Cowen Park is the small non wooded area that is to the west end of Ravenna Park. I'm not quite sure…read morewhy there's a delineation of the two parks as they're contiguous, but whatever. There's a grassy open field and a playground located here. The playground has the usual swings, climbing bars, slide, etc. There's also picnic tables and barbecues for a nice lunch or dinner outdoors. For washroom facilities, there are portable toilets. When it's nice, you can just set a blanket out in the grass and lie down. If you want to do some light hiking, check out the trails at Ravenna Park. There are a lot of birds and other wildlife, attracted to the nearby creek. I did see some tents set up today, not sure how temporary they are, but none of the parkgoers seemed to bother each other.

Cowen Park is located in a quiet neighborhood in the Ravenna area close to the University of…read moreWashington and Green Lake. It's the left portion of the park that is attached to Ravenna Park and the ravine that goes through it. It's smaller than Ravenna Park (only 8.4 acres compared to 50 acres) but there's still plenty of space for all your activities. There are lots of grassy areas for outdoor leisure and a kids playground. There's a path that goes the length of the park that many people use for strolls, jogging, and biking. It's a nice and peaceful park for relaxation and sunbathing.

Walking distance from the neighborhood I'm visiting this weekend, this trail is paved and traverses…read moreparallel to Lake Washington for a long way in both directions, for pedestrians and bikers alike! My friend and I walked her dog for 2 miles round trip. The sides of the trail are lined with tall blackberry bushes and we found some delicious ripe ones to harvest and enjoy as a snack on the way! What more could you ask for! All the bicyclists were kind, ringing their bells and saying "on your left" as they passed by so everyone could share the path.

What a pretty and scenic trail to go on. There were so many walkers, joggers, and cyclists on this…read moretrail. It went up by u of W but not sure how long the trail actually is as I was only on it for parts of the event I was on. The views are pretty spectacular though. Seems like it originates from Gas Works Park which is equally as beautiful.

The insulation is too good I guess lol. It can get too hot when playing in the gym even if the…read moredoors are open. The best part are the people that work here. The team probably provides the best customer service out of all the Seattle Community Centers. Yea the only thing keeping it from a 5 star is the facility itself not having a way to be cooled when it gets too hot. If it's 75 degrees, it can become unbearable.

Nice little spot clean welcoming environment. Staff is always friendly and helpful. Wide variety of…read moreclasses/activities to choose from and participate in

Sam Smith Park is what happens when someone decides to make a non-green park out of what was…read moredefinitely an industrial area. As you walk into the park it seems normal - a paved walking trail, gorgeous trees but towards the back you start to see that there's a large play area, but it's right next to a power station. There's a significantly long tunnel over to the viewpoint and 1-90 trail, but the opening is under what looks to be a closed down county building. The tunnel feels safe, but it's rife with graffiti that could instead be a mosaic or a mural. When you walk over to the 31st Ave area, it feels like the Mount Baker Ridge viewpoint should be connected to the park, but it's not. It's just an oddly laid out park that should have focused on replicating what the front half of the park has, sculptures and artistic prose as you walk along the trail. All in all, I wouldn't want to spend a significant amount of time here but for what it is, it's much nicer than Freeway Park and more successful in the transition from industry to safe public space.

Terrific park in Seattle to get some exercise and head over to the I-90 Bridge to get in a scenic…read morerun back and forth to Mercer Island. This park is part of the I-90 Lid. Running though the tunnel was pretty cool with it's artwork, among the terrific paths with wonderful structures and greenery all around. The trees here are beautiful along with the care of the grounds. Paths to run and bike, playgrounds for the children to enjoy, dog park, tennis courts, picnic tables, and soccer field.

This is, in fact, a real little park. It was kind of hard to find because Google maps wanted us to…read moreaccess the park from down below, near the I-5 Colonnade. Maybe in the summertime this is possible, but it's so steep that in winter or rainy season, it's really not a great idea to try to scale up to the walking path of this park. Maybe I missed a walkway, but it seemed like there wasn't one. You can access the park from the church parking lot. It's very obvious once you get there. Once on the trail, there's some really nice paved walkway down in the thicket, and there's even a bridge. The paved area quickly turns into a dirt path but it's still walkable for a ways. Definitely a cute secluded little trail for a bit if you're already in the area, but I don't think I'll be making a point to come over here, passing up Volunteer, which is very nearby... There were at least 2 camps set up off the trail as well, which feels a little uneasy when you're down there by yourself. I hope overall this bit of land gets some more attention, both by the city in making it more walkable, and by people walking it and making it feel like a legitimate intentional place to go. Could be really nice and calm spot among all the chaos of that particular area (I-5). I hope the trail from below is better developed bc that would be a great route from the I-5 dog park, to the park and church, and up into the neighborhood and over to volunteer. It would also be very convenient for me to take my dog there since it's right by my apartment, closer than any other parks or green areas. ;) I'm giving it a 3 star bc I feel like it's well kept considering the size and popularity of this park. But it could use some work to make it a accessible park. The non-paved trails are very steep and landslidey. But the paved/bridge trails were very nice. There were also a lot of birds around, which was pleasant to see they had a good lush spot. We saw a wood pecker. You can see that beautiful/odd castle home (?) from the trail too, which is kind of interesting to see from that side.

With more sunny days in Seattle, Westcrest is always one of my favorite spots to go to. It is small…read morebut might-y with endless possibilities! -good amount of parking -a big paved loop for walking/biking/running/jogging/rollerblading and more -a playground with a small zip line for the littles -inside of the paved loop is grass perfect for running around with your fur babies or having a picnic. In the summer, I often see families flying kites here too! -public restrooms -tables and benches This hidden gem is one of my favorites in the highland park area!

Huge park with an awesome playground! There is a community p-patch, several playgrounds, an open…read morefield, walking track, and an off-leash dog area. My kids had so much fun on the playground the dual ziplines were the highlight. Another cool feature were the slides built into the hillside. This is a clean park I didn't see any litter or spray-paint. There are a ton of signs warning you that cars get broken into so don't leave anything in your car! The parking lot is a bit off from everything so it's easy for theft to happen!

Such a happy surprise for me, didn't realize there's a really nice running/walking/biking trail…read morenear me. Clean bathrooms, well maintained trail. Been coming back to this place since my discovery. So many people walking and running this trail, felt very safe.

Peaceful, clean, pet friendly... wherever you go on the marina area you have to pay. I lucked out…read moreon a Sunday afternoon getting a parking spot. Opened my rear gate and people watched while my other took the kiddos on several strolls...3 1/2 hours in we paid 6.00. Well worth it

The Duwamish Trail is a pleasant place to take a stroll or ride one's bike in West Seattle. The…read moretrail is a paved trail running alongside the road starting at the south end of the First Avenue South Bridge, running along Highland Park Way SW, then W Marginal Way SW, and SW Marginal Pl, before connecting briefly with the West Seattle Bridge Trail and Alki Trail under the West Seattle Bridge and continuing west. The trail takes one past a number of parks run/managed by the Port of Seattle and City of Seattle. Port terminals bustle with activity during daylight/business hours. When I have walked on this trail during the past month, foot and wheeled traffic have been light. A crosswalk between W Marginal Way SW and SW Marginal Pl make it easy to cross the busy road. Fun place to go for a short or long walk and get a feel for the more industrial side of Seattle.