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.

The "www" icon indicates extra pictorial content referred to in the book. For additional pictures, scroll down to the slideshow.

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

Burien: Eagle Landing Stairs

At only 0.4 miles in length, this is the shortest Seattle stairway walk, but it's a favorite of ours. The extraordinary Eagle Landing Park sits right above the Sound in a quiet, woodsy residential part of Burien. The single up-and-down trail through Eagle Landing Park has a viewing area where you can search for the eagle's nest somewhere high among the Douglas Fir trees. You'll quickly reach the one major stairway, which is the fourth-longest of all Seattle stairs. Its unique steel structure floats through the trees, above the fragile and slipping hillside.

At the bottom, battering stormwaves have mangled the last few feet of the structure, but you may be able to jump the final gap down to the cobblestone beach at low tide. If you can, you'll be treated to views of Vashon and Maury Islands across the Sound, and Three Tree Point southward down the beach. After you return up the stairs and finish the route, the revitalized old downtown area of Burien has lots of eating, drinking and strolling opportunities.

The "www" icon denotes additional pictorial content mentioned in the book. For even more views and explanation, check out the slideshow below.

 

Steel girders float above the steep, slowly shifting slope; hollow concrete structures transfer weight to steel pins anchored in the stable Vashon Till layer below

Resident eagle