Parks in Washington

Discover 16 unusual parks in Washington.

Grand Coulee, Washington

Gehrke Windmill Garden

An eclectic collection of wind-powered sculptures made from found and recycled materials.

Bring a bottle

Olympia, Washington

Olympia Artesian Well Commons

Local stories say that if you drink from this well, you will return to Olympia.

The park's pavilion.

Seattle, Washington

Bradner Gardens Park

This multi-functional park is a marvel of civic engagement.

A giant smelter, which pays homage to both the novels and the site on which the park is built.

Tacoma, Washington

Dune Peninsula

A massive environmental project transformed this former smelter into a beautiful park.

Tashkent Park

Seattle, Washington

Tashkent Park

This park celebrates a sister city relationship that survived the Cold War.

Hidden Paths & Trails

Seattle, Washington

Dunn Gardens

A lush Seattle garden designed by the same landscape architects responsible for New York's Central Park.

Kurt Cobain Memorial Park.

Aberdeen, Washington

Kurt Cobain Memorial Park

A tribute to the Nirvana frontman hides beneath the bridge that was the singer's beloved hangout spot.

The Band.

Ashford, Washington

Recycled Spirits of Iron Sculpture Park (Ex-Nihilo Park)

Not far from Mount Rainer, an iron wonderland claims the landscape.

Granite Falls, Washington

Lime Kiln Trail

Four abandoned towers hidden above the Douglas fir forest in Washington.

The namesake pillars of Seattle's Plymouth Pillars Park.

Seattle, Washington

Plymouth Pillars Park

The four tall pillars once marked the entrance of the historic Seattle church that fought for women's suffrage and civil rights.

Port Townsend, Washington

Fort Worden Artillery Battery

An abandoned network of military bunkers and tunnels open for anyone willing to descend into the darkness.

Hat 'n' Boots today.

Seattle, Washington

Hat 'n' Boots

Seattle's super-sized cowboy apparel once belonged to a themed gas station that wrangled in herds of tourists.

Overhead view of Pac Man Park

Seattle, Washington

Pac Man Park

This painted blacktop brings the classic arcade game to life.

A brutalist fountain at Freeway Park.

Seattle, Washington

Freeway Park

The first park built over a freeway is a brutalist masterwork.

The old gasification plant in Gas Works Park, Seattle

Seattle, Washington

Gas Works Park

This former coal gasification plant found a curious second life as a popular public park.

Squirrel (pattern) trapped in a petrified tree at Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park

Vantage, Washington

Ginkgo Petrified Forest

An exercise in patience and imagination, where Mother Earth turned common stuff into precious hidden treasures.