Brought three out of town friends to Discovery Park for an in town hiking experience, and they really loved it!

We started from the south lot, through the meadows and down to south beach and around the headland before heading back the same way. The biggest hit was the fresh blackberries. Even though the mountains were clouded over, it was still a sunny day and they enjoyed the views immensely regardless. Other things they really enjoyed included: mossy trees, lots of ferns, the fresh greenery smells (luckily no treatment plant smells), and the rocks and driftwood on the beach. I don't know if they anticipated quite the amount of stairs back up, but they all ended up fine nonetheless, albeit a bit tired.

A great in-city option for out of town-ers to get a quick glimpse of PNW hiking!

Sometimes you don't have to leave the city (or want to drive far) to get a hike in.

We spent a sunny Sunday afternoon at Discovery Park. We started from South Lot and walked past the chapel and through the meadows to get to the South Beach trail. The wooded trail to the beach is lovely and you will lose elevation fairly quickly (that you will gain on the way back). We then walked along South Beach, around the light house on the beach (it was very low tide!), and then on to North Beach (typically the quieter side) for quite a while before turning around and stopping for some sunny relaxation. High clouds covered the Olympics and Rainier but that didn't make it any less lovely.

We headed back the way we came to maximize the sun (though you can easily continue down North Beach and make this a loop). There were ripe blackberries growing throughout the park -- we saw lots of folks picking them to bring home. Overall, we did about 4.5 leisurely miles.

Took the South Beach trail to the lighthouse today from the south parking area. Be prepared for a lot of stairs, but at least they are in the shade. Blackberries are beginning to ripen along the trail. A lot of people out today playing on the beach with a very low tide. Trails are easy to follow and in good condition. I believe the visitor center has maps which is handy due to the many intersecting trails.  Ended up being a bit over 3 miles to the lighthouse and back with about 340 fr of elevation change.

Quick out and back from the south parking lot to the the beach as part of Miss Pattie Gonia's group hike for an evening of commradery, love, and to support her mission of LGBTQ+ representation in natural spaces. Plus, her FABULOUS BOOTS hit the beach! Great evening on a stunning Seattle summer day. 

South Parking lot had plenty of parking this evening when I arrived at 5:30. Discovery Park has a network of trails to explore, several of the intersections were signed, but not all of them. Trail down to the beach is in great condition, the trail stairs are uneven in places and required a bit of a jump or scramble for the short-legged among us, and an assist for the smaller of the furry four-legged hikers. 

Discovery Park is a great spot for some nature and stunning views of the sound without leaving the city. Priceless.

Hiked this with my daughter, though a slightly different loop than the one described, and likely less mileage. We started at the North Parking Lot and headed toward the loop trail. We followed the signs to North Bluff and North Beach Trail - this was what we took to get down to the beach. A series of stairs take you to  hidden beachlet - rocky rather than sandy and often empty - there were four other people there on Saturday. Just a nice first view of the water. Head back to the asphalt trail, very easy at this point and go toward the lighthouse. A few folks passed us - like three or four, but we mostly had this part of the trail to ourselves. By the way, this was a sunny Saturday, around 9 AM ... least crowded trail all season ...

The tide was out and we could see a heron fishing. Closer to the lighthouse, an Osprey was hanging out on a tower (and then took a bath in the water). A cedar Waxwing was buzzing away in a tree.

On the way back, we headed up the other side of the loop. When we came to the Hidden Valley Trail, we decided to see where that went. A nice little forested trail with a bridge over a stream, and steps going up. Rejoined he loop trail and back to the north parking lot.

I have to say, I have never gotten to the beach the same way twice - but this was a fun ramble! Oh, and another first for the year - there were still parking spots available in the lot :)