So anyone who lives or works near the corner of Queen Anne and Roy Street are probably going to…read morethink that my judgmental capacity was impaired when I wrote this, but there is a reason why I have given this place five stars. As a pet owner, I enjoy taking Pugsly to parks for a walk and this park is conveniently located for me. Now anyone who has lived here over a winter knows that Seattle is a city where it rains a lot in the winter. Pet owners will understand that our dogs will go into most parks and get covered in mud, but that is not the case here. This park has concrete, a wooden deck and a lot of gravel on the ground. This means Pugsly can more or less do his business and not have to worry about getting covered in mud. There are a lot of trash cans around so it is easy to dispose of his poopies. There are bushes at the inside edge of the park and a few spaces with mulch where Pugsly can sniff. Behind the bushes at the back edge are colored lights that come on at night. The park is also has an incline which has a story of the area engraved into metal. It tells of the time when we used to have a trolley that went up and down the big hill that separates the upper and lower Queen Anne neighborhood. Take a few minutes and read about our local history. The colored lights are also under the metal edge of the center of the park. There are several metallic tabels with yellow metallic chairs you can sit at on a clear day. In the summer some of the tables even have umbrellas that they open. It is a great place to sit and people watch or just relax and enjoy a cup of coffee and tea and read. Sometimes some businesses will set up a table here with information or promotions. It is also a good place to meet other people who are walking their dogs. Pugsly likes it because he gets free treats sometimes from his friends. There are several Ginko trees in the park that turn a beautiful yellow in the fall. There is also a long stretch of grass and trees along the edge of Roy Street along the front of the park until you reach Emerald City Medical Arts. Along Queen Anne there are also several trees in small grass squares. So there are plenty of places for your fur baby to sniff and do their business. So that's why I give this quaint and somewhat different park five stars. I am also sure that Pugsly would give this place five stars as well.

This is a different Seattle park, few trees, concrete and gravel blanket the ground instead of the…read moregrass you'd find at other Seattle parks. I used to live down the street from Counterbalance Park (recently moved to Ballard) and have always felt a special affinity for it. I've seen this corner of Roy and Queen Anne Ave change of the years (anyone remember the white stone Flintstone-esque building that used to reside at this corner?) So yeah, Queen Anne has changed but this little Park is an delightful gem. It is an Urban Oasis tucked between two busy streets. A great place to people watch, car watch, and grab a coffee from the coffee shops across the street to sit back and watch the city roll by. There are enough parks further up Queen Anne if you're looking for tucked away, leafy green and quiet parks with a scenic view: By Kracke, Parsons Gardens, Kerry Park, etc. Here, at Counterbalance Park the city embraces what it has become, noisy, colorful, and gritty. But in an aesthetically pleasing way. Visit it at night, enjoy the light show of kaleidoscope colors reflected on the urban backdrop. Breathe in Seattle. YOU made this city this way: busy, noisy, and gritty, so might as well enjoy it!

Pros: - Great views of Mount Rainer (on clear days)…read more- Kids will love the playground in the lower park - Pickleball and basketball courts (limited) Cons: - No shade trees for hot days (in upper park) - Not enough picnic tables - Dogs are supposed to be leashed, but locals (and non locals) let their pets roam freely in a corner of the upper park. It's inconvenient if you want to set up volleyball nets or play frisbee. :-(

Maple Leaf Reservoir Park is a neighborhood park in north Seattle. It spans 16 acres and has a…read morevariety of activities like pickleball courts, baseball fields, basketball courts, and a kids playground. There is a huge loop for joggers and strollers and inside the loop is a huge grassy area for picnics and folks with dogs. The two parts of the park are separated by a set of stairs. Near the public restrooms near the playground is Noah's Butterfly Garden which is a cute little section. I've always driven by this park but have never visited until now, and I might have to continue coming back because it's very nice.

