Do Your Heart Some Good at Green Lake

One of the best ways to take care of your heart is to get more exercise, and Seattle has a wealth of indoor and outdoor opportunities to get moving.  Green Lake is a favorite venue for heart healthy activity for Seattle residents and visitors alike.  Walkers, runners, bikes, skates, and families with babies in strollers circle the lake at all hours; you can't venture far on the path without encountering someone else enjoying this very popular park.

In the North part of Seattle, nestled between I-5 and Aurora Avenue, Green Lake is part of the park system originally envisioned by John Olmsted in 1903. Green Lake has been an important part of Seattle's leisure activities throughout the city's history; in fact, the lake and park were once connected to downtown Seattle by streetcar.

The 2.9 mile trail that hugs the edge of the lake is now 18' wide with two lanes to separate the faster bikes and skaters from the walkers and strollers. The trail is paved, with an additional 5 foot width of crushed gravel walkway on the lake side. A separate, 3.2 mile, crushed gravel path rings the perimeter of the park, this outer trail is mostly used by runners.

Motorized boats are prohibited on the lake, but peddle-boats, canoes, kayaks, rowboats, stand-up paddle boards, and sailboats are popular, and can even be rented from the boat house. The Evans Pool is indoors and open year round, and in summer, swimmers have two swimming areas in the lake from which to choose along, with a wading pool for toddlers.

Other exercise opportunities at the lake include tennis courts, soccer, baseball, golf, bocce ball, qigong, tai chi, and even lawn bowling.