Across the street from the Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook, this park is one of the many lovely…read moreplaces to stop when you're in West Seattle. Overall this park is quite simple. There are some places to picnic and chill in the grass as well as some trails along the hillside. It's not worth a trip, but if you're in the area you might as well. Easy street parking in the area.

So I like to hike as you have seen in my previous reviews :D I went on summer so probably that's…read morewhy it was a bit dry. GPS brought me to a neighborhood where there is no entrance to the greenbelt/park. Narrow streets with hills so try following this Yelp's map ;) I parked on the other side and decided to hike up through the narrow trail entrance in the middle of some bushes behind a board with a bit of history of the neighborhood. There are some water storages up the hill. You go around quickly. We crossed the street and went to a beach at the end of two buildings. I don't think dogs can get into the water. And even if they could, there is a lot of algae and driftwood.

I love this park!…read more It's always so busy. I love watching people play ping pong. The buskers are fun, too. There are many restaurants in the vicinity that you can grab some food and come back to the park with. There are many community events that are fun to join. Many exercise groups come here too. It's very community-focused. During the day, they bring out giant chess pieces, a giant connect four game, and many people play mahjong at the tables. The lights at night are a nice touch, too.

Hing Hay Park located in the heart of Chinatown. The concrete park is spacious with several park…read morebenches. It's your typical park but a bit sketchy when I walked around on a weekday afternoon. I am sure its nice around the holidays, especially CNY.

Whispering Willow Park is a peaceful oasis. Grab a coffee or yogurt from nearby Starbucks or Swirl,…read morethen unwind in this charming park. Enjoy the creek's gentle flow, watch ducks forage, or simply sit on a bench. A small but lovely spot near Town Center at Lake Forest Park. Tips: There are currently six parking spaces with two designated as Disabled Parking.

A bit tough to find if you're searching in Google Maps, as it's smack dab in the middle of a…read moreresidential neighborhood, but once you do - and navigate parking - it's a beautiful jaunt through nature. Possibly slippery when wet, as the trail is packed with leaves, it makes for a journey and an adventure in a short (or lengthy) walk. The trail is easily navigable, occasionally with wooden/metal grates, bridge-like pathways leading hikers up and over the more wet, sloshy areas. It seems to be a quiet hike through the woods, possibly most intended for those who live in the neighborhood. But it's a nice walk, peaceful and the minimal other people we saw respected distance and trail etiquette. Only slight altitude gains, which makes for easy family walks and adventuring.

I pass one of the entrances to the Schmitz Preserve Park on a regular basis but had never actually…read moregone inside until today. Just steps away from busy Admiral Way is an oasis with some of the tallest trees I've seen in West Seattle. -- From Seattle.gov: Schmitz Preserve was donated to the city in pieces between 1908 and 1912. The most generous chunk came from a German immigrant/pioneer/banker/realtor named Ferdinand Schmitz, who served on the park commission during those years. It was Schmitz's idea, as he saw how rapidly the great forest was disappearing, to preserve part of it in its natural state. Even Schmitz's land had not been completely untouched by logging, though. Some huge stumps in the park still show deep notches hacked high above the ground for the "spring-boards" on which axe men would stand to avoid having to chop through the lower root crown, the thickest and hardest part of the tree. After 1908, however, the new park rapidly gained popularity as a quiet complement to the West Seattle park complex. Except for the paved entrance and a parking lot at the northwest corner, the park has remained essentially unchanged ever since. (Edited from the files of Don Sherwood, 1916-1981, Park Historian.) --- The trails of this preserve are perfect for an after-work mini-hike or a long weekend stroll. I've heard that a neighborhood pony makes its home on a property adjacent to the preserve (but don't try to pet him! I've heard he bites!). Tonight I had a very short visit due to time, but even as the sky was starting to darken there were individuals walking the paths. Next time I will spend a couple of hours here. Easy off street parking near the Admiral Way entrance/exit makes this a no-brainer for a quick getaway to destress while still within the city limits.

