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Carkeek Park

Coordinates: 47°42′46″N 122°22′42″W / 47.71278°N 122.37833°W / 47.71278; -122.37833
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Carkeek Park
Carkeek Park beach beyond the BNSF tracks. Esplanade NW in the distance
Map
TypeUrban Park
LocationSeattle, Washington
Coordinates47°42′46″N 122°22′42″W / 47.71278°N 122.37833°W / 47.71278; -122.37833
Area216 acres (0.87 km2)
Created1920s
Operated bySeattle Parks and Recreation

Carkeek Park is a 216-acre park (87 ha) in the Broadview neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The park offers various attractions, including Piper Orchard, Pipers Creek with its tributaries, Venema Creek and Mohlendorph Creek, as well as picnic areas, shelters, and hiking trails.[1]

Carkeek Park features diverse habitats—saltwater, riparian, wetland, upland forest, and meadow—that support a wide range of wildlife. Visitors can explore a six-mile trail network leading to a beach, playground, and a salmon imprinting pond, with scenic views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound. The trails also pass by Demonstration Gardens and remnants of the park's original fir, hemlock, and cedar forests.[1]

A pedestrian bridge over the BNSF Railway connects to the park's sand beach on Puget Sound. The Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center hosts many of the park's educational programs.[1]

History

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Originally established in 1918 along Lake Washington’s Pontiac Bay, the original Carkeek Park was replaced less than a decade later by a Naval Station Puget Sound, the site of today's Magnuson Park. However, Morgan Carkeek, a prominent Seattle builder, was determined to preserve his family's namesake. He contributed $25,000 towards a new park, while the city added $100,000 to purchase land for the relocation.

The new site, also called Carkeek Park, is situated on Puget Sound at the mouth of a creek known in Lushootseed as kʷaatəb, meaning "place where people are sent."[2][3] Located in a steep canyon, its rugged terrain has protected the park from the urban expansion that has transformed much of Seattle.[3]

Since its opening in 1928,[4] the park has served a variety of purposes: it hosted outdoor performances, provided feed for zoo animals, and even briefly became an Army camp during World War II.[3] In the 1930s, workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps built park structures, only to see them removed by 1938.[3]

Plans for an equestrian academy in the late 1940s were halted by budget shortfalls.[3] An archery field built in 1955 was relocated to Magnuson Park by 1985. Meanwhile, a sewage treatment plant that operated for years was eventually replaced by a Metro CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) and pump station near the beach.[3][1]

Carkeek Park’s natural landscape has seen significant changes. Originally covered in old growth forest, it was clearcut by the early 20th century. Today, the park features a mature maple-alder forest in a successional stage, with evergreens like Western red cedar and Douglas fir slowly reclaiming their dominance. Wetlands host cattails and sedges, and huge lady ferns fill the ravine between 105th and 110th streets.[3]

Amenities

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Piper's Orchard

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A century-old apple tree in Piper Orchard

Piper’s Orchard, Seattle’s oldest, was planted by settler A.W. Piper after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Neglected for decades, the orchard was rediscovered in 1981. Volunteers restored the trees and planted new ones, forming the Friends of Piper’s Orchard to preserve this piece of Seattle’s history.[5]

Playground

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The Carkeek Park playground, designed to emulate the Pipers Creek watershed, features a 19-foot purple salmon slide, tiny caves, and a stream. These elements are intended to educate children about local nature and history. The project required $275,000 in funding and several years of planning and physical labor, culminating in its completion by local parents and neighbors. It officially opened in 1997.[6]

Demonstration Garden

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Carkeek Park hosts the largest Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in King County.[7] The garden covers an acre and features various themed beds connected by gravel paths, aiming to educate home gardeners on creating wildlife-friendly spaces using sustainable plants. It promotes local ecosystem health by avoiding harmful chemicals and offers educational workshops for gardening enthusiasts. The park includes accessible paths and picnic facilities, serving as a community resource for education and recreation.[8]

Environmental Learning Center

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Wild Redflower Currant (Ribes sanguineum) blooming

The Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center (ELC) was designed to demonstrate sustainable building practices aligned with U.S. Green Building Council standards. It was the first City of Seattle building to achieve LEED Gold Certification.[9]

The center includes rooftop rainwater harvesting, energy-efficient insulation, and solar panels via Seattle City Light’s Green Power program. It also features salmon-friendly landscaping for stormwater management. Its construction utilized recycled and regional materials to reduce transportation-related energy use.

The ELC closed in 2013 due to city budget cuts and is no longer open to the public.

Salmon Habitat

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In 1987, chum salmon returned to Pipers Creek after a 50-year absence, following restoration efforts launched in 1979 by the Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project.[10] The initiative, supported by the Suquamish Tribe, state agencies, Seattle Public Utilities, and Seattle Parks, focused on improved storm water management practices to revive the salmon run.[11] Peak season to see returning salmon is November.[12][13] In autumn 2023, beavers took up residence on the creek near its outlet into Puget Sound, building a dam, altering the environment, and complicating the maintenance of the salmon run.[14]

Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b c d "About Carkeek Park". Carkeek Park Volunteers. Carkeek Park Volunteers. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  2. ^ The Waterlines Project (PDF) (Map). Burke Museum. 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Sherwood, Don. "Carkeek Park History" (PDF). City of Seattle. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Mongrain, Rebecca (May 27, 2015). "From Beach to Timberland, Carkeek Park is a Wonderwall of Discovery". Seattle Refined. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "Friends of Piper's Orchard". Carkeek Park Volunteers. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Eng, Lily (March 14, 1997). "Carkeek's New Playground: 'Wow'". Seattle Times. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  7. ^ "Demonstration Gardens in King County". WSU Extension. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  8. ^ McVicker, Katie (July 23, 2015). "Saving Place: Restoring the Demonstration Gardens at Carkeek Park". Pacific Horticulture. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  9. ^ "Nancy Malmgren Environmental Center" (PDF). CarkeekPark.org. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "Stream Salvation". Seattle Times. April 16, 2000. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "Viewing Chum Salmon". Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  12. ^ Douglas, Scott (October 28, 2019). "Where to see salmon runs in and around Seattle". Curbed Seattle. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  13. ^ Scruggs, Gregory (November 5, 2021). "Carkeek Park is a great place to watch the salmon complete their journey home". Seattle Times. Seattle. p. C16. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  14. ^ Zhou, Amanda (October 31, 2023). "Beaver family that moved into Seattle park may complicate salmon-spawning journey". Retrieved January 25, 2024.

See also

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Bibliography

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Further reading

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