Discovery Park

Discovery Park is where Seattle keeps its wilderness, and it is the best free half day in the city for anyone who wants trails rather than pavement. At about 534 acres on the Magnolia peninsula, it is the city's largest park, and most of it is natural: second-growth forest, open meadows, steep sand bluffs above Puget Sound and around two miles of protected tidal beach. The land was Fort Lawton, an Army post from the turn of the twentieth century, and after the military scaled back, the city turned most of it into a park in the 1970s; historic officers' homes and the parade ground survive in a quiet historic district. The signature walk is the Loop Trail, a forested circuit of a little under three miles that rolls through woods and across the South Meadow, where the bluff opens onto huge views of the Sound and, on clear days, the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier. Side trails drop to the beaches and the West Point Lighthouse, built in 1881, on its sandy point — the classic Discovery Park photograph, with ferries and container ships passing close offshore. The park is also home to the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, a Native community center built after a 1970 occupation by activists who reclaimed part of the fort land, and a visitor center at the east entrance. Honest notes: the beach and lighthouse sit next to a large wastewater treatment plant, the climb back from the beach is steep, and driving to the beach requires a permit, so most visitors walk down. Fit: outdoors-lovers, couples who want a sunset on the bluff, families with kids who can hike a few miles, and anyone needing a forest fix.

The park's history is layered. Coast Salish peoples used this point for millennia; the Army arrived in 1900 and built Fort Lawton, whose barracks and officers' quarters housed troops through two world wars; and when the Army declared much of the base surplus in the 1960s, the city fought for a park. In 1970 Native activists led by Bernie Whitebear occupied part of the fort to press their claim, and the agreement that followed produced the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, which still hosts events and an art gallery. The resulting park was planned to stay mostly wild, which is why it feels so different from Seattle's manicured Olmsted parks.

Working a visit: start at the visitor center at the east parking lot for maps, then walk the Loop Trail clockwise to reach the South Meadow and bluff viewpoint in good light. From the bluff, take the South Beach Trail down to the lighthouse and beach, walk the shore to the point, and either climb back on the North Beach Trail to rejoin the loop or return the way you came. Budget two and a half to three hours for the loop plus the beach. Low tide reveals tidepools along the shore. Sunset from the bluff or the beach is spectacular; leave enough light for the climb back. Wear real shoes, as the beach trails are steep and can be muddy in the wet months.

Practicals and fit: the park is in Magnolia, about twenty minutes by car from downtown, with free parking lots at the east, north and south entrances and bus service to the edges. It is open daily from early morning to late evening; dogs must be leashed and are not allowed on the beaches. Restrooms are at the visitor center and at a few trailheads. Bring water and snacks, as there is no food inside the park. Fit: outdoors-lovers, couples, active families, birders and photographers who want Puget Sound at its most dramatic.