Discovery Park is located in Magnolia, a neighborhood northwest of Downtown Seattle.
With over 11 miles of trails and 500 acres of park, Discovery Park is GORGEOUS.
We love taking our dog for a walk on the Loop Trail on sunny days.
The Loop Trail has the perfect mix of forested trails and breathtaking sea views.
It’s our absolute favorite “city hike” for Saturday or Sunday mornings.
Here are pictures from our most recent trip:
Discovery Park Loop Trail Tips
- Parking is at the Visitor’s Center and it fills up FAST on weekends.
We arrived around 11AM this past Sunday and it was already starting to get busy in Discovery Park.
Parking can be a bit stressful so be prepared to wait for your spot at the Visitor’s Center.
You can take a bus to the Park instead and the Parks Department has a free shuttle in the summer down to the beach.
Note that the Visitor’s Center has bathrooms and water fountains open to the public. I always fill up my water bottle there before hitting the trail.
- The Loop Trail is not a short walk (~3M) and there are areas of shade and open sun.
The Loop Trail starts in the woods from the Visitor’s Center but then about half way through opens up to a field with incredible sea views.
There are benches where you can stop and enjoy the view and tables where you can have a picnic.
It takes over an hour to do the entire trail and while it is an easy hike, it’s long.
My sister took her 1-Year old Golden Retriever on the Loop Trail with us one time and the puppy couldn’t make it around the entire trail.
There are roads that intersect the trail at various spots so we walked back to the car and drove to pick up her and the pup.
Tips for taking your dog walking in Discovery Park
Dogs are allowed in Discovery Park and on the Discovery Park Loop Trail but they must be on leash.
Not everyone obeys that though.
Our dog can be reactive to other dogs so we get a tad annoyed when people have their dogs off leash on the trail.
We’ve never had a problem in Discovery Park with an off leash dog but it’s something to consider.
There are also many runners and children on the trails on sunny days too so be prepared if that is an area of concern for your pet.
The trails get a bit muddy during other seasons so be prepared for a muddy pup!
Overall, the Discovery Park Loop Trail is one of our favorite places in the city.
I’ve been to plenty of city parks outside of Washington and Discovery Park is definitely one of the few that make you feel like you’re escaping the city, while never leaving the city.
Have you walked the Discovery Park Loop Trail?
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Love the pictures. Walking in nature is one of our favorites. We live in NYC but it’s surprisingly accessible to a lot of nice hiking not too far from the city. I’m not great on hikes so always look for flat or at least moderate trails (I’m the type that needs hiking shoes just to keep my balance steady) but luckily there are hiking apps that can preview the difficulty.
Yes! I have All Trails on my phone too and love it.