Rambling Seattle

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A Ramble Along the Olmsted 50, Part 4A, July, 2024

This one is the seventh of a 10-part series that follows The Mountaineers’ Olmsted 50. The Mountaineers are a Seattle-based hiking and conservation society. James Olmsted was hired by the city of Seattle in 1903 to put together a master parks plan. Olmsted designed some three dozen parks in Seattle and one of the Mountaineers put together an in-city walking route that explores the belt that Olmsted was given. It is 50 km long and since my walks are typically about 5k, this will naturally be a 10 part epic. This one picks up at the Washington Park Playfields at the south end of the Arboretum and wriggles over to Lake Washington, past Viretta Park (with the homage to Kurt Cobain), down to Leschi, a little village of a neighborhood. It is a lovely July day and the sun is quite out. Enjoy!

  • Start Address: Washington Park Playfields

  • Stop Address: 102 Lakeside Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

  • Mileage: 2.21 miles

  • Animated map: here

  • Difficulty/Terrain: Sidewalks? Sure. Sketchy trails? Also sure. Not friendly to wheels at all.

  • Ascent: 85 ft, Descent: 193 ft.