Seattle's Carkeek Park Offers Something for Everyone!

Summer will soon be arriving in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest and now is a great time to make plans to visit new places around the city. It's no secret that Seattle has a lot of great parks offering a wide variety in the way of scenery and activities. Making a point of visiting one of the parks you aren't already familiar with this summer is guaranteed to spice up your love affair with the Emerald City. The rich diversity of the Pacific Northwest scenery is one of the things that ensnares visitors and keeps them from ever wanting to leave the area.

Seattle's Carkeek Park is located in the Greenwood neighborhood in the northwest part of the city. Carkeek Park offers visitors a wide array of activities to choose from and many different areas to explore. Visitors parking in the lot on the west side of the park can enjoy amazing views of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound before ever even getting out of their car. An elevated footbridge offers access to the beach and a safe way across the railroad tracks that run from north to south along Puget Sound's shoreline. Many visitors enjoy bringing their children to Carkeek Park so that they may stand on the footbridge as trains whiz past beneath them creating a unique blast of energy and excitement for youngsters.

Unique tide pool viewing opportunities exist year-round.

Carkeek offers many wildlife viewing opportunities and amazing tide pool life can be observed at low tide in this location. If you are looking for a place where you can view Sea Stars, Anemones, Harbor Seals, and a wide variety of birds, Carkeek has them all. Osprey raise their young on the bluffs overlooking Puget Sound and can be seen diving into the water and returning to their nests with fish during breeding season.

Many people flock to Carkeek Park for the sunsets. It's a beautiful place to watch the sun melt behind the Olympic Mountains, creating a beautiful mixture of color and light that slowly fades into Puget Sound's waters. Fly fishermen can be seen at both sunrise and sunset at Carkeek Park on a daily basis, so if this is an activity that you enjoy and you haven't given Carkeek a try, you may want to consider it.

If you enjoy a nice walk through the forest, Carkeek has a wonderful trail system that winds its way through a wetland and into a thick forest that offers the opportunity to observe a wide variety of native wildlife and migratory birds.

Twilight fans should gather their wolf pack in August for "Twilight Adventures in the New Moon"

For the vampire lovers out there, Carkeek is offering "Twilight Adventures in the New Moon" on August 14, 2010, which offers a chance to get in touch with the scenery that made the books and movies come to life. The Twilight Adventure takes place from 6-10 p.m. and costs $5. If you are interested in taking part, please register no later than August 7th. Information about this event can be found at the Seattle Parks Department website.

Carkeek is a wild and beautiful place to explore, but please keep a few safety considerations in mind while visiting. Always use the footbridge when crossing the railroad tracks in this location. The trains are fast and quiet here and a number of people have been accidentally killed on the tracks. Don't make the mistake of walking on the tracks or crossing them anywhere other than the footbridge. If you take an extended walk to the north or south during low tide, be aware of the tide coming back in. It's easy to get trapped between the rocks and the railroad tracks if you aren't paying attention when the tide comes in. Always give yourself time to return to the main beach area before the tide.

Enjoy some of the most beautiful views the city has to offer at Carkeek Park. Park hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Environmental Learning Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. See you there!