Quick Sunday morning walk around Discovery Park.  Our route was a messy figure eight starting over at the Ballard Locks, crossing the super secret pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks, counter clockwise on the north bit of the loop trail, down to the beach on south beach trail and out over by the bluffs since the tide was low, then back up on the north beach trail and back around on the southern bit of the loop trail.  Mileage ended up at about 7.5 miles and gross vertical about 660’.  Parking is free and relatively plentiful in the main park lots and free over at the locks on Sundays - though both can get busy on nice days.  Restrooms are open and in relatively good condition.  The park trails are mostly in good condition with the one spot on north beach that is always muddy, was unsurprisingly muddy but completely passable.  The one area that is a bit problematic are a couple original elevated wooden stairs also on north beach trail that have several busted steps/railings and appear not long for this world, tread lightly.  

I love all the huge big leaf maples along the loop trail - beautiful and offer great shade when it gets hot.  There was quite a bit of wildlife out as well, osprey and seals on the beach, heron, a couple big ravens making their unusual call that honestly sound to me like somebody screaming way up in the trees, “Ahhh!  Ahhh!  Ahhh!”.  The one super interesting surprise was while walking the low tide beach south toward the Magnolia bluff, a pair of big coyotes sauntered up the beach passing really close, kind of gave a quick nod, “yo, ‘sup?” and went on their merry way.  A beautiful morning.

Link to more information about the park - https://www.seattle.gov/parks/allparks/discovery-park

Link to more information about the super secret pedestrian bridge between the locks and Discovery Park - https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/bridges-stairs-and-other-structures/bridges/33rd-ave-w-bridge

Link to more information about the history of the park and area - https://www.historylink.org/File/11161

I recently hiked the Discovery Park Beach and Highlands Loop Trail, a 5.1-mile roundtrip adventure, and it was a fantastic experience. The trail offers a wonderful mix of beach views, forest paths, and highland meadows, making every section enjoyable and diverse. The terrain is moderately easy, with a few gentle inclines, perfect for a satisfying yet accessible hike. The beach area is a great spot to take a break and enjoy the scenery. This loop provides a refreshing escape and is well worth the visit for anyone looking to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of Discovery Park.

Pretty muddy in some spots. Wear footwear you don’t mind getting dirty. Tide was very far out, lots to “discover” on the beach!

Discovery Park is a treasure nestled in the City of Seattle. With picturesque views of Mt. Rainier, Puget Sound and the city, it's the perfect day getaway. Hikes are family and fido friendly. Busier June thru August as tourist season is in full swing but folks are always friendly. The Lighthouse is the great place to stop and take photos before making your way to the beach for a picnic.

Quick walk around the Discovery park loop and down to the beach, etc Sunday morning.  We parked at the Hiram Chittenden locks and walked over using the super secret pedestrian bridge doing the loop clockwise for a total of about 6 miles and 500 gross vertical.  The main parking lots in Discovery were busy but not full and the locks lot was also busy but not full.  Restrooms at Discovery appeared to be all closed for the season while those at the locks were open and in good condition.  The north and south beach trails were muddy where they normally are half way down the bluff and several bits of the original stairs on the north beach trail really are showing their age with busted stairs and railings.  

Quite a bit of wildlife out this morning - raccoon, lots of heron, eagle, raven,  you can even hear all the sealions barking on the Shilshole breakwaters throughout most of the park.  The tide was high so not much beach walking available.  A fair bit of maritime traffic out including a really neat US Coast Guard helicopter and boat training together out in the water, super nice to see those folks out.  Lastly, if you make it over to the locks don’t miss the work the Army Corp of Engineers is doing to replace the middle gate in the large lock - super interesting.  A really nice morning.  #lovelocaltrails