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Lake Union

4.6 (39 reviews)

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Overhead shot of wedding on Lake Union
Richard P.

I've been going through photos from my Seattle trip and realized that there were some potential reviews I'd completely ignored. This includes Lake Union itself, a glacial freshwater lake located entirely within the Seattle City limits and attracting its name due to its location by two neighborhoods - Eastlake and Westlake together known as Lake Union. I was fortunate enough to actually officiate a wedding directly on Lake Union aboard the MV Skansonia. As someone who typically performs low-budget, urban weddings I can easily say this was the most magnificent and picturesque wedding I've performed (and that doesn't even include the fact it was my own goddaughter's wedding). Lake Union encompasses 580 acres. It's a major part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Lake Union is host to a variety of recreations including two seaplane companies (Kenmore Air and Seattle Seaplanes). Pleasure boats pass through on the way to Puget Sound. There's an annual wooden boat festival hosted by Center for Wooden Boats. Each week, Lake Union hosts the Duck Dodge Sailboat Races (on Tuesdays). There was never a time that I was near the lake that I didn't see paddleboats and kayaking. Several Parks are around the lake - Gas Works Park is the biggest and most noteworthy as it hosts Seattle's Fourth of July fireworks and a variety of concerts. Other parks include North Passage Point Park, South Passage Point Park, Fairview Park, Terry Pettus Park, and South Lake Union Park. There are floating homes around certain parts of Lake Union. As a fun fact, in Sleepless in Seattle Tom Hanks's character lived in one of these homes. While Lake Union is considered a freshwater lake, it's worth noting that it has a connection via the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks to the saltwater Puget Sound. The maximum depth of Lake Union is 50 feet and average is around 34 feet. Because this is also a glacial lake, it has a history that dates back 12,000 years with a basin dug by the Vashon Glacier (Yes, I looked this up. I was curious). It received its present name from Thomas Mercer in 1854. You can clearly see a good majority of downtown Seattle from Lake Union and when I performed the wedding the Space Needle was incredibly visible behind me. I was staying about a mile away in the University District and was fairly easily able to travel by wheelchair down to the actual lake (though it's worth noting that a return would have largely been uphill and more challenging). There are ample trails that make the journey easier. It's really impossible to assess accessibility in terms of a "lake," though Seattle is a weird mixture of really inclusive attitudes along with a terrain that sometimes makes that accessibility more of an ideal than a reality. During my week in Seattle, I visited more than one restaurant that would never meet ADA guidelines. My favorite place, I think, on Lake Union was Ivar's Salmon House. It offered great food, fair prices, and amazing views.

Sunny Monday at Lake Union
Helene S.

Beautiful glacial freshwater lake located within the city limits of Seattle. Grab an outside patio table at Ivar's Salmon House for great views of the seaplanes and the Space Needle. Gas Works Park is the largest park on the lake. Grab a blanket and come here for a beautiful fireworks display on the Fourth of July. Floating homes line the lake. This is where Tom Hank's floating home was in Sleepless in Seattle.

Rachel S.

The view is just beautiful, peaceful and calming. You walk around along the end and just soak up that view and fresh air. Just beautiful.

Jon L.

While it is a great spot to visit all year around, there is nothing like a summer on Lake Union. It is the reason why I visit Gas Works Park often in the warm months of the year in Seattle just to see the view when the sun shines on the water. Lake Union is the site of the popular Independence Day fireworks display in Seattle every year. In the summer, you will see plenty of boats big and small mulling about in its waters. As well as people performing water activities like kayaking and paddleboarding. Many Seattle attractions like the Lake Union houseboats and the MOHAI are located by the water here. And a common sight daily on the lake are the Kenmore Air seaplanes departing and arriving as Lake Union is the one of the airline's hub locations. Whether you own a boat or not, I think you should take a cruise on Lake Union at least once in your lifetime. It is nice to take in the lake from land, but traveling through its waters offers you a different look that makes you appreciate it more.

Debra W.

