As one of the most unique lakes in the state, Lake Union Piers sits entirely inside the city limits and has numerous public and private piers that support houseboats, marinas, floating homes, and recreational boating. The entire setup is sort of like a front row view of the city, where one can learn visually by walking to the various piers that surround Lake Union. On select days one might see kayakers paddling next to bougie yachts, historic houseboats tied up next to ultra-modern marinas, while people watching joggers and bikers ride around the lake. On the best weather days, the view Seattle skyline is beautiful, as is the Aurora bridge, and Gas Works Park. It's not the most touristy spot, but it is a way to experience the euphoria of Seattle living while absorbing all the nature with it. Early morning summer visits are some of the best times here: crowds are sparse, the water is still, the air is clean, and one can feel the city of Seattle in all of its sensory glory. read more

See all

This is such a beautiful park! On a nice day, I love walking around this park with my senior pup! The grass is nice and green (lots of goose poop though), fun to watch the sea planes land in the water, near the wooden boats and museum. Great place to read with seating throughout the park in forms of tables, benches, and ledges. They also host events here once in awhile! read more

Lake Union Piers - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Beautiful park! We were lucky enough to see a sea plane land. It's right next to a Museum read more

What a nice walk. I love you can have great view from here. You can watch boats, lake, airplanes going up and down, and also Spaceneedle from the other side. Great for pictures with flowers around on spring and plenty of ducks the rest of the year. Just watch out not sstepping into too many poop. It smells when it's alot or on a rainy day in March. Saint Patrick's landing is performed here by the way. Not too crowdy and interesting for little kids. Museum is right next to you. You can park here. It gets very busy and has a time limit. Also remember to park the correct way or you will be fined. Very centric place where you can take the train and move around downtown. Nice restaurants around, city golf, breweries, etc. My only question would be: were are the Restrooms? read more

Lake Union Park is essentially an outdoors empty auditorium, broken up by stairs, a fountain, and a bridge. There could be statues and art in the massive amount of open space, but instead the most interesting part of the Park is that it adjoins the Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop. On the east end of the loop you'll find a lovely waterfront stroll and on the west end it bypasses Goose Beach, which is a cute grass lawn ducks tend to favor and a small shore. All in all, it could stand to take a few pointers from Olympic Sculpture Park in having a bit more culture, but it's a clean and pleasant space to spend time in. read more

Beautiful view across the water if you walk all the way down to the edge of the dock. You can see seaplanes takeoff and fall foliage surrounding buildings to one side and across the water. Highly recommend walking by for some sunset photos in Seattle! read more

Lake Union Park was located directly across the street from the hotel we were staying at while on vacation visiting Seattle & we would just walk over to Lake Union Park during the evenings to watch the sunset & enjoy fresh air. This park is such a great park to hang out at w/ plenty of benches, an area w/ ducks, & even a ground water fountain feature. Even though this park did get lots of use by others, (exercising, sitting & hanging out, ect) it never felt crowded because of all the open space. It was very clean as well. Stay awesome Lake Union Park! ~Rebecca read more

Lake Union Piers - 9/01/2021 - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

At last made the trip up to this waterside park in South Lake Union. The park itself is small and only takes a short stroll to lap around the perimeter. Attractions such as the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) and the Center for Wooden Boats can be visited here. We had good timing to see a seaplane take off from Lake Union with coastal city views. Since it was springtime, goslings of Canada geese were spotted among the mallard ducks and sunbathing turtles. Pathways are decorated with flowerbeds and navigate to a fountain with a clear backdrop of the Space Needle. It is more convenient to walk to the park, but there is a small pay to park lot available. read more

Lake Union Piers - Seaplane on Lake Union. - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

With parking spaces present and public transportation options to get here galore, boat loading docks present, beach access present, and paved walking paths hugging the lakeside, this is a decent hangout place in the city. Not the cleanest water to swim in, but it's the city, so it can't be helped lol. Also watch out for the goose and duck poop when walking! read more

Lake Union Piers - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

Here for a Seattle wedding weekend, we discovered this delightful park after a dinner at one of the great local eateries. It is a short stroll from surrounding hotels or Amazons Campus and is a unique urban gem, close to the center of downtown Seattle. The park provides quite a bit of access to green space, is harbor-front and has a great view of the Space Needle. Lake Union celebrates cultural, maritime with a wood boat museum, boating access and has a show and tell of the industrial heritage of the city and region. Quite the interesting history in this area including some historic greats like Boeing and other historic companies It is home to the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) The Beezos funded creation and a walking tour of classic boats which includes a couple of party boats for rent and venue boats. The only knock on the park is the excessive Goose or duck crap and the reality that it is a city park so if you are looking for more serene environments get out of the city! read more

