaches, forests, and wetlands. Vistas of the Olympic Mountains rising beyond Puget Sound will uplift your spirits on sunny days.

South Beach at Discovery Park (photo by Joe Mabel, Wikimedia Commons)

Getting There & Back

From downtown Seattle, ride Metro 33 to the end of the line at Discovery Park's north parking lot (Illinois Ave and Texas Way)

Use TOTAGO to get round-trip transit directions, plus offline trail maps if you download the app:

Discovery Park Loop Trail on Totago

The Hike

Discovery Park features a 3 mile long Loop Trail that provides a great introduction to hiking in the park. The map below shows the route of the Loop Trail, as well as a recommended side trip down to the beaches. The Loop trail may be accessed from the bus stop at the north parking lot by walking south on Illinois Ave for 1/8 mile.

Turn left onto the Loop Trail, and follow it as it makes its way through a tract of forest. In a third of a mile the trail passes through a tunnel under Illinois Ave. Here you are close to the park's visitor center by the East Parking Lot, where you can find restrooms, a drinking fountain, and maps of the park.

When finished with the visitor center, head back to the Loop Trail, which winds its way along a forested slope, passes the South Parking Lot, then descends a vast open field to the top of a 200 foot sandy bluff and an impressive vista point. Log benches along the bluff invite you to linger and enjoy the view, which includes Puget Sound with its flotilla of boats large and small, Bainbridge Island, and the Olympic Mountains.

Beyond the vista point, the Loop Trail follows the brink of the bluff to a junction with the South Beach trail, a highly recommended diversion off the Loop Trail. This side trip adds a mile to the hike. The South Beach trail descends a steep alder-covered slope, passing more viewpoints along the way. Staying left at all junctions, you soon arrive after a short half-mile at a paved road near a King County Metro sewage treatment plant. This doesn’t sound like a very pleasant destination; however, the plant has been exceptionally well landscaped, and you will hardly notice it as you walk down the edge of the road to scenic South Beach.

With a high bluff rising at its east edge, the driftwood-littered beach has a wild quality. When through exploring the beach, follow the path heading toward the historic West Point lighthouse , the oldest one in the Seattle area, built in 1881. Near the light house, the path turns right and crosses to the north side of the point. Here a whole new vista opens up toward the north Puget Sound. You might see the tip of Whidbey Island in the distance. A forest of boat masts marks the Shilshole Marina.

Continue hiking along the path, as it follows the top of a rock breakwater close to the water’s edge. The nearby sewage plant is well hidden, although your nose may detect it if the wind direction is wrong. The trail passes a wetland pond popular with ducks, and a short side trail to forest-rimmed North Beach. Just past the beach, the trail leaves the water front and ascends a steep, unstable bluff. Toppling trees and mudslides are common here, sometimes forcing the closure of this stretch of trail. Climbing the slope in a series of staircases, the trail quickly gains the top of the buff, where there are lawns and picnic tables.

A gravel trail leads right (south) through the lawns and shortly rejoins the official Loop Trail by a usually closed restroom. Turn left (east) onto the Loop Trail, which climbs over a small hill and crosses a paved road. From here, The Loop Trail wends its way through cool, forested hillsides before reaching Illinois Ave. Turn left and head back to the bus stop by the north parking lot.

Ballard Locks Side Trip

A visit to the Chittenden “Ballard” locks is very worthwhile if you have extra time. To get to the locks, walk out of the park at the exit just east of the North Parking Lot. Immediately, turn left (north)on 40th ave, then right (east) on Commodore Way, which descends through a tidy residential neighborhood, then passes under a railroad bridge. Just beyond the bridge, drop down to a park on the edge of the Ship Canal, and follow the paved promenade leading toward the canal-spanning dam, Fish Ladder, and locks.

The Fish Ladder was built to allow migrating salmon to climb over the dam into the freshwater lake impounded behind it. Inside a room, viewing windows allow visitors to view salmon climbing the ladder. When you are done sightseeing at the fish ladder, walk north across the dam to the locks, an interesting piece of engineering that lifts boat up and over the dam. It’s an unending nautical circus, especially on sunny weekends when boat traffic is heavy. Even jaded city residents enjoy coming out and watching the show. Also worth visiting is the well-groomed botanical garden and visitor center located just north of the locks.

If you don't want to return to Discovery Park, buses may be found just north of the locks on NW 54th Street. Take Metro 44 to 15th Ave NW, then catch the D line bus to downtown Seattle