I’ve found many of the best Seattle parks completely by accident because my girlfriends and I like to go for urban walks around the city. With 485+ parks in the city limits, there’s probably a new park right in your backyard offering picnic spots, beaches, a new jogging route, or viewpoints for snapping the perfect picture.
Of course, with that many parks, there’s no way I could include them all. I chose my favorites and the most accessible parks, with diverse amenities ranging from Japanese gardens to dog parks and unexplored beaches.
Some hidden gem parks (like Waterfall Gardens and Sunset Hill Park, for example) are great, but they serve the locals with some well-deserved greenery as opposed to being an actual destination. So this list focuses on parks vast enough to make it worth exploring for a few hours, so get ready to find your next favorite Seattle park!
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Best Seattle Parks
Save this to Pinterest for later because I’m always adding to this list as I uncover more of the best Seattle parks!
Discovery Park
website | neighborhood: Magnolia (get directions) | best for: walking trails & secluded beach sunset
Being Seattle’s largest city park, I’m always blown away by how uncrowded Discovery Park is. My guess is it’s because the park doesn’t end up in guidebooks since it’s in a quiet part of the city.
Discovery Park stretches over 530 acres across the Magnolia Bluff, giving you a picture-perfect view of the Puget Sound, Cascade, and Olympic Mountain ranges. It also includes two miles of protected tidal beaches, open meadows, steep seaside cliffs, and active sand dunes.
There are seven walking paths, none of which are particularly challenging. There’s also an active lighthouse, which you can view from the South Beach Trail (map here). It’s gorgeous any time of day, but I’m partial to the sunset, which is around 8:30 PM in the summertime.
Pro tip: The Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center is in the park.
Gas Works Park
website | neighborhood: Northlake (get directions) | best for: panoramic view of the city
Visiting Gas Works Park is one of my favorite things to do in Fremont. It’s built on an old gasification plant and features a giant play barn, expansive grassy knolls, and a view of Seattle’s skyline that can’t be beaten. I like to access the park from the Burke-Gilman Trail, which takes you to the parking lot. From here, you’ll also see Lake Union Park across the lake, another one of my favorite Seattle viewpoints.
Olympic Sculpture Park
website | neighborhood: Downtown (get directions) | best for: sculptures, waterfront view, & paved trail
The Olympic Sculpture Park is an offshoot of the Seattle Art Museum and is the largest green space in downtown Seattle. With over 9 acres of waterfront, it’s one of my favorite places to take pictures in the city, especially by the infamous Red Sculpture. The Elliott Bay Trail interlaces through the sculpture park, and if you walk north for about 12 minutes, you’ll reach Myrtle Edwards Park, a less-explored but popular spot for seagull and seal watching.
Green Lake
website | neighborhood: Green Lake (get directions) | best for: water sports, play fields, & paved trail
I probably visit Green Lake more than almost any other park because I play from spring break through the summer. It’s just over 320 acres and has tons of family-friendly amenities, including several spots for swimming and/or paddle boarding, boating, and multiple playgrounds. There’s also an ~3-mile paved loop that’s frequented by runners and bikers.
Green Lake is also adjacent to Lower Woodland Park, which means you’ll have access to their tennis courts, a skate park, and wooded several hiking trails.
Seward Park
website | neighborhood: Seward Park (get directions) | best for: waterfront view & walking trails
Located right on Lake Washington, Seward Park is perfect if you’re craving a waterfront view or some of the best fall foliage in Seattle. The park offers 300 acres of forestland, including multiple eagles’ nests, an amphitheater, a native plant garden, an art studio, and miles of both paved and unpaved hiking and biking trails. A couple of boat launching spots are also available, making it the perfect place for capturing some of Seattle’s best viewpoints.
Kerry Park
website | neighborhood: Queen Anne (get directions) | best for: quintessential space needle viewpoint
Kerry Park is arguably the best Seattle park and should be at the top of everyone’s Seattle bucket list. It’s small, but it has the popular postcard view of the Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier. Don’t be surprised if you see a swarm of photographers snapping a pic during golden hour.