See all

Beautiful waterfront park on the south end of Lake Union, highly walkable. Both MOHAI and Center for Wooden Boats are within park grounds, love walking the piers to look at the boats docked here. Very peaceful strolls along the waterfront - the wooden paths let you get up right against the water. Dog-friendly, family-friendly park. Love the duck pond and pedestrian arch bridge, also lots of geese in the area. Plenty of metered parking available. Fun to watch seaplane take off and land on the water, especially during the summer. read more

See all

A small lovely in-city waterfront Park with so much to offer. You can swim at the clean sandy beach with your kids and dogs, sunbath, stroll the grassy grounds or flower gardens & footbridge, paddle your kayak, learn to sail a tiny electric sailboat, visit the nearby Museum Of History And Industry or the Wooden Boat Center. Maybe pack a picnic lunch or grab a meal at the MANY local eateries from casual to fancy. This park offers many ways to play & so much to see: boats big & small, views of the Space Needle, seaplanes taking off & landing, water fowl, tourists & more. This park is a very short walk to 3 major hotels, or hop on South Lake Union Transit for a short ride to Downtown Seattle. read more

See all

The key thing you need to know about Lake Union Park is that it is home to dozens of Canadian Geese. And as we all know, geese only have one job, and that job is to poop. Everywhere. With those nuggets of information, you can deduce that Lake Union Park is where all of these geese come out to snack on grass and litter the side walks, gravel paths, and grass with defecation. Yet, on a sunny seattle afternoon, you will still see people laying face down in the grass, trying to get their tan on Perks: This park is very easy to get to via foot, bike, or car. There is free parking in the lots along Westlake Ave after 4pm, and the space is also extremely dog friendly. It's a great place to let your dog swim, catch a ball, and of course, chase the geese. I've seen a number of people hammocking here during the summer as well, so if you're looking for some trees with a 7-ft gap between them, this is a great place to visit! Other things to be aware of: This is a hot spot for our local homeless population. If you're not into breathing in large amounts of marijuana and body odor, you'll want to be aware of that feature. Additionally, a hot summer's day may tempt you to jump off the nearby bridge into the lake. If you do jump, go off the south side of the bridge, and don't dive. There's a large log underneath the north side and it's very shallow on the south side. read more

See all

This is a great park to go with the family, there's parking lots to make it easy for to get to. The view is amazing and the old ruins are cool to look at! read more

See all

Four star bc I'm water deprived visiting from NC. It's missing a star bc the water is full of microscopic parasites that got into E's skin, all over his body. Itches like poison ivy so beware. So if you're sensitive, shower immediately. I think there's an outdoor shower by the restrooms. We should've known since there are many geese and ducks around. Water is too warm from global warming so the nasties are thriving. Beware! read more

What a beautiful view of the lake. We were lucky enough to see one of the sea planes take off, which was a first for us. Strolled through the park taking a short walk to our destination for dinner. Enjoyed the view, relaxing walk and crisp air. Loved the jeweled boats they were pleasing to the eye and were a nice addition to our walk. read more

See all

Amazing place. Besides the beautiful lake, museum, museum boats, park, water equipment rentals, benches, walking paths. Great place to visit. read more

This is a cool little park to venture to after stuffing yourself with chowder at Duke's. It's a nice open green space with a place to hang by the water and watch the booze cruises come in. Bottom line: Not super exciting, but a nice little place to chill for a bit. read more

Lake Union Piers - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

Lovely lake conveniently located right across from our hotel. Great place for picture taking, romantic rendezvous, or even quiet time to self reflect. This is definitely a high traffic location with joggers, boaters, people swimming, kayaking, and apparently this is the spot to get married (good for both top notch, expensive nuptials or quiet and quaint). Hands down, this is one of Seattle's gems!! Don't miss out on the gorgeous view and relaxing atmosphere :) read more

See all

Great panoramic views - the city, houses, lake, trees. Also near a spot where the water planes take off from. Lots of beautiful boats to look at. Benches in the shade. A great place to draw or people watch. A nice respite from the bustle of downtown. Pass by the Center for Wooden boats on your way. read more

A nice place to sit or take a walk when you need a second. I come here often and it's never too crowded in my experience. read more

