Travel articles often suggest that one needs to look at their own region through the eyes of a tourist. Since I am not always traveling to distant places to write about, I often look around the Seattle community to find experiences and places to share. That recently led me to discover Cheshiahud Loop, a route that goes all the way around Lake Union. The online information stated it was a six and a half mile walk. We figured that would be good exercise as a Labor Day activity.
Lake Union is in an interesting location. When the canal was build between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, they cut through the northern part of Lake Union. Although it’s not a large lake, its access to both Lake Washington and Puget Sound make it a significant location in Seattle.
Our tour on Labor Day started with a gray and cloudy sky. It was the typical gray day that Seattle natives are accustomed to experiencing in the winter. No rain was predicted so while it was not the best day for photos, it was actually a great day for a walk.
We started the Cheshiahud Loop walk at Gasworks Park on the north end of Lake Union. This is a popular urban park on the lake’s edge and had parking for us to use. Originally the park was the location of a major industrial plant; the remains of which are still visible. The Seattle Gas Light Company had plants here to produce gas for household use, first extracting gas from coal and later from oil. A fence surrounds the largest section of the old pipes, but in other places one can get up close and personal. One section is in a covered area and painted in fun colors. It’s between the children’s play area and the covered eating area so is an easy place to check out.
The other main attraction at the park is a small hill which goes up high enough to give nice views of downtown Seattle including the Space Needle. One can also watch the sea planes landing and taking off from Lake Union. The hill is also a popular place for kite flyers, although there were none out on our visit.
After checking things out at Gasworks, we headed east along the Burke-Gilman trail. This is a major urban trail that runs all the way from Bothell to Ballard. The trail follows along the shoreline of Lake Union where there are a few houseboats and quite a bit of boat storage facilities. It’s not the most scenic part of the walk. The trail also go under the I-5 bridge which soars high above the water.
We eventually turned off the Burke-Gilman trail a few blocks before the University Bridge. Just before the bridge we came to a small park called the Peace Park. The main attraction was the statue of a boy. From there we crossed over the University Bridge. Standing on the bridge, we had some nice views out into Lake Union framed by the I-5 Bridge above us. The University Bridge also crosses the canal that goes between Lake Washington and Lake Union. As are many of the bridges in this area, part of the bridge is a draw bridge.
After crossing the bridge we turned right down to the shore of the Lake. There is a small park near the water, but it was completely fenced off so we were not able to go into it. However, after the park was a small area out to the water’s edge. There we could take a few photos including some of the well know Ivar’s Salmon House Fish Bar on the opposite shore. Ivar’s is a popular seafood restaurant chain in the Puget Sound region.
It was also from this location that we first saw some of the really nice houseboats on the Lake. The east side of Lake Union seems to be the major location for houseboats in Seattle.
Seattle became know for its houseboats after the movie Sleepless in Seattle came out. I knew there were houseboats around, but had never really seen them. This walk showed them to me, and it was quite interesting. Most of the houseboats are not randomly placed around. They are in communities. Usually they have a dock entrance. Some of the entrances have locked doors to keep people out. Others are open with sign indicating they are private.
The houseboats are usually laid out in street-like formations with exterior walkways to them and water in between. Many are two stories tall. Some had fancy boats parked next to them while others had kayaks on their doorsteps. Houseboat residents seemed to park their cars along the roads. However, I saw no evidence of designated parking so mostly it’s on a first come first serve basis. Residents would have to haul their groceries from their cars down the docks to their homes. I did see a few wheel-barrow type carts that people could use to carry things to their homes.
The paths we were following at this point were near the water, but not usually on the shore. While we caught sight of the houseboats from time to time, on the east side of the path it was quite easy to see all the apartments along the way. Below one complex was a large pea patch quite full of vegetables and flowers. I saw ripe tomatoes a plenty. I also appreciated the welcome sign in the many different languages represented in our region. For immigrants from rural areas, gardens can be an important part of their lives.
On one small section 0f the loop, we had to walk up and over a block, but mostly we were walking pretty close to the water. Along the way we came across some pocket parks. These parks would often provide a place to take photos of the lake as well as of the houseboats nearby. Besides the small parks, there were other places that were indicated as the ends of roads which I thought was interesting.
The last park we came to on this side of the lake was Terry Pettus Park. It has a short dock out onto the water which offered nice views of the lake and the Space Needle on the other side. It was also next to a line of houseboats. However, the park was in rough shape. The wood used for the retaining wall was falling apart. This is a park that could definitely use some help.
At this point in our journey around Lake Union, the loop becomes more commercial which makes for a good place to pause for now. We are only about halfway around the lake so there are still a lot of sites to see. Next week I will share about the south end of Lake Union as well as the Fremont area.
In the meantime I’d love to know if anyone else has managed to do the Cheshiahud Loop. Your experiences at Gasworks Park are also welcome. Just place those comments in the box below. Thanks for being a part of the Battered Suitcase community.
I’d never heard of the loop either. I looked up the name. “The Cheshiahud Loop is named after the chief of the Duwamish village on Lake Union. Cheshiahud, also known as Lake John…”
Thanks for adding that information. Now if I could only learn how to pronounce it I’d be in good shape.
Have never heard of this loop before. Thanks!
I saw it on a map and checked it out.