Discovery Park and Lighthouse Loop Trail is a 4.4 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Seattle, Washington that offers the chance to see wildlife and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until December. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
dogs on leash
kid friendly
birding
hiking
nature trips
trail running
walking
beach
forest
partially paved
views
wildlife
The park provides an open space away from the stress and activity of the city, a sanctuary for wildlife, and an outdoor classroom for people to learn about the natural world. The park is also home to the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. Discovery Park is a 534 acre natural area park, located next to the peninsular Magnolia neighborhood in Seattle, and overlooking Puget Sound, with views of the Cascade and Olympic mountains. The park is built on the historic grounds of Fort Lawton, which was originally a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the Civil War. The park includes two miles of protected tidal beaches, a lighthouse, open meadow lands, dramatic sea cliffs, forest groves, active sand dunes, thickets, and streams. No dogs allowed on the beach.
My favorite Seattle hike when the mountains feel too far away. Just watch out for all the trail runners;)
Gousia F.
Beautiful views and easy hike. I love the hike in terms of convenience. Less travel time and no hassles in terms of parking.
Wonderful fun run with plenty of hills and views. Great fresh air. Beautiful run.
Great variety of trails and meadows and beach. Doesn’t even feel like you’re in Seattle !
easy bus ride from downtown. lots of options to extend your walk. a nearby wastewater plant lends some unwanted "ambience" in places, but wasn't too bad. fog can limit the view on some days too.
It’s a nice easy hike. Beautiful views of bluff, beach, and the Olympic range in the distance. Try to plan your trek just as low tide arrives. The ocean leaves beautiful tide pools brimming with starfish and other animal life.
Saw an eagle!! At the lighthouse
Nice easy trails, great to bring dogs on. The loop is 4.4 mi but the network is extensive and you could easily double that if you want.
Good trail with very nice views and ocean nearby and it's easy.
Beautiful loop! Great views of the water and some good woods. Not crowded on a Thursday early afternoon. I just walked it but would also be a really fun run. On my trek today I came across a cell phone lying in the brush - I brought it to the visitor's center. Hope you find it!
A nice trail for being in a city. I hiked it mid-day on a Monday and I did not experience a lot of traffic. The trail was generally clean but I was annoyed to see bike-share bikes being left at random points. I'll be back to hike it again since it is close to home and it makes a nice post-workday stress reliever.
This trail is readily accessible via public transportation, which means it's also a busy trail. Great for a nice relaxing stroll while also enjoying some nature!
Interlaken is looking so nice. Here you can find the classics of Alpine and the image of mountain.
Heads up that part of the north beach trail is currently closed as of 8/25 (area where you’d go up the stairs after going by the light house if you by going toward the birds nest- see pics). We didn’t know until about 3 miles in and had to turn around. Otherwise it was lovely.
Had the entire beach to myself at first! Spotted lots of wildlife: herons, seal, crabs!
Walked it with our cat, easy loop not much elevation. Stinks by the beach due to the sewer plant but other than that great area right in Seattle for a walk, bike, or run.
For being inside of Seattle this is a great place to spend your day.
This trail has it all! Hike through the woods, sandy bluffs, Meadow, or down by the beach. Spent my early afternoon here and it was lovely.
My favorite spot in the entire city. It’s the one place where you can feel like you are out of the city even though you are practically downtown.
The Loop Trail is actually only 2.8 miles around. Same distance as Greenlake but with some elevation here. This AllTrails route includes an extra detour down to the lighthouse and back up to rejoin the loop (there’s a south spur and a north spur that come down from the Loop so you go down one and back up the other to make this larger loop). Going down to the lighthouse is well worth the extra distance as the near-360 degree views of the sound are breathtaking. But for those who might not want to go that far, walking the standard Loop Trail through lush woods and grassy meadows offers plenty of beauty and tranquility for a city stroll.
Living in the neighborhood, I am lucky enough to enjoy evening walks after work on a daily basis. I’ve been doing it for a couple decades and never get tired of it. I doubt that I ever will.
Woodsy hike. Good views of Puget Sound. Saw a couple of sea otters playing in the water. For a city hike, this is great. It loses a star due to the proximity to the sewage waste plant nearby. For about 20 minutes of the hike along the north boundary of the park, it was pretty stinky. I'm sure it all depends on the wind. I'd recommend coming here early in the morning (I got here at 6AM) as it wasn't busy at all. The trail looks well worn so I'm guessing it's heavily used.
Beautiful trail...great place for beginners to experience hiking.
This is a good Loop for beginning hiker.
Beautiful - lots of trails!
Beautiful scenery/views!
Nice hike on 4th of July
great walk/hike in the city.
Not bad for a city park. Lighthouse was kind of pitiful
Offering different scenes and some elevation in one long enough walk - the part from North Beach to South Beach trails goes through beach, paths with steps under tall shaded trees with beautiful views to the Olympic and Rainier. Make sure to see historic buildings and take some small allowed turns as they could lead to the beach or smaller paths closer to the water. But be careful not to go too close to the edge at some parts as it’s soft. Great for all ages, right in the city. Some busy paths are quite dusty. Could they warm up the water?!
Easy hike inside the city with great beach and mountain views.
Awesome trail!