Washington Park Arboretum — Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006

Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area

Even though this may not classify as a ""hike"" in many books, it was an enjoyable outing nonetheless. Located in the city of Seattle just across the ship canal and Husky Stadium, the trail has two entrances, east and west. We decided on beginning on the westerly side given that it was closest to the University where we walked from. The 0.5 mile long trail drops down from the start and crosses an elevated foot bridge onto Marsh Island. There are three observation platforms on the island just off of the main trail that give good views of Union Bay and the floating bridge over Lake Washington. After crossing Marsh Island, another elevated bridge will drop you over onto larger Foster Island. The trail will briefly touch the island before becoming a floating foot trail anchored by piers allowing you to virtually walk on water adjacent to the island. Once back on hard ground you will pass another observation platform on the left before arriving at the east entrance and the turn around spot. From here, travel back the way you just came for a total hike of 1.0 mile. Pacific Northwest Hikers rated the difficulty of this hike a 1/5 and the scenic opportunities a 9/10. The trail was in good condition with packed wood shavings, pavement and a few areas of drying mud. I completed the hike wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. Overall it was a good opportunity to get out and away from the monotony of University life.