South Magnolia Stairway Walk: Coming Attraction

At the bottom of the proposed street-end park, looking south toward Mt. Rainier

The Seattle Parks Department is moving ahead with plans for a new "pocket park" right on the South Magnolia stairway walk. It's a street-end right of way with gorgeous views of the Sound, just off Perkins Lane at the base of the bluff. City Park's plan is to clear blackberries away from the slopes surrounding an existing path down to the shore, add a picnic table and viewpoint, and generally open up a public space that until now has been pretty much shrouded in secrecy. Our book doesn't mention this cool site, because it never occurred to us to explore what's behind the fence and gate that seemingly blocked access. It turns out to be a gem of a site, as the slides below suggest.

Most residents along Perkins Lane have been opposed to this Parks project, though others living at the top of the bluff seem supportive. At a community meeting to review the project, Perkins Lane residents talked about their concerns over partying and congestion, and voiced skepticism that SDOT will take care of the site over the long haul. The city has addressed these concerns in writing, though it's not clear if the city's response will change any minds.

Assuming the project does happen in the next months, it'll be yet another reason to try this wonderful stairway walk! For a look at more of the city's street-ends projects, check out this page.

Meetup in Magnolia

With roughly 2,300 other hardy locals, we're members of the Bellevue & Seattle Dragon Boating & Hiking Meetup. We have yet to get within 10 feet of a dragon boat, but we do lead occasional stairway walks for this group of good-humored, adventuresome urban hikers. On the first weekend in March, 18 humans and one dog gathered in south Magnolia to hoof it up, down and around this neighborhood's numerous scenic stairways.

The weather was just fine for doing Seattle stairs. Even though rain constantly threatened, we experienced only the briefest, light sprinkling. We enjoyed dozens of beautiful crocuses popping up out of the ground here and there, as well as blooming heather, early camellias, and our first blooming cherry trees of the year. The views of sound and city were outstanding, and everybody had a great time (slide show below first photo)!

To learn about future walks with us, check back often at our "Walks and Events" page! We'll have our next adventure posted soon.