As you can imagine, Kerry Park gets pretty overrun with tourists, but luckily, a few parks nearby offer an equally unbeatable view. Marshall Park is a short walk down the street and has a few benches and a relaxing waterfront view. Across the street is Parsons Gardens, one of the more underrated parks that feels like a secret garden.
Ella Bailey Park
website | neighborhood: Magnolia (get directions) | best for: hidden gem views & playground
Want to avoid the crowds at Kerry Park, but still get great views of the Seattle skyline? Head to the quiet Ella Bailey Park. It was the former playground of the late Magnolia Elementary School. Seattle Parks and Rec partnered with neighbors to renovate it into a community playground with picnic tables, barbecues, and walking paths. There are also panoramic views of Mt. Rainier and downtown Seattle with about a quarter of the crowds at Kerry Park.
Magnuson Park
website | neighborhood: Sandpoint (get directions) | best for: arena sports, rock climbing, and events
Seattle’s second-largest park, Magnuson Park, boasts 4+ miles of walking trails along Lake Washington, with deciduous trees offering gorgeous fall foliage. The park also has an off-leash dog park, an arena, a swimming beach, and a climbing wall that’s free to the public, so long as the Mountaineers aren’t using it for training.
The park also has an event space called Hangar 30, where some of Seattle’s best thrift and holiday markets take place. There’s even a brewery and cafe in the park for when you work up an appetite!
Volunteer Park
website | neighborhood: Capitol Hill (get directions) | best for: conservatory & Asian Art Museum
Volunteer Park is one of the trendiest spots in Capitol Hill. It’s in more of a residential area and has several walking trails, picnic tables, a kid’s play area, and multiple water features.
Before I visit, I make it a point to grab a coffee at Volunteer Park Cafe. I also never miss the Volunteer Park Conservatory, Asian Art Museum, and the historical Lake View Cemetery, AKA Bruce Lee’s burial spot.
Pro tip: Volunteer Park isn’t too far from the popular Cal Anderson Park in Cap Hill. You’ll find funky sculptures and turf play fields here. It’s fun for people watching, but it’s generally too crowded for me.
Golden Gardens
website | neighborhood: Sunset Hill (get directions) | best for: beach
I’ve been coming to Golden Gardens since I first moved to Seattle. It’s a beach park just west of Ballard and offers an unfettered view of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. There are two wetlands, a short loop trail, hiking paths, and miles of rugged coastline perfect for sunbathing. You can even let kids run loose on the playground or have a friendly volleyball competition. Then walk down the street to Little Coney for some of the best ice cream in Seattle to cool off.
Note that dogs aren’t allowed on the beaches. However, there is an off-leash area in the upper northern section of the park.
Alki Beach
website | neighborhood: West Seattle (get directions) | best for: beach & city skyline view
Alki Beach is the focal point of West Seattle and one of my favorite spots for spending a warm summer day in the city. It stretches 2 ½ miles from Alki Point to Duwamish Head and is popular year-round with locals and tourists. It’s not unusual to find people jogging or rollerblading along the paved path well into the chilly season. The path leads to a large beach that’s popular for sunbathing and volleyball during the warmer months.
Another advantage to visiting the beach is that it puts you minutes away from some of West Seattle’s best restaurants.
Washington Arboretum
website | neighborhood: Montlake (get directions) | best for: rare trees & Japanese gardens
The Washington Arboretum is one of the best hiking spots in Seattle. It’s co-managed by the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and the City of Seattle, who work together to maintain this 230-acre preserve. With over 20,000 trees and plants from around the world (many of which are found nowhere else in the Northwest), it’s easy to lose track of time walking along the trails.
In addition to the arboretum, there is a Japanese Garden located at the south entrance. It has an $8 entrance fee, but it’s worth it to access 3.5 acres of winding gravel paths, tranquil gardens, and Japanese-influenced architecture.
Carkeek Park
website | neighborhood: Broadview (get directions) | best for: hikes & uncrowded beach access
Few locals know about Carkeek Park, which is surprising since it’s quite large with over 220 acres of rugged forest, coastline, and wetlands. There are also numerous public areas with picnic tables and grills, yet they largely go unutilized. Most people who visit explore Piper’s Creek Trail, which guides you through lush forests, to the Wetland Trail, which takes you to the beach.