Love the park - it is perfect for a nice stroll in the sun and enjoying the freshness of the lake. It is nice to come down for a little date or with the family. On our visit they were hosting a wooden boat festival so we got to see all these wooden boats and it was interesting. They had a few vendors set up and we purchased some delicious jerky as well. They also had several food trucks but because we just had brunch we did not indulge in any. But they all looked so good. We were able to get amazing pictures here as well.

Taking a tour
Patricia A.

Here at the lake taking a cruise around the bay and locks. Lots to do here park, riding bikes, sea planes, swimming, paddle boarding, and lots to choose from to eat or just relaxing.

ChauTime X Counting all The StarZ be-Pho bed is hella hard... Lost count at 3billion long a$$ Night!!!!
Peter C.

ChauTime Season 2: Episode 6 Reppin The 6 Side!!! Down on the West Coast they got a sayin, "If you're not drinkin' then you're not playin'." That's EggZachLy WTF I be doing 0 to a 100 Real Quick Fuck Being on Sum Chill Shit!!! This is My B.A.E (Before Anyone Else), G.O.A.T(Greatest of All Time) Water Bed on The 6 Side that keeps me Alive and Lush!!! There is no Greater Place in the Entire World to Me than my City from the Day after the 4th of July till Labor Day! Seattle is the Most Beautiful Place in the U.S. to me during that time with the best air, aquatic life (cause best believe I'm about that life I Get it I Get It), food, memories, and the environment has got girls singing and swaying like they are in love off Molly or something as a matter a fact Every Seattleite breaks Free and Roars to come out to play this time because everyone is Rolling!!! I stay Reppin My City!!! Being A Full Time 808 in the 20...6 Side Beach Bum with Sand in Between My Chubby CheekZ ...Wit lil Bit in the Crack Lake Union is the place I go for my Full Time Seasonal Summer Job!!! BOAT LIFE X WakeBoarding!!! Here I go 0 to 100 Real Quick (FYI: SPEED LIMIT IS 15 Knots) There is nothing Butter in the Summertime Than Being on a Boat, Gettin it in B with that Vitamin Till You are as Darker than a Guido or a Third World Banana Boater like a Lady Boi From Pattaya ThaiRand, Speedin on a Boat Drinking Throwing them Hands Up Like You Just Don't Care then Throw Some Gang Signs while you're at it, Having Boat Hopping Parties, and Riding the $hit outta Those Waves WakeBoarding Like your Asian 2Pac Screaming "THUG WIFE" Born to Die, Young and Beautiful, Look Ma No Hands and Drown in the water ... Breathless!!! My Big Home "Anthony Bourdain" ... actually since I have already used him in more than 10 Reviews lets Rewind Time To My other Big Home "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!!!" Will Smith and Dj Jazzy Jeff know whats up when it's the "Summertime" just Like the Song and Best Believe When It's Summer Time I Be Partyin the city where the heat is on, All night on the beach til the break of dawn!!! Just like Prince in "Miami" Cept for one Thing It's We$t Side Till I Die!!! "Welcome to Seattle, I'm Going to Seattle!!!" I call in Sick a Lot during the Summer because I am PHUCKING sick of Work and Need to Pursue My Dreams of Being Burnt Till I match the same Black Hue of my iPhone and can ride The Waves as Good as I did when I was about that 6 Life on Nintendo with Tony Hawk Pro Skater Tree!!! Life PHO Me in the Summertime is the Equivalent of "Chow" From The Hangover!!! I Like to have "SICK NIGHTS", "TooDaRoo 2 MothaPhuckerZ", and Do Anything That Involves LIVING and the MOTTO IS REARRY YOLO doing anything with the Quote in the Back Of My Mind "BUT DID YOU DIE MOTHA PHUCKER" For The Heat Of The Moment, I am having Lana Del Ray S'cuse me Lana Del WEi BanZ issues on Da Pho Rieu Doe!!! SUMMER TIME SADNESS but I'm counting down these days like the Anticipation to Dr. DRE's new album I have been Waiting for since 2001!!! Food: Westward- You rearry Think I wouldn't Include Food in a Review WTF dis ChauTime Get Dat A$$ Pourin Up Sum Drank, OYSTERS cause "The World Is My Oyster" and what ever ShhMancy Shit thurr!!! This is where I dock The Boat!!! (Warning: Do Not Trust Asians Docking a Boat Like Chau While Dining The Boat Could be Untied and Float Up Up And Away Like the Fat Kid From "UP"!!! ) Seagulls- Never Tried One But I'm Sure they taste like Chicken. LockNessMonster- I'm down to experiment with most things in life but idk how good this will taste it's old as shit from what I hear!!! Pho Now, Herro KittyZ X BABBY SquirrelZ and "SO LONG GAY BOYS" "TooDaRoo MothaFUCKA" -Chow From "The Hangover pt.1,2,3,9 X ChauTime!!! "Chuckin Up The Deuces" Like I'm a Fan Of A Fan Like Brown X T-Raw or Chow X Chau!!!

