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Good news for walkers, joggers, dog owners, and strollers both wheeled and human: Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum Waterfront Trail — a.k.a. the scenic boardwalk where you pretend you hike — is finally getting the TLC it deserves.
After years of slow rot, slipping planks, and the occasional “oops, I thought this was ADA accessible,” the city is fixing things up. After years of serving as both a scenic gem and a seasonal mudslide simulator, the trail is getting improvements designed to make it safer, smoother, and slightly less likely to eat your shoes.
Seattle Parks and Recreation has officially kicked off work on a $2.45 million trail upgrade project to improve the portion of the path that floats oh-so-dramatically above Foster Island’s wetland. In real terms: new boardwalk decking, better drainage, gentle slope corrections, and actual accessibility features — for everyone from weekend joggers to folks navigating with wheels.
The project also upgrades parts of the adjacent gravel trail, because while the marsh is lovely, it's not supposed to be the trail.
Finalizing the trail’s design hit a few bureaucratic speed bumps, thanks to long waits on state and federal permits. But with those finally approved, Phase 1 work on Foster Island is ready to move into bidding and construction. In better news, the project also secured Seattle Parks District funding to jumpstart design for Phase 2 on Marsh Island — and the city’s already working on hiring a consultant and kicking off new site surveys. As for when shovels actually hit dirt? There’s no set groundbreaking or completion date yet, so trail fans will need to hang tight (and maybe invest in some waterproof shoes just in case).
PARK STILL OPEN
According to Seattle Parks, the Arboretum will remain open throughout the waterfront-trail upgrades, though "we may temporarily close or reroute some trails when work is taking place nearby", though there may be very Seattle delays depending on weather, crane schedules, and whether a family of otters decides to unionize.
Once complete, the revamped trail will still offer the same unbeatable views of Union Bay and the occasional confused heron — but with significantly less structural anxiety.