Magnuson Park

This park in north Seattle along Lake Washington is one of Seattle’s largest. It was a naval airfield in the early 20th century and some of the buildings from that era remain. It also includes the famous “Sound garden” public art display (for which the iconic grunge band is named) though it’s been closed in recent years. In terms of trails, there are miles of them in Magnuson, many paved and gravel ones that are wheelchair friendly.

Key stats:

Distance: 3 miles of trails weaving through the park

Wheelchair accessible parking? Yes, multiple spots including near the boat launch

Wheelchair accessible bathrooms? Yes

Trail condition? The Lake Shore Promenade trail is a very wide, paved trail along the lake. The Frog Pond trail is mostly gravel and narrow in spots but flat and accessible.

Highlights?

We’ve done the Lake Shore Promenade in the middle of winter (windy and cold) as well as on a sunny mid-summer day (great spots to jump in the lake) and it’s a pleasurable stroll no matter what, though the traffic varies a lot depending on the season. There are great lake views throughout and other weird sights such as the airplane tails that rise out of the grass near the north section of the trail.

The Frog Pond trail was a more recent discovery, one we found when Lucas’s sister used one of the adaptive bikes lent out by the nonprofit Outdoors for All (which has it’s headquarters within the park). The gravel trails vary in accessibility with some getting very narrow and bumpy but overall it’s a fun area to explore — watch out for mosquitos though!

More information about Magnuson Park here and here.

Frog Pond Trail

Lake Shore Promenade