Discovery Park (Seattle)

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Looking across the south meadow to Puget Sound.

South Beach

Daybreak Star Cultural Center

Post Exchange and Gymnasium in the Fort Lawton Historical District

West Point Lighthouse

Discovery Park is a 534 acre (2.2 km²) park in the peninsular Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is the city's largest public park and contains 11.81 miles of walking trails. United Indians of All Tribes' Daybreak Star Cultural Center is within the park's boundaries. On the south side of the North Beach strip is a sewage treatment plant, but it is almost entirely concealed from the marsh, beach and trail.

The park is built on the historic grounds of Fort Lawton; most of the Fort Lawton Historic District (FLHD) falls within the park (although an enclave within the district remains in military hands), as does the West Point Lighthouse. Both the FLHD and the lighthouse are on the National Register of Historic Places.

1 Ambience
2 History
3 Issues
4 Notes
5 External links

[edit] Ambience

The park is one of the best places in the city to view wildlife, especially birds and marine mammals. As of November 2007, according to ebird.com, 162 species of wild birds have been recorded in the park.^[1] The waters of Elliott and Shilshole Bays are home to harbor seals and California sea lions, while the wooded areas support Townsend's chipmunks. Most visitors enjoy hiking the Loop Trail, which forms a circuit through forest, meadow, and shrub habitats around the upland portion of the park, and provides excellent views of Puget Sound. The shoreline is freely accessible by road or trail (the hike back up from the north beach is mildly strenuous). The south beach is on the windward side of the peninsula, Elliott Bay, and the north beach is on the leeward side and has views of Shilshole Bay. At the point between the north and south beaches is West Point and the West Point Lighthouse. Coniferous forest is mostly to be found in the north bluff region and can be accessed from the road that leads to the beach. Deciduous woods surround the two parking lots and the visitor center. Overlooking the south bluff is a large meadow with small trees and shrubs. Douglas-fir, western redcedar, red alder, and bigleaf maple make up a large percentage of the tree cover in the park. Invasive species such as Scotch broom and English ivy are present, requiring active on-going management to suppress. Himalayan blackberry brambles seem to be restricted to an area near the south parking lot.

[edit] History

Discovery Park is a relatively recent creation, having been created in the early 1970s from land surplus to the U.S. Army's Fort Lawton. The site for the 1,100 acre (4.5 km²) fort had been given to the Army by the city in 1898, and the fort opened in 1900. The Army offered to sell it back to the city for one dollar in 1938 but the city refused, citing maintenance concerns. Much of the land was surplused in 1971, given to the city in 1972, and dedicated as Discovery Park in 1973. Fort Lawton still exists within the park as headquarters of the U.S. Army Reserve's 70th Regional Readiness Command and a military housing site. Grunge band Temple of the Dog filmed the music video for their hit single "Hunger Strike" on the shores of Discovery Park.

[edit] Issues

The beach has a history of sporadic clothing-optional use in the more remote areas of its shoreline. However, such use is currently not officially sanctioned by the City. A beach rally organized by The Body Freedom Collaborative's Seattle Free Beach Campaign^[2] on September 4, 2004 to shore support for clothing-optional use resulted in the arrest of a man sunbathing, after a complaint was made to the Seattle Police.^[3]