This is likely an outlier of a review for this park but I feel morally obligated to share…read more I took my pups there yesterday to try out a new park. I immediately met two very friendly people, one of whom was a pet sitter and was with several lovely pups. I had zero issues with either of the people or any of the dogs present. In fact, this lady was so kind when the incident occurred - beyond helpful and wonderful. Within five minutes of being there, my older dog, who is just under 8 yrs old, slipped on gravel and presumably incurred a spinal injury. Her hind legs were temporarily paralyzed, she was screaming in pain, and we had to see an emergency immediately. As I was leaving, this incredibly kind woman mentioned that she saw a similar thing happen to a GSD within a week prior to it happening to my dog. Her prognosis is up in the air. If she needs surgery, I can't afford $10k+ and have no idea if she will make it. It's too early to tell. Ironically, the pet sitter was commenting on how agile my girl is for her age within the minute leading up to this incident. I never would've considered that gravel would be such a risk for potential spinal injury/paralysis of larger dogs, but dog parents beware: DOGS RUNNING IN GRAVEL CAN CAUSE SEVERE AND LIFE THREATENING INJURIES! Be cautious when choosing where to let your babies get their zoomies out. I wish I had known better. Seeing her like this is heartbreaking, and for ~5 minutes of fun? I cannot recommend this park on that basis alone.

This is the message I sent the city. I am reporting an…read moreincident that happened on 9/24 at the magnolia dog park. Three huskies, two of which attacked my puppy (4 months old). He was physically hurt and the behaviour of the dogs was extremely out of what is acceptable. During the attack I confronted the dogs, beat them off and helped my pup out of the situation. Please let me know what I can do. At the time I did not have my phone otherwise I would have pics of the dogs and owner. I intend to go back and if they are there again I will get pics of the owner, dogs and anything else that can keep them out of the park. Again, this was an attack. I do understand dogs will be dogs but these huskies are unacceptable.

This skatepark is awesome the coping is super small and it's super fun. There are some homeless…read morepeople around there and occasionally some sketchy people. Great park 7/10

It's so fun to ride with everyone and I like the big bowl and I like that their is more soles to tryread more

Great spot for kids and teens! My teenage son frequently goes with friends after school. I even…read moretook my toddler for tots gym on the wrong day and staff still brought out the toys and balls for us! Also great information center for the area

I reserved one of the larger rooms for my son's first birthday party and this was the perfect…read morevenue. We didn't even end up using the outdoor play structure (which is no longer there apparently), because the kids loved running around inside. The event happened to take place on an abnormally hot day in early May so the outdoor/indoor space was perfect. There were plenty of tables and chairs available and the staff was really helpful. We've also come here for the indoor toddler gym play time... it was okay. There aren't that many toys compared to the Spartan Recreation Center (though that one isn't free), but it was still a good time for my kiddos to run around and play on the bleachers.

Lawton Park is the epitome of a neighborhood park and contains two play structures and little…read moreleague field. It's a bit of an odd trek entering in on 26 Ave as it's a significantly steep climb. Leaving past Williams Avenue also doesn't look on the map like the trail goes through the woods, but boy does it and those mildly creepy woods spit you out right onto 29th Ave. The park itself was incredibly clean and while it didn't boast much seating or culture (the one star loss), it does seem to be aimed at the Elementary School age since it nearly adjoins Lawton Elementary School. I could easily see the school using the field for their local team. For the most part Lawton Park is probably meant only as a park for the school and locals, and doesn't seem to be aimed at being anything other than a children's recreation area so unless you're bringing children here, it's probably not going to be your cup of tea.

Kick ass mountain bike trails, 2 acres in size, will contain over 1.5 miles of trail, which you can…read moreride year-round because they are covered by I-5! lots of fun with steep rock chutes, tight banked turns, wooden teeter totters, ladder bridges, a swinging bridge, and "skinnies"!! Thanks be to the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club, and their many volunteers for making a truly unique space to ride in-town.

Fantastic! Every city needs a Mtn Bike Skills Park like this!…read more Plenty for everyone..... Look for more pics and a review on: http://www.ihatebikes.net/wordpress/spots/bikeparks/seattle-urbanfreeride-park/

Northacres has a great dog park for the pups to play in off leash. It has lots of fenced in winding…read moretrails to explore; water and poop bags are provided. There were only a few things we didn't love about this park. It is right next to I-5, so the loud busy highway is right there. The trails are also quite narrow, so my two Golden's would easily lose track of me and come racing around the corner because they thought I was lost! When we went, during the week in the morning, we were the only ones there. It was nice if you like the space, but we tend to enjoy meeting other dogs more.

A nice setting with many opportunities to relax in the shade as kids play and run thru the splash…read morepark (relatively small, but atop a maze - similar to the one at Artists At Play - and with small and tall water features for all ages), or playground. There is a paved path that winds around and throughout for bicycles and scooters, but be aware of kids that just stop and dismount suddenly in the middle! So many trees around, and walking paths through the woods for the adventurous and shade-seeking park visitors. An ice cream truck makes its away around a couple times on summer afternoons, so go prepared with cash.