Fremont: Rebuilt Stairways and Fall Views

This weekend Cathy tagged along with a Meetup group that specializes in following the routes detailed in Seattle Stairway Walks. On a blustery Sunday morning about 15 people gathered near the Theo Chocolate factory/HQ, then set out for the scenic byways of Fremont (see Chapter 2).

Two of the stairways along the route have been completely rebuilt, at N 45th Street near Fremont Peak Park and at N 43rd Street, heading up to Greenwood Avenue N. Here are interesting before-and-after views:

Here are some additional colorful views from the route. Most pictures were taken on the day of the walk but a few were taken a couple of days later, after the weather had cleared.

Public Stairway Walk: "Alki from Above"

Recently, we led a public stairway walk along the route described in Chapter 18, "Alki from Above." We volunteered as Walking Ambassadors for Feet First, a membership organization that promotes neighborhood walkability and walking. They're currently working with King County on the "West Seattle In Motion" campaign. About 20 people joined us to explore North Admiral and Alki and enjoy all the georgeous Fall colors!  

Our 3.4 mile loop began just outside the southeast corner of Schmitz Preserve Park, heading along residential streets through North Admiral. Then at College Street Ravine we began a steep, curving descent down the bluff toward Alki Beach. A series of stairways took us down to the Alki Beach Trail, where we strolled beachside for a few blocks. 

Heading back, we took a well-hidden set of stairs that led us farther up the bluff toward Admiral Way and Schmitz Preserve Park. Just past the vintage 1936 bridge over the ravine, we stepped down a corkscrewing timber stairway into the park. There, a trail led us across Schmitz Creek and up and out the far southeast end of the ravine toward our starting place. We got lucky, nearing the end of our loop just as rain started up!

This was a fun tour of Seattle stairs at an especially colorful time of year for urban hiking. Feet First does good work, and we hope to do more public walks of Seattle stairways with them.