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Event
Stairway Walks Day - A Feet First Event
With a mix of urban history and lore, Seattle Stairway Walks uncovers the blooms and birds of Seattle's greenspaces, the legacy of the city's neighborhood activism, it's turn-of-the-century logging roots, quirky art scenes, architectural icons, and cosmopolitan neighborhoods of today.
Urban explorers are invited to join one of fifteen fun and free guided neighborhood walks ranging in location from Burien to Fremont, Queen Anne to Bellevue, and everywhere in between.
Feet First is a nonprofit organization working to ensure all communities in Washington are walkable. This event is coordinated by Feet First and features exclusive walks from Cathy & Jake Jaramillo's new book, Seattle Stairway Walks: An Up-and-Down Guide to City Neighborhoods.
What: Stairway Walks Day
When: Saturday, February 9, 2013. All walks begin at 10 am and end at 12 pm.
Where: See walk descriptions below; meet up locations to be given upon RSVP.
Fremont
Golden Gardens
Maple Leaf and Thornton Creek
Madrona and Leschi
Eastlake, North Capitol Hill and Portage Bay
Southwest Queen Anne
Downtown: City Hall to Pike Place
Fauntleroy and Morgan Junction
Alki from Above
Longfellow Creek and Pigeon Point
Deadhorse Canyon and Rainier Beach
Lakewood - Seward Park
Burien: Eagle Landing Stairs
Bellevue: Kelsey Creek Farm
Mercer Island: Mercerdale Hillside
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Fremont
We'll start this Fremont stairway survey with a stroll along the ship canal, before heading up streets and stairs to the northern heights of the neighborhood and Fremont Peak Park. Then we'll turn back down, threading our way through the eastern side of the neighborhood. This walk will show us both out-of-the-way nooks and crannies and touristy sights of an old neighborhood with a tumultuous past.
Walk Leader: Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassador, Naomi Botkin
Numbers: 3.2 miles: 224 steps down, 302 steps up.
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Golden Gardens
We'll start at the edge of the Loyal Heights neighborhood high above Puget Sound, we'll descend all the way to Golden Gardens beach, with glorious views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.
Walk Leader: Feet First Executive Director, Lisa Quinn
Numbers: 1.4 miles: 272 steps down, 272 steps up.
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Maple Leaf and Thornton Creek
Nature, urban art and environmental design - this tour of Seattle stairs has it all! We'll visit Thornton Creek, the biggest year-round stream in Seattle, provides a running theme: you'll cross and re-cross it; view it bank-side and from tree-canopy height. And you'll see how it's been re-engineered by both humans and animals (yup, beavers)!
Walk Leader: Founder and publisher of Outdoors NW, Carolyn Price
Numbers: 4.7 miles: 326 steps down, 136 steps up.
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Madrona and Leschi
In the late 1800s, electric trolleys first penetrated this logged bluff high above Lake Washington. New streets, lots and stairways. quickly followed. We'll make an introductory exploration of this special neighborhood's discreet stairs and passageways, with their lake-spanning vistas, gorgeous old homes and beautiful volunteer-supported greenspaces.
Walk Leaders: Cathy and Jake Jaramillo, Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassadors and authors of Seattle Stairway Walks
Numbers: 1.7 miles; 371 steps down, 299 steps up.
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Eastlake, North Capitol Hill and Portage Bay
This stairway walk carries you from the top of Capitol Hill down to the edge of Eastlake, with views all along the way, before it heads back up the hill and over to Portage Bay. As Seattle stairs go, this is the route with the most: you'll visit the longest stairway in Seattle, the Howe street stairs, though (shhhh!) we'll show you the shortcut.
Walk Leaders: Feet First Board Member, John Stewart and Rob Ketcherside
Numbers: 2.3 miles: 349 steps down, 337 steps up.
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Southwest Queen Anne
Queen Anne hill can be roughly divided into four distinct quadrants, each with its own look and feel. Southwest Queen Anne is the elegant one. On this route we'll visit the stately, neo-Gothic Wilcox Wall; climb secluded stairways and cobblestone lanes beneath towering trees and opulent homes; and take in famous, wide-open views across the city.
Walk Leader: Feet First Board President, Dave Ramsay
Numbers: 2.6 miles: 588 steps down, 477 steps up.
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Downtown: City Hall to Pike Place
This stairway walk makes a terrific "city day," either as a Downtown refresher course for Seattleites, or an off-the-beaten-path alternative for visitors. Among many architectural treats, we'll visit buildings from Seattle's brief but spectacular Art Deco period; peer up the bulging side of a nationally acclaimed Postmodern-style tower; and get a close-up view of one of the few remaining architectural details that are easy to miss from a car or bus. We'll see intricate architectural allusions to early commerce in the Pacific Northwest, and inspect quirky sidewalk hatch-cover art.
Walk Leader: Community Volunteer and Pioneer Square Resident, Jack Bennetto
Numbers: 2.5 miles: 385 steps down, 455 steps up.
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Fauntleroy and Morgan Junction
This is a wide-ranging stairway walk in the northern part of the Fauntleroy neighborhood in West Seattle, and it includes excellent opportunities for food and drink near the end. On this route we'll step down the second-longest Seattle stairs; descend a wooded bluff to the cobblestone beach below; and "discover" a well-hidden stairway near Morgan Junction. There's also a stop at little-known Solstice Park, home of a giant earthen astrolabe.