Snoww!
Latifa S.

Lake Union- my favorite lake in Seattle! Wanna go boating? Sailing? Watch the sunset? Or ride the duck around the lake? Maybe watch Fourth of July fireworks? It's all here. Lake Union is all that and a few bag of chips. Stunning lake with the view of space needle, gasworks park, that 99 bridge, houseboats, all the bustling restaurants on and around the Lake makes this place one hot tamale. And I love every bit of it. This is the lake to be whether one wants to take off on a seaplane, or go paddle board, boating, sailing and everything else in between! And to top it off, I get to see the stunning July fourth and New year fireworks without leaving my balcony. And watch stunning sunsets every single day from my house. I must have had taken over several hundreds pictures by now but still can't get enough. The new Museum and the park make it that much easier to walk around the lake. And that south lake union transit!! Or if you choose, just go to one of the many restaurants, sit on their decks and sip libations till the sun sets away in front of your eyes. Can't get any better than that!!

Sunrise. Lake union.
Ming L.

Really? You can review a lake? Yes this lake is pretty awesome, it's blue and watery and all that. On a serious note, I see boats and canoes out there all the time during sunny days, and seeing planes taking off and landing there. I would imagine it's a decent place to boat if you don't want to venture too far from Seattle. On a sunny day it is probably more crowded than if you drive to Eastern WA and boat on one of those lakes though. But it's convenient.

Daniel F.

This is the lake proper in the area. The park named for it is definitely a whole other animal. In these waters you will find both boats, seaplanes, waterfowl, turtles, fish, and most likely a host of other shellfish and bottom feeders. I also know that sturgeon will frequent these waters, but they are usually too deep, snacking on the bottom. This lake is a host of a variety of tours and educational activities, and continues to call back to the roots of the area, which was a village on the lake. The nearby park has more details about the history of the lake, but it is obviously an important body of water both for commercial and ecological reasons. Even though you will find trash and industrial waste happen from time to time here, the area is still pretty healthy for being such a heavily trafficked area. I've lived in areas where the water was much less healthy, and it had a distinct affect on the impression of the area. There are plenty of humans that will be here during the summer actually brave enough to get their skin in that water, but you won't catch me in there. I'll avoid potential contaminants, thank you very much. Kayaking on the water looks fun, but so far my only experience has been on a larger tour boat at night. Either way, the lake is a great place to relax, and it is definitely a contributing factor why people want to come here.

A view of the Lake
Alison V.

Lake Union can make it a bit difficult to navigate the city but it's still wonderful place -- as in you have to transfer 3 times on buses to get around it sometimes and sometimes you wish you had an amphibious car when you just need to get from Eastlake to the other side. Tuesdays in the summer provide entertainment in the form of the Duck Dodge. 4th of July the lake allows for a fabulous fireworks show. Also, there's the seaplanes which take off and land daily from there. Oooohhh and don't forget the wooden boats that you can sometimes hear the horns from if you live close enough. All in all, Lake Union adds to the charm of Seattle.

Thomas B.