See all

I live couple blocks from this park and love being so close. Very spacious and with a a great Lake Union view all the way to Gas Works. I ride an airwheel and love riding around, but usually when it's not infested by geese droppings. Speaking of geese, there's a lot. They are all very chill and mind their own business. One day I was riding and spotted one with plastic around its beak...After asking some people for help, we were able to surround it and remove it! Please don't litter!! read more

See all

This park is a great place to hang back and pretend you're not in the city. Considering the close proximity to various traffic noise sources, it's actually pretty quite. Great place for people watching as people walk their dogs, get their exercise in, or just enjoy each others company. There are even Segway tours that go through, which can be entertaining when there's a lot of foot traffic. Swing by the pond and see what nature is up to. A lot of times you can find cranes and/or herons chillin' in there. Definitely a great location to relax for awhile and then possibly enjoy one of the many businesses that are within walking distance! read more

This is a beautiful park that was created as part of the renovation of the South Lake Union. It is adjacent to the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), Center for Wooden Boats and a model boat pond, which is quite popular with children. Including Gas Work Park in the north end. A giant fountain is located in the middle of the park and there are trails all around. It was a nice warm sunny day in August. Enjoying this area away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. It's a real nice place to escape to, watching the Sea Planes coming in and taking off again. Canadian geese present a drawback, because of their droppings. I recommend careful of the ground before sprawling anywhere in the area. Easily accessible from Downtown Seattle via bus, streetcar or foot. read more

See all

This place used to be pretty dumpy, but with the gentrification (look at that $5.00 word!) of the SLU neighborhood, money has been dumped into this now beautiful, and for the most part empty, park. I drive past it occasionally, and see that new pedestrian bridge... so today I tell hubby that we are going to check it out. Of course he obliges; he didn't have much of a choice, did he? We saw lots of water fowl, and a few of the seaplanes take off. It was slightly windy, and made for a nice little Saturday. We even took a tour of the Virginia V ( http://www.virginiav.org ) - one of the last of the "mosquito fleet" boats - for free! The only thing bad is the amount of Canadian geese poop there is everywhere... but that's only nature and you can't stop that! I can only imagine this place to be bustling with tourists any day now. Until then, I'll come here and call it my own. Thank you, city of Seattle! read more

Lake Union Piers - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The view from Lake Union will never fail you. Rain or shine, you can always come here for a gorgeous view, visit Mohai , grab a drink after. It's a prettier park in Seattle. You can walk across the bridge! It's super cute. The sail boats, dog walking area, the sea planes! Parking is free after 4 pm! Score! read more

Lake Union Piers - Brighter than the sun! - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Interesting lake. Came in by the duck tour bus, took us through and around for a beautiful viewpoint of downtown's skyscrapers. The lake is surrounded entirely by homes and buildings. You have to go there at least once just to name drop right? read more

Lake Union Piers - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Freaking AMAZING and beautiful view. You can chill on the grass or on the deck. I mean I just loved the vibe watching the water and the sunset. This was probably my favorite part of my vacation in Seattle. Just lovely and not a lot of people. I would stay here for hours and just relax. read more

Lake Union Piers - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Beautiful park in South Lake Union. Quiet for the area it is in and peaceful and clean. Parking is cheap but during peak seasons can be harder to find and parking spots are very narrow. Great neighborhood. read more

What a fun place to find while checking out Seattle. Lots of fun history around this area. Plenty of green space for playing and relaxing. Great views and you can always visit the museum. Too bad I did not have the dogs on this trip. Close to many great resturants as well. read more

See all

Great park in the middle of the city. You get to see some nature and explore the history of the area all at the same time. There are landmarks dotted around the area, there is wildlife running amok, and humans tearing up the grass. Transients litter the grassy areas in the shade during the day, trying to sleep the day away, and you will need to mind the traffic on your approach, as this is a cross roads for several busy streets and even the trolley. The location puts you close to a lot of popular destinations in Seattle, but you won't get here by accident. Be prepared to get through crowds to get here. Stay a while to enjoy it at a local business. read more

See all

This park is near the Amazon SLU Campus and a little treasure! I walked down for some quick air and was pleasantly surprised at how quiet and peaceful it was. It's a great place for walking your dog or just sitting on the many benches and chairs provided and eating a meal. I can see this being a great place to spend the summer afternoons or nights. Hopefully it continues to be a nice quiet place to take a break from the madness. read more

