Weowna Park
Hike a quiet forested bluff above Lake Sammamish
Quick Facts:
Location: Bellevue, WA
Land Agency contact: city of Bellevue Parks and Recreation
Round Trip: 2.5 miles of trails
Elevation Gain: up to 500 feet
Detailed Information: Urban Trails Eastside (Mountaineers Books)
Map: online
Notes: dogs permitted on leash
Access: From I-90 exit 11B in Bellevue follow 148th Ave SE north for 1 mile. Then turn right onto SE 16th Street (which becomes SE Phantom Way) and proceed for 1.1 miles. Turn left onto 164th SE and then immediately turn left into Lake Hills Community Park. Park here and walk Lake to Lake Trail .3 mile east to Weowna Park
Good to Know: kid-friendly, dog-friendly, snow free winter hikes, interpretive,
Occupying a bluff above Lake Sammamish on the eastern end of Bellevue, the 90-acre Weowna Park is a key parcel in the city’s Lake to Lake Greenbelt. It’s also the eastern terminus of the 10 mile cross-Bellevue Lake-to-Lake Trail. While there is very limited parking (3 hour time limit) at two small trailheads at the eastern end of the park on W Lake Sammamish Parkway SE and some street parking available on SE 16th Street; it’s best to park at the Lake Hills Community Park. Then walk east on the paved Lake to Lake Trail which parallels SE 14th Street and 168th Ave SE. In a third of a mile you’ll reach a trailhead in Weowna Park.
You can do a short loop, a long loop, a short out-and back, a long out-and-back or combine them all and get a good hike and workout in this park. If you stay on the loops along the ridge top you won’t lose or gain too much elevation. But if you decide to do any three of the trails leading to the W Lake Sammamish Parkway—you’ll get a good workout of 200-300 feet of climbing on each of the ascents.
The forest is old here with many of the firs taking on old-growth characteristics. Lots of maples too adding golden drapes come October. The upper loop is about 0.8 mile and is very pleasant walking encompassing part of the Lake to Lake paved trail. This trail crosses an old drainage ditch which was built by an early settler in the 1890s to reverse Phantom Lake’s outlet flow south to Lake Sammamish instead of flowing north to Larsen lake and then to Lake Washington. This was done to drain the wetlands between the two lakes and open it to cultivation. In the 1980s the city of Bellevue restored the flow north of Phantom Lake to its original course. The lake however still drains south through the ditch and is now referred to as Phantom Creek. Walk over the small bridge and notice the drop to the left. Here the creek plummets over a ledge into a narrow and deep ravine to a small but showy cascade.
For detailed descriptions (including maps) for this hike as well as many others in Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah and Mercer Island, pick up a copy of my Urban Trails Eastside (Mountaineers Books).