Quiet, small park with great walking paths that are part of the larger trail with the huge copper…read moreart of a dragonfly. The pavilion has seating and is surrounded by various grasses and a quiet neighborhood. This is a great park to go to for reading, playing with the dog or just for a quiet place to think.

I visited Pfingst Animal Acres Park for the first time yesterday evening…read more The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council was hosting a Concert at this park featuring Portage Bay Big Band. This park is so pretty, with many tall trees and a rushing stream that apparently is sometimes home to salmon. There is a very short walking trail at this park. My new friend Heather J and I walked along the short trail and up to the pretty stream before the concert started. Heather J is great! I am very glad that we have become friends. I previously lived in Lake Forest Park for 4 years, and I had no idea that this park was here for that entire time! The hosts of this event were very gracious and so sweet and welcoming. Parking here was fairly plentiful, although I took an uber to this particular event. The event was well-attended though, despite the intermittent sprinklings of rain yesterday evening, so both parking areas ended up mostly full by the time that the event was underway. Quite a few people arrived late to this event, so I think if you arrive early like I did to an event here that you would have a good chance of finding parking right in front of this park. I brought a couple of outdoor cushions with me, and Heather J and I sat at one of the 4 (?) picnic tables there. However, many of the attendees to the event brought outdoor chairs, and I feel like this might be the way to go if I attend another event here, since getting a picnic table to sit at is definitely not guaranteed. This was a free event, but donations were requested. I did put a small amount of cash into the donation box. There were no food trucks or any other food for sale at this event. I brought 2 Bobo's Oat Bars from home, one for me and one for Heather J. The Oat Bars are gluten-free for me and vegan for her. If you are considering attending one of the events here, you may want to consider bringing a small snack or two. The garbage cans for trash (from snack wrappers, or from anything else) are located between the park area and the street. My uber driver on the way home was super friendly, and he was so interested in maybe taking his nephews to one of the events at this park that I shared the event flyer with him and he took a photo of it on his phone. So, I made sure to take a photo of the event flyer to post here, too, just in case anyone else is interested. I am also posting a photo of Heather J and I that she took on her phone and kindly shared with me, with the band stage and a small section of this park in the background. Such a nice park. It's fun to explore previously undiscovered outdoor spaces in my local area.

I visited this park with my daughter after she told me about the huge Rhododendrons growing there…read more She was right! The Rhodes are Ginormous! If you are looking for a hike, it's not here, but a beautiful and interesting walk, this is a great place. The far side of the creek ignited our curiosity with its stone built ruins, beautiful trees and the aforementioned Rhododendrons. I wish that I'd brought my camera! Sorry!

Me-Kwa-Mooks is a great park to experience a Seattle sunset in the summer evening. With its…read moremajestic water views of Vashon Island and vibrant sky colors I find myself blown away with natures gifts... Street parking is the option in case your wondering and bring your own chair for the experience.

What a lovely hidden Seattle gem! Admiral Viewpoint located in West Seattle is just across from…read moreBelvedere Park. There's an easy pull out from the road that allows for convenient parallel parking. Big beautiful view of the Elliot Bay and Seattle on the yonder shore. Due to the natural fauna on the hillside- this view is better during the wintertime when there's less leaves on the trees. But still beautiful year round. Another neat thing about Admiral Viewpoint is the giant totem pole near the front of the drive. It's one of the few in Seattle and it's very impressive. It's well worth it to take a few minutes from snapping pics and selfies to read the park signs and plaques here. They detail some of the history of the area and the significance of this beautiful work of art!

What I liked about this viewpoint is that you could come at any time since it's kind of on the side…read moreof the road. I did come here on bad weather(freezing and rainy) but I wish it had maybe an overhang of some sort. It did have a cool view of downtown and you could make out the great wheel and the space needle as well.