Walk Leader: Feet First Advisory Board Member and Communications Committee Member, Chas Redmond
Numbers: 3.5 miles: 495 steps down, 69 steps up.
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Alki from Above
Is there a route from the top of the bluff, to the beach below--maybe a stairway or two with a view? You'll find out on this walk, which starts in the North Admiral neighborhood at the top of the peninsula, advances to the bluff's edge, then plunges down steep lanes and scenic byways toward the beach.
Walk Leader: Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassador, Timothy Lowry
Numbers: 3.4 miles: 374 steps down, 73 steps up.
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Longfellow Creek and Pigeon Point
The hugely varied route starts out on the Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail, one of the nicest and most accessible sections of this restored year-round creek. We'll climb the west flank of Puget Ridge via the Genesee stairs to explore the Pigeon Point neighborhood on top, with peek-a-boo views of Cascades and Olympics. We'll descend another well-hidden stairway down the east flank, before rounding Pigeon Point under the West Seattle Bridge, right next to the heart of industrial West Seattle.
Walk Leader: Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassador, Bryan Fiedorczyk
Numbers: 1.8 miles: 274 steps down, 314 steps up.
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Deadhorse Canyon and Rainier Beach
This Seattle stairs jaunt starts by taking you on steps and trail, up and down the length of verdant Deadhorse Canyon. Taylor Creek runs through it; it's one of only three in the city that flow year-round, and it's fun to visit at different times of the year to watch how it changes. We'll eventually climb out of the canyon and down toward residential Rainier Beach, where more stairways give up marvelous south Lake Washington views.
Walk Leader: Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassador and local artist, Mary Magenta
Numbers: 1.8 miles: 307 steps down, 120 steps up.
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Lakewood - Seward Park
Experience the excitement of discovering the leafy, secretive stairs hidden at the Ferdinand street-end. We'll be immersed in the heart of this beautiful lakeside neighborhood, plunging along obscure back pathways and slopes.
Walk Leader: Barbara McHarg of Seattle Parks & Recreation's Sound Steps
Numbers: 1.8 miles: 174 steps down, 207 steps up.
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Burien: Eagle Landing Stairs
Extraordinary Eagle Landing Park sits right above the Sound in a quiet, woodsy residential part of Burien. The single up-and-down trail passes a viewing area where you can search for the eagle's nest somewhere high among the Douglas Firs. We'll quickly reach the one major stairway, which is the fourth-longest of all Seattle stairs. Its unique steel structure floats through the trees, above the fragile and slipping hillside. At the bottom, we'll be treated to views of Vashon and Maury Islands across the Sound, and Three Tree Point southward down the beach. After you finish, you'll find lots of eating, drinking and strolling opportunities in revitalized old downtown Burien.
Walk Leader: WABI Burien
Numbers: 0.4 miles: 289 steps down and 289 steps up.
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Bellevue: Kelsey Creek Farm
Kelsey Creek Farm Park in Bellevue is a largely overlooked gem. It's part of Seattle's largest watershed, providing habitat for spawning salmon and for an abundant population of migratory and resident birds. We'll cross through the Kelsey Creek wetlands before heading up an abundantly wooded hillside, along a springy, bark-surfaced trail. Several stairways take us up and down the north and south ends of the slope, crossing several brooks along the way.
Walk Leader: Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassador and Blogger, Connie DeLaVergne, of Walk On in Bell WA
Numbers: 1.2 miles: 50 steps down, 163 steps up.
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Mercer Island: Mercerdale Hillside
Near the northwest tip of Mercer Island, you'll explore a magnificent system of paths and stairways that weave through an ever-changing hillside greenbelt. We may even spot an eagle's nest, just before taking a short but interesting jaunt through the residential neighborhood at the top of the hillside. After finishing this 2-mile loop, you may want to explore two nearby historical highlights on your own: old Roanoke Landing, and Roanoke Inn, which since 1914 has variously provided food, lodging and various kinds of entertainment.
Walk Leader: Feet First Communications Committee Member, Ted Brassfield
Numbers: 2.0 miles: 522 steps down, 329 steps up.
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This event is coordinated by Feet First and features exclusive walks from Cathy & Jake Jaramillo's new book, Seattle Stairway Walks: An Up-and-Down Guide to City Neighborhoods. See http://www.seattlestairwaywalks.com/ for more information about the book.
The Stairway Walks Day is made possible by Feet First Neighborhood Walking Ambassadors, staff, volunteers, Board and Committee members, and partner organizations Outdoors NW, WABI Burien, and Seattle Parks & Recreation's Sound Steps. Feet First is a nonprofit organization working to ensure all communities in Washington are walkable. Learn more at http://feetfirst.org/act/stairway-walks.
For more information, please contact Darcy Edmunds by emailing darcy@feetfirst.org or calling 206-652-2310, ext. 5. The walks are free. Space on each walk is limited to 20 participants, please RSVP in advance.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lisa Quinn, Feet First Executive Director by emailing lisa@feetfirst.org or calling 206-652-2310, ext. 6.
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LocationVaried Locations around Seattle, Bellevue, Burien, and Mercer Island (View)
Varies from walk to walk; exact address will be given upon RSVP
Seattle, WA 98104
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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