The Many Attractions of Maple Leaf Reservoir Park (Including Stairs!)

Yesterday evening we joined another one of the Museum of History and Industry's (MOHAI) excellent Neighborhood History Tours, this time at Maple Leaf Reservoir Park. Roger Van Oosten, our tour leader, opened by saying "The City of Seattle hit a home run here at Maple Leaf Reservoir Park." He was totally right!

Maple Leaf Reservoir Park encompasses 16 acres, much of it in the form of a circular grass field on top of the new lid covering Maple Leaf Reservoir. It's one of the higher spots in Seattle, so you get great views looking south toward downtown and Mt. Rainier.

It's a lively, art-filled park. We saw boot campers working out; ultimate frisbee players doing drills; runners going up and down the two robust stairways; and a boy playing the resident piano that's in place as part of the "Pianos in the Parks" program.

We also took a quick walk through the surrounding neighborhood of charming Arts and Crafts houses. Roger predicts that many of them will soon give way to denser residential developments, with Light Rail's imminent Link extension from the University Station up to Northgate.  

If you haven't checked out Maple Leaf Reservoir Park and the surrounding neighborhood, it's well worth a visit. Thanks Roger, and thanks MOHAI!

Maple Leaf and Thornton Creek

For a kaleidoscopic view of nature, urban art and environmental design, this Seattle stairway walk is unparalleled! Thornton Creek, the biggest year-round creek in Seattle, provides the running theme for this exploration of Seattle stairs. You'll cross and re-cross it; view it bank-side; stand on a bridge viewing it from tree-canopy height; and see how it's engineered by humans and animals (yup, beavers)! At 4.7 miles, this is the longest stairway walk in the book, full of interesting things to do and see.

The "www" icon just above the slideshow means it contains additional pictorial content that was referenced in the book. Scroll below that for even more views from this walk.

Looking down into the Knickerbocker Flood Plain, Kingfisher Natural Area

Creekside view at La Villa Meadows Natural Area

A side trip down an unpaved lane leads to a beautiful view of Thornton Creek; a trail on the other side, just out of the frame to the right, begs for future exploration

This view overlaps right side of picture above, one year later

A close view of beaver handiwork

"Bad Buoys" is part of a sculptural suite by Benson Shaw at Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel

Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel (TCWQC): designed for urban nature

A discreet entryway: NE 95th Street stairs


Finishing up: heading down the NE 95th Street stairs to Lake City Way