Where to run in Seattle, 3 great routes.

I lived in Seattle for a full year and among all the great things I experienced there, the running part was one of the best. The landscape is amazing. There are many great roads to take to enjoy a run. Some can be very steep and some pretty flat, it’s perfect for beginners and advanced. This article is about where to run in Seattle, 3 great routes to try.

One of the particularities of Seattle is the number of lakes in and around the city. There are so many of them, all surrounded by nature and parks which make them beautiful places to go for a walk or a run. The three routes I will talk about, all are along a lake.

The first route is around Green lake. Located 6 miles north of Seattle, it’s away from the chaos of the city center but can still be pretty busy. It’s around the lake and you can simply run around, the whole tour is 2.8 miles or 4.5 km. You can make it whatever you want in terms of length by running around just once or many times. It’s also a great place for intervals when it’s not crowd as it’s flat.

It’s also used for races during the years before the pandemic, such as Sporty Divas: https://runsignup.com/Race/WA/Seattle/SportyDivas2ndAnnualLastRunoftheYearatGreenLake

Or Extra 5K https://runsignup.com/Race/WA/Seattle/ExtraDay5K

It’s also a great place to chill as there are coffee shops and restaurants nearby or to do any kind of exercise on top of running. It’s beautiful, especially in spring when the sun is out and the flowers are blossoming.

The second route and the one I’ve done the most is around Lake Union. Located right in the middle of Seattle, it crosses many different neighborhoods. Fremont, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, West lake, North Lake, and East lake. You can run along the lake pretty much the whole time, it’s up and down and the whole tour is around 6.2 miles or 10 km, depending on where you start.

The view is wonderful especially as you reach Gasworks park in the evening. It gives you an incredible view of the city. During the summer, the lake is pretty busy with boats, paddles, kayaks, floats… And in the winter, it’s very peaceful and quiet.

You will meet many ducks and wild geese on the way they are normally friendly. Most of the route is well made to run and you can extend it by running along the Fremont cut on the west side of the lake. It’s nice to run along with it, there is a park on each side.

I particularly love this one as the view is wonderful all the way.

The third route and the most challenging is the Japanese garden and Madison park coming from Capitol hill. We used to live on Park Street and Belmont avenue.

The way to get to Madison park is amazing, you go down for 2.6 miles or 4.2 km. The view once you get there is amazing on Washington lake, you can see Mercer Island and chill at the kind of little beach there. But then the way back is a huge pain.

I normally extended the run by going to the Japanese garden just because is another great spot. You are literally in a pin forest. But then from the Japanese garden to Capitol Hill, you’ve got 1.25 miles or 2 km very steep. It’s between 5.6 and 7.6 miles or 9 and 12 km in total depends where you start and if you add the Japanese garden or not.

It’s challenging but the hill is amazing to work your cardio and improve your speed.

More things to do around Seattle in my articles: https://elvinechloe.com/make-the-most-of-port-angeles-and-olympic-national-park/, https://elvinechloe.com/a-weekend-away-in-whidbey-island/ and https://elvinechloe.com/one-of-the-most-beautiful-spots-near-seattle/