Mercer Island: Mercerdale Hillside

Near the northwest tip of Mercer Island, you'll find a magnificent system of paths and stairways that weave through an ever-changing hillside greenbelt. This exploration of Seattle stairs is unique, in that all of the stairways are located within forested land. The trees are mostly big-leaf Maple at the north end, but largely (and we do mean large) conifers at the south end. That's where you may get a chance to spot the eagle's nest, just before taking a short but interesting jaunt through the residential neighborhood at the top of the hillside.

After finishing this 2-mile loop, you may want to explore two historical highlights of the area: Roanoke Landing, which briefly provided ferry access to the island before the floating bridge was built in 1940; and Roanoke Inn, which since 1914 has variously provided food, lodging and various kinds of entertainment during the Prohibition years.

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Roanoke Landing is a nondescript pocket park located at the end of a driveway
The view toward Seattle from the end of historic Roanoke Landing
It's said that in February, historic Roanoke Inn has hard-to-get Pliny the Younger on tap