Dear Lake Union, I love you. Yes it's true, the way the sun glimmers on your waters, the way you offer sanction to the oh so small sailboats and you lead a journey to the gallant ocean for the bigger vessels.. You allow me to run around you at all times during the day. You remind my girl her fear of heights when raising your Fremont Bridge. You allow me to kayak and go sailing for free! And on the days where I feel oh so blue you allow me to sit on my balcony drink a beer and watch all the activity's on and around you.. Yes it's true, your the reason I got my apartment, and in times when I don't feel like walking an extra 1.5 miles I can always count on your S.L.U.T (South Lake Union Trolley) to go downtown(extreme pun intended)... Yes Lake Union, I love you.. even though I am not aloud to dive in you (more pun)

Richard U.

We are incredibly spoiled with all the natural beauty in this city. Lake Union is that body of water that lies between Lake Washington in the east and Shilshoe Bay and essentially Puget Sound in the east. Since it is surrounded by the city, it is one of the most utilized body of water for recreation. There are public access points, and a few places where you can rent a kayak or canoe. Since it isn't very big, I like to see it via kayak. I have my own but you can easily rent them over at the Agua Verde paddle club. You can paddle right up to Alaskan fishing fleet vessels, cruise around Gas Works Park or just watch the sea planes from Kenmore Air take of and land right over you! You can even poke around some of the eclectic house boats that ring the shore or just float under some of the massive bridges that criss-cross over head. You can even park your vessel over at Ivar's Salmon house for a quick bite! Have I conviced you to check out Lake Union yet?

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2 years ago

A nice lake near Seattle, usually has several events through out the year. See quite a few boats out on the lake also.

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8 years ago

This is a beautiful park. However it had duck poop all over. I couldn't really enjoy this place.

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16 years ago

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17 years ago

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16 years ago

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14 years ago

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10 years ago

Fantastic place to boat. Very friendly people on the water, respectful of each other's space.

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15 years ago

Good place to hang out on the water and do some kayaking on a nice day, but it will be busy. It always is.

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13 years ago

Great views and lots of things to do around Lake Union. Also, great place to eat, run and boat. Enjoy the beauty of Seattle.

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Review Highlights - Lake Union

I've raced Duck Dodge every season for the last 3 years (this year's season is over).

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Alki Beach Park - (1/14/25)

Alki Beach Park

(388 reviews)

Alki

It can get pretty crowded, although it's to be expected to a place this gorgeous. Who doesn't like…read morethe beach? When I visited, there were cyclists, roller skaters, people flying kites, numerous dog-walkers and even a pair out walking their pet goats!? Totally amazing atmosphere. On clear days, there are great views of Seattle and surrounding mountains. On lucky days, you can spot orca whales! Keep an eye out especially during the fall and winter, or if you're particularly committed, there are several social media groups dedicated to posting about whale sightings. You might just want to bring along a pair of binoculars whenever you visit...just in case. There's street parking that's a close stroll to the beach, and one public washroom that I could find.

According to history, "Alki Beach is the site of the landing of the first white settlers in Seattle…read moreon a cold, stormy day in November of 1851. Chief Seattle and his tribe greeted them and helped them build their cabin to stave off the cold, wet winter." Little did that settlers know that a little over 100 years following this the beach would be a party beach with teens driving up and down the street with their loud motors, bonfires and Bluetooth speakers and other activity clearly trying to draw attention. The beach itself is nice but it's way crowded. I came here and it was only like mid-April, and it happened to be a decent day with some sun but boy was it crowded and noisy. Like a lot of beaches parking is a bit touch and go as well with mostly street parking that you have to luck out with. I'm told you can walk and bike your way downtown from here which must be interesting. While Alki is nice, the vibe seems totally for the young blood out here trying to impress one another. Lincoln Park beach is a bit more my scene.

Hidden Lake - What used to be Hidden Lake after being filled in - Wednesday 23 August 2023.

