USA, Washington, Seattle, Green Lake City Park

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Green Lake Park

Top choice in Seattle


A favorite hunting ground for runners, personal trainers and artistically tattooed sunbathers, scenic Green Lake Park surrounds a small natural lake created by a glacier during the last ice age. The paths that wind around the lake are usually well used by those on foot and wheels of every variety, and make for some of the best people- (and dog-) watching in the city.

In the early 1900s, city planners lowered the lake’s water level by 7ft, increasing the shoreline to preserve parkland around the lake. After the lowering, however, Ravenna Creek, which once fed the lake, no longer flowed through. Green Lake became stagnant and filled with stinky green algae. Massive dredging efforts to keep it navigable continue, although the lake remains prone to algae blooms.

Transportation

  • bus: 62

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Seattle attractions

1. Green Lake Aqua Theater

0.9 MILES

The lonely-looking grandstand at the southern end of Green Lake is all that remains of the former 5500-capacity Green Lake Aqua Theater, an outdoor…

2. Seattle Rose Garden

1.3 MILES

The 2.5-acre Seattle Rose Garden, near the entrance road to the zoo off N 50th St, was started in 1924 and contains 5000 plants, including heirloom roses…

3. Woodland Park Zoo

1.31 MILES

In Woodland Park, up the hill from Green Lake Park, the Woodland Park Zoo is one of Seattle’s most popular tourist attractions. Consistently rated as one…

4. Ravenna Park

1.4 MILES

Just north of the U District is Ravenna, a residential neighborhood that’s home to a lot of professors and university staff. At its heart is Ravenna Park,…

5. Burke Museum

1.55 MILES

An interesting hybrid museum covering both natural history and indigenous cultures of the Pacific Rim. Inside you'll find, arguably, Washington's best…

6. Henry Art Gallery

1.78 MILES

Approaching 90 years of age, the Henry is Seattle's modern-art masterpiece. Set in a sophisticated space on the University of Washington campus, it…

7. Quad

1.85 MILES

The lovely Quad is home to some of the original campus buildings, many of them built in a Collegiate Gothic style reminiscent of New England. On sunny…

8. Central Plaza (Red Square)

1.85 MILES

The center of campus is more commonly referred to as Red Sq (because of its base of red brick rather than any Bolshevik inclinations). It’s not the…

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