Hiking in Discovery Park

My parents recently visited from Montana to do a camping and hiking trip around Washington. They made a stop in Seattle to see us and to continue the theme of their trip, they wanted to go hiking with us. I recommended Discovery Park, since it's not far from Seattle, but is woodsy and packed with iconic Washington views. 

Discovery Park is 543 acres and is the largest park in Seattle. It's located north of downtown near the Magnolia neighborhood. There's a large playground that was updated a couple years ago. We started there so our boys could play. Lots of things to climb and even a small zipline awaited us. Then my folks arrived and we started our walk. We ended up hiking for a couple of hours. We parked in the East parking lot near the playground and hiked down to the beach. The views of Puget Sound were so pretty and the day was nice and sunny. There was a lot of stairs to climb as we descended down to the water. 

Then we reached the beach and the West Point Lighthouse was visible. My husband and I had visited Discovery Park in 2006 and the lighthouse looked better then. Sadly, it hasn't been restored and the windows were boarded up. But it was still fun to photograph, as lighthouses are one of my favorite things to shoot. 

The views of Puget Sound were beautiful and you can even see Alki Beach from across the way. There were a lot of boats visible, even a cruise ship was making their way across the Sound. The rocks on the beach were big, just right for throwing in the water, one of our sons' favorite activities. 

The afternoon passed quickly and before we knew it, it was time to hike back up. Dinnertime was approaching and we knew we'd be hungry from all of the walking. The hike back up the trail didn't take long and we all managed the stairs quite well. 

We're learning that our boys enjoy hiking and they didn't tire at all. Hiking reminds me of growing up in Montana and how much I enjoyed it. I would love to find some more trails around Seattle and get back into it. It's refreshing being outside away from screens and just taking in a little nature, and at the same time getting fresh air and exercise. Its kind of a win for me. If you live in the Seattle area, go check out Discovery Park for pretty water views and a relaxing hike in Seattle's largest park.