Madrona and Leschi

There's a treasure trove of stairways and greenspaces atop the bluff next to Lake Washington, between the SR520 and I-90 bridges. In this area in 1891, an electric trolley line opened up the Madrona neighborhood for development (see photo below).  It approached from the west along E Cherry Street, then turned north up 34th Avenue, along today's little commercial village. It then turned east and down a heavily wooded canyon toward Lake Washington, along what is now Madrona Drive.

Unless you decide to stop in for a break, on this route you don't even pass through the commercial village at all. Instead you'll roam elsewhere, finding discreet stairs and passageways with lake-spanning vistas, gorgeous old homes and beautiful volunteer-supported greenspaces.

Additional pictorial content, referenced in the book, is contained in the slideshow below (indicated by the "www" icon). You can see several more views from the walk below that.

Madrona trolley turnaround and maintenance shed (University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, Lee 11); in Seattle, commercial and residential development followed newly placed trolley lines like this one

The 38th Avenue stairs - 137 steps down to Newport Way (and the cover image of our book)

 The Spring Street stairs

Madrona Park shoreside

Toward the end of the walk: up the Columbia Street stairs