Lincoln Park
website | neighborhood: West Seattle (get directions) | best for: walking & biking trails, heated outdoor pool
Lincoln Park is a coastal park loved by locals, so I knew it belonged on the list of Seattle’s best parks. It’s located next to the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal in West Seattle, making it the perfect spot to kill a few hours before hopping on the ferry to spend a day on Vashon Island.
The park is diverse for its size, with 4.6 miles of walking paths, 3.9 miles of biking trails, several picnic shelters, acres of play areas, and even an outdoor heated saltwater pool. Of course, it’s also a great spot to relax on the beach and watch the ferries.
Kubota Gardens
website | neighborhood: Rainier Beach (get directions) | best for: Japanese-style gardens
Kubota Garden is a lesser-known gem in Rainier Beach. The land was originally purchased in the 1920s by Fujitaro Kubota, who wanted a Japanese-style garden retreat where visitors could meditate and enjoy a moment of solitude in the middle of a hectic city. After his passing, his family maintained the property before selling it to the city.
Today, it’s still well-maintained and free to enter, though there is a suggested donation jar at the entrance. It’s fun to visit anytime of year, but it’s one of my favorite fall activities in Seattle especially.
Freeway Park
website | neighborhood: Downtown (get directions) | best for: concrete jungle
Freeway Park is one of Seattle’s hidden gems that even locals don’t know about. It was built shortly after the construction of I-5 as a way to give visitors and locals a less intimidating, more convenient way to cross the highway while also sneaking in a dash of nature to the middle of downtown Seattle. It’s actually the world’s first park ever to be built on top of a highway and features 5 acres of modern concrete-style architecture, a water fountain, several walking paths, a lawn, and chairs.
Pro tip: Remember Waterfall Gardens that I mentioned at the beginning of this article? Freeway Park is ~20 minute walk from it if you want to hit up both spots in one trip.
Madrona Park
website | neighborhood: Madrona (get directions) | best for: grassy beach
Like most of Seattle’s best parks, Madrona Park is located on Lake Washington. At only 31 acres, it’s one of Seattle’s smaller parks. However, its wooded hillside slopes down to a grassy beach and swimming area with lifeguards on duty during the summer, and several jogging paths guide you around the lake. This makes it a popular swimming spot in summer.
Oxbow Park
website | neighborhood: Georgetown (get directions) | best for: funky sculptures
Located in the heart of historic Georgetown, one of the best spots for a food crawl, is Oxbow Park. It’s known as “Hats ‘n Boots Park” to most because of the iconic cowboy hat and boot sculptures. The sculptures were originally designed for a Western-themed gas station in Georgetown as a way to attract more visitors. It worked, and for a while, it was even the most-visited gas station in the state. Reportedly, even Elvis visited for the 1962 World’s Fair!
Unfortunately, the development of I-5 significantly reduced traffic, and the gas station had to close. However, the sculptures were rescued and remain in Oxbow as a neighborhood staple. Aside from the hats and boots, Oxbow Park also features a community garden, a kid’s play area, and multiple walking paths.
Jefferson Park
website | neighborhood: Beacon Hill (get directions) | best for: lawn bowling & skyline view
Jefferson Park is the sixth-largest park in the city, and its high elevation gives you an unimpeded view of Seattle’s skyline, the Duwamish River, and the Olympic Mountains. The park is sprawling with a number of amenities I rarely see at other parks. There’s a golf course, a community center, a skatepark, and even a lawn bowling court. It’s also one of the best parks in Seattle for observing the cherry blossoms come April.
Ravenna Park
website | neighborhood: Ravenna (get directions) | best for: forested walking trails
Ravenna Park is one of my newer favorite spots on this list of the best Seattle parks. I’d only ever driven by it up until this year, but I met a friend there to go on a 4th of July walk and couldn’t believe it took me so long to visit. The park is deceptively large, with two beautiful walking trails that take you through ravines.
You’ll also find a play area for children, wading pool, ball field, and tennis courts scattered throughout the park.
More outdoor adventures around Seattle
After you check out these best Seattle parks, explore more of nature with these guides.
