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Woodland Park

We've had a rough last month of being sick.  Consequently, we haven't gone out as much as I would have liked, and I'm dreadfully behind on my blog posting.  Despite the setbacks, we have managed to make it to a couple of nice parks in the last few weeks.  Today, I'll be highlighting Woodland Park.


As someone who did not grow up in the Pacific Northwest, I was surprised to find that Woodland Park is a huge park that is separate from its neighbor, the Woodland Park Zoo.  The park is actually divided into two parts by Aurora Ave.  The west side boasts of a play area and the zoo; the east side (also known as Lower Woodland Park) is made up mostly of woods and picnic areas.  There is also an off-leash dog area on the east side near Green Lake.


Our trip found us mostly on the east side.  We played around in the woods for a while.


We admired the moss on the trees.


And found some fun sticks to drum with!


The boys were also fascinated by the appearance of the moon during the daytime!


Although the woods are nice, one of our favorite areas is the hill right near the bridge that connects the park over Aurora.  The kids loved running up and down the hill, and enjoyed lounging around the beautiful tree near the top.




After some time of running around, we decided to go over the bridge.  Who doesn't like bridges?


If you look closely, you can even spot the Space Needle from here.


Then it was time for snack.  While we were eating, we had a lot of visitors coming by on their way to the zoo.  There is free parking at Woodland Park east of Aurora, but if you park in the zoo parking lot, it is $5.


Since we're members and we had a lot of time that morning, we decided to go too!


Buddy enjoyed looking at the map and trying to figure out where we were.


It was a shorter zoo trip, but still a lot of fun.


Some other things you might want to know...

  • Bathrooms?
    • Yes.
  • Playground?
    • Yes, but on the west side on the other side of the zoo (off Phinney Ave N and 59th).  On this trip, we parked on the east side which is the complete opposite corner of it.  We have been to the playground though in the past, and we love it.  It has a lot of nice swings, and a great playground.  There aren't any bathrooms near it though unless you go into the zoo.
  • Parking?
    • Lots of parking in and around the park.  There is separate zoo parking, but you'll be paying $5 for your vehicle.  If you aren't going to the playground, I'd recommend parking in the big open lot on N 50th St. just before you go under Aurora Ave.
  • Rainboots?
    • No.
  • Special Interest?
    • Lots!  Lower Woodland Park has an off-leash dog area, playfields, tennis courts, skate park, and other sports-related areas.  The west side boasts of the zoo, a field with cannons, a rose garden, and a playground.
  • Would I come here again?
    • Yes and no.  We love the zoo, and we are members there.  The playground is also fantastic and mostly shaded.  As for the lower part of the park, probably not.  I didn't always feel safe as I felt very isolated and vulnerable at times (we were there really early in the morning before a lot of families would be there).  Also, even though there are a lot of woods, the paths just wander and don't make you feel like you are going anywhere in particular.
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