Running & Jogging

Seattle Parks & Recreation has a wide range of facilities available for runners and joggers, ranging from rough trails to Cintrex-surfaced tracks.

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PARK & PLAYFIELD JOGGING

• Alki Beach A two-mile strip along the sound, or on sand at low tide.
• Carkeek Park Primitive trails, gravel piper's Creek Trail, or beach at low tide.
• Discovery Park 2.8-mile loop trail through forest, meadows, and sand dunes.
• Green Lake 2.8 mile paved pathway around the lake, often very crowded.
• Lincoln Park Several miles of dirt paths along the bluff and through the woods, plus a mile of paved beach pathway.
• Lower Woodland Park Wooded hills with paths and trails. This areas is used for the two-mile high school cross country course.
• Myrtle Edwards Park 1.25 miles of asphalt pathway from Pier 70 to Pier 86. A popular lunch-hour and after-work runway for downtown business people.
• Ravenna/Cowen Park Dirt pathways through a wooded ravine.
• Seward Park 2.5 mile loop path and roadway encircling the peninsula beside Lake Washington.
• Washington Park/Arboretum Many miles of dirt and gravel paths through plantings of trees and shrubs.
• Volunteer Park About 0.6 mile around the perimeter of the park on paths, grass and quiet roadways.

(Excerpt from Enjoying Seattle's Parks by Brandt Morgan)

ROAD RUNNING

• Burke-Gilman Trail A 12.5-mile asphalt pathway with gravel side path much of the way, from Gas Works Park north to Kirkland.
• Fairview Ave. Quiet roadway running along the east side of Lake Union from Newton Street to the University Bridge. For more good roadrunning, continue south from the University Bridge along Fuhrman & Boyer Avenues beside Portage Bay.
• Interlaken Boulevard. About two miles of winding, quiet hillside roadway through forest and woods, from Roanoke Park to Washington Park/Arboretum.
• Lake Union. Almost exactly 10,000 meters (6.2 miles) around the lake. Start at Gas Works Park and cross the Ship Canal on the University and Fremont Bridges.
• Gas Works to Golden Gardens. About six miles along the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Shilshole Bay.
• Lake Washington Boulevard. About six miles from Seward Park to the Arboretum and seven miles from Seward Park to Madison Park via McGilvra Boulevard. The first three are along an asphalt pathway.
• Queen Anne Hill. 4.3 miles of Scenic Drive loop with paved road, parking strips, and fantastic city views.
• Ravenna Boulevard. About 2 miles of grassy corridor (with several stoplights at busy intersections) following the bike route from the University of Washington to Green Lake.
• Waterfront. Sidewalk running along Elliot Bay to Pier 70 and beyond. This is a lunch break favorite for downtowners, since there are no traffic signals to stop for.

SYNTHETIC TRACKS

We have certified 400-meter running tracks at:

• Nathan Hale High School 10750 30th Ave NE
• Rainier Beach High School 8815 Seward Park Ave S
• Garfied High School 400 23rd Ave
• Ingraham High School 1819 North 135th St
• Sealth High School 2800 SW Thistle St
• West Seattle Stadium 4432 35th Ave SW

Each of these has a synthetic surface and marked lines. We have an agreement with Seattle Public Schools that enables us to use each other's facilities when theirs are not in use for school purposes, and ours are not in use for scheduled programs.

We also have Cintrex/All weather-surfaced tracks that are all near 400 meters. The locations are:

• Whitman Middle School 9201 15th Ave NW
• Lower Woodland Park (400 meters verified), along E Green Lake Way north of 59th
• Montlake Community Center (400 minus 30 yards) 1618 E Calhoun St
• Franklin High School (not precise) 3013 S Mt. Baker Blvd
• Cleveland High School 5511 15th Ave S
• Hiawatha Community Center 2700 California Ave SW
• Queen Anne Bowl/Rodgers Playfield (1 lap = 400 yards, or approx. 1/4 mile) 2806 3rd Ave W
• Seattle Pacific University perimeter track 3rd Ave W