Hidden Lake

(4 reviews)

Hidden Lake belongs to the ducks. Even Schatzi the Münsterländer, a hunting dog we trained for use…read morein duck hunting, doesn't go after the ducks here. One day a duck flew over the lake, then in front of us, twisting in midair so its feet faced us then flew back to the lake and landed as if to say, hey I'm not afraid of you two. Schatzi just looked at me and was mildly amused by the duck, she looked more interested in going swimming. The lake has been closed to swimming and wading for a while due to pollution issues, so keep that in mind when visiting. Trails from Shoreview Park, from Boeing Creek Park, and Innis Arden Way are the easiest way to access Hidden Lake. If you are a bird air access might be easiest and if you are a salmon water access from Boeing Creek may be the easiest. During the Spring and Summer it is especially fun to come here and look for ducks and their babies. My mom and I have been standing on the shore and had a bunch of ducklings and adult ducks invade the beach as we were standing there. Duck and duckling diving sessions are captivating to watch. Odd creatures also abound here... I once saw what might have been a baby Sasquatch. I have found traffic to the lake to be heavier in the early evenings and during the summer months when middle schoolers and high schoolers frequent the lake and surrounding parks. When I run at Shoreview Park I enjoy tacking on a cool down to Hidden Lake to look for critters in the mornings and evenings.

The lake is now a stream/natural area. It was changed in early-mid 2023. I do miss the lovely lake…read morebut now there are raised wooden walkways in the area.

Lake Washington - Happy Birthday GM!!!!!!! DUBS WINNNNN.

Lake Washington

(8 reviews)

I will say that we felt like we got a decent deal on these windows. However, after the sale, our…read moresales rep, John, was almost non existent. I would send him texts/ calls about updates or who i could contact, and a week would go by without an answer. And this would be after he would tell me on multiple occasions that someone would contact me in a few days... I would give another day or two grace period before reaching out to John to see what was going on and who i could reach out to, to follow up with, and he wouldn't respond to me either. I had to get my partner involved multiple times to follow up because he would answer calls from him but not me but after some time would ignore calls/ texts from him too. It got to the point where I had to call the office directly and ask for his supervisor to get some answers on more than one occasion. He also said that he would be there for our final measurements and window install and never showed up to either. On top of all of that, they broke their contract to us. They claimed that they would have the install done within a certain time frame when we signed and they went past that by several weeks, which we found very inconsiderate of our time. Lastly, the install team was great but they told us completely different things than the guy who did the final measurements. He helped prepare us for the build and told us how it would go and the install guys said that none of what he said mattered and things had to be done completely differently than we were prepared for, costing us even more money on this install. It would have been one thing if they were consistent and we knew what to expect. But it just felt like not a single department talks to each other ever and multiple people kept telling us multiple things. We love our milgard windows and glad that everything is over with. But we did not appreciate how lake washington handled everything and treated us.

Confession: I've spent a lot…read more.. A LOT... ***A-FREAKING-LOT*** ...of my life interacting with Lake Washington in some way. Whether it be crossing its floating bridges zillions of times in my car over the decades, swimming in its cool murky depths on hot summer days, waterskiing behind my uncle's boat as a kid, watching the Seafair hydroplane races from its shores or gazing upon its many moods when my parents owned a home on its waters Lake WA has been part of my life since pretty much the day I was born. Dotted with parks, docks, homes, apartments, mansions, compounds of famous Seattle citizens, marinas, restaurants, roads, trails, roads and the aforementioned floating bridges Lake Washington literally has something for every mood. In the mood for a foresty hike? Seward Park has you covered. Need a place to run the dog and/or the kids? Look no farther than Magnusson Park. Want to have a nice dinner on the waterfront? Hit up Renton, Leschi or Kirkland. Love college football? Husky Stadium looks right out on the lake. Prefer to view it up close? You can rent a kayak for the day to ply its calming shores. As much a part of the Seattle landscape as the Space Needle, ferries or Mount Rainier, Lake Washington may often go unnoticed. But truly, it's a magical place in so many ways.

Lake Union - lakes - Updated May 2026

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