Lake Union Piers - Parks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

On a sunny day this is a great place to hang out. There are boats, seaplanes, people, and city scapes to view. What did I learn today? Careful of all of the geese crap everywhere. The curse of any Seattle park. read more

great views - nice walking distance to a lot of great restaurants. plenty of parking around the area for a reasonable price too. Awesome views of the sea planes and yachts coming in and out of the docks. You have the Mohai museum there, wooden boats center, a long stretch of water fountain for kids and adults alike on hot days. Even a little beach area to launch small boats and wade in the water. There really isn't anything to NOT like about this park except of the mounds of geese poop EVERYWHERE. For such a nice park (I know it'll get dirty again) but there should be someone attempted to clean it daily/weekly or something. i kid you not when I say its every where. read more

Last Wednesday was the grand opening of the revamped park, so the kids and I head down the following day to see what Mr. Nickels' latest "toot my own horn" event was all about. The Good: Huge amounts of open grassy space for cabin fever-bound children to run amok. Beautiful new pedestrian bridge perfect for teaching kids about gravity as they drop rocks down into the water, as well as chat with a pair of kayakers paddling below us (and no, no kayakers were harmed by aforementioned falling rocks). Kenmore Air located right next door was perfect as we stood upon the bridge as a handful of seaplanes took off and flew just a couple hundred feet above our transportation-obsessed heads (dig dig!!). And should your day allow for it, the Center for Wooden Boats is located beside the bridge. That's a lot of wood. The Bad: Paying for parking at ANY city park still rubs me the wrong way; I just grew up thinking that parks should always be one of those adventures where nature is appreciated gratis. And despite the millions of dollars spent on this expansive park remodel, there isn't exactly a lot to actually DO there. But hey, grass is cool. Or something. The Ugly: On the east side of the pedestrian bridge is a mix of concrete paths and more daisy-lined grassy goodness... immediately followed by a sharp drop off into the water as there are absolutely no railings separating land and lake for hundreds of feet. This makes a care giver's job very hard as it IS a requirement for me to return my children alive at the end of my work day. The threat of drowning for my children at a city park, a brand new city park at that, is a major no-no in my book. Go figure, we all have our quirks! read more

Lake Union Park is great if you really like goose poop. And/or wooden boats. The "history" bridge and model boat pond are kinda cool. But really, what good is a park if it's too gross to walk on the grass? read more

It is so lovely here. Peaceful and calming amid our big giant eat you up city! Grass, water, trees swating, birds singing.... It took forever to finish if you were counting the months and promises and feeling abandonded. It's done now. BIG drawback.. they took OUT a lot of parking WTF!!! It is Seattle and we still drive cars.The bus schedule is severely limited on weekends and NONexistent on holidays.. I have a long sad story of walking home on July 4... after a long on my feet from a volunteer shift. So! Plan ahead! Bus, knowing the schedule. park far away or fly in your helicopter and land in the sound! The park is lovely and has its own unique outdoorsy charm. read more

This is a beautiful park. There is a water feature for the kids. Nothing makes me smile than seeing my little one having a great time during the summer. The trees are beautiful, so much so that I take pictures every time I go there. If you go at the right time, you may catch a breeze blowing through the branches. Around the same time, you may find lavender in full bloom, offering a distinctive scent, and looking beautiful in the sunshine. Being located near Mohai, there are a couple of things. First, there is no bathroom. The only bathroom nearby is Mohai, unless they've built one since the last time I was there. I'm wondering how that works since they have a water feature. There's nowhere for kids to change or go to the bathroom because I'm almost positive (almost) that the Parks folks wouldn't want kids peeing in the water but hey, that's just me. As you walk around, there are plenty of places to sit - benches, concrete, grass, etc. The Center for Wooden Boats is there which means there's a huge pool of water, where you can often find a few boats floating around. If you keep walking across the bridge (which I've seen many people jumping off into the water), you reach a place where you can swim in the water. Every so often, a dragon boat or two may zip by to turn around. Kids can be found in the water. Each time I've been there, I've also seen tons of people with their dogs, off leash, both playing and swimming in the water. This park is a nice revision to the area. I wish I had more reason to go there but I make it when I can, as I do with most parks. read more

I've been coming here quite often for walks and just a place to sit, relax, picnic and read. Plenty of parking (free after 6pm or all day Sunday). Just watch out for all the bird poo! A number of things to do nearby including MOHAI, Center for Wooden Boats, Argosy, Moss Bay for kayaking and paddle boarding, etc. read more

I came here for Seattle annual dragon boat festival. There were a ton of kayak teams ready to compete and I thought it was lovely. Different kayaks, decorations and team logos filled the park and it was nice to sit down and watch the races. As far as food goes- I thought there would be more. There were 2 food trucks. Mexican tacos and a fried chicken truck. I wasn't able to try either one but they both smelled delicious. read more