Chief Sealth Trail

Name: Chief Sealth Trail
Rating: 3.0

Puget Sound and Islands > Seattle-Tacoma Area

47.5605, -122.3133 Map & Directions

Length: 4.3 miles, one-way
Elevation Gain: 800 feet
Highest Point: 330 feet
Calculated Difficulty About Calculated Difficulty: Moderate

Blooms along the paved Chief Sealth Trail. Photo by Jeff Bottman. Full-size image

Dogs allowed on leash
Good for kids

Parking Pass/Entry Fee

None

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This urban gem features 4.5 miles of paved trail connecting Jefferson Park and Kubota Gardens, with expansive views all along the way. Continue reading

Rating

3.00 out of 5

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13 trip reports for this trail

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Hiking Chief Sealth Trail

Opened in 2007, this trail connects the Beacon Hill neighborhood with the Rainier Beach area using the greenbelt under large powerlines. Along the way, one passes by several large (and very productive) P-Patch gardens. As the trail meanders up and down the ridgeline hills, one has views of the Cascades, the Olympics, Mount Rainier and Lake Washington.

There are some sections where the route takes one onto sidewalks on the south end of the trail through the New Holly Neighborhood and again near the Rainier Beach Light Rail Station. There are a couple of short sections (two blocks each) where you walk in the road without a sidewalk, though these are small side streets without much traffic. It is very well-signed. Share the trail with bicyclists — this is a popular route for two-wheeled recreationists, too.

Some sections are mostly flat, while others have short, steep up-and-down hills.

The trail ends near Kubota Gardens, though you need to walk around to the other side to enter the gardens (add 0.8 mile by going left on 51st, then right on Renton Ave S at the stop sign).

Toilet Information

No toilet at trailhead

More information about toilets

Wheelchair Accessibility

There are several places with steep down and then up hills on the paved trail, each about two blocks long (up, then down) at intersections with some of the major roads in the first 2.5 miles going southbound.

At 2.5 miles, the trail becomes sidewalks through the New Holly neighborhood. The sidewalks are free of barriers and cracks and have curb cuts except at the very end of this section transitioning back to trail. To avoid curbs for this two-block section, you'll need to stick to the road, which is a small side street without much traffic.

South of the Rainier Beach light rail station, the trail goes up a very steep hill, down a steep hill (this is partially on a small side road without sidewalks) and then up a steep hill for the final mile.

Chief Sealth Trail

Map & Directions

Trailhead

Co-ordinates: 47.5605, -122.3133 Open in Google Maps