Seasonal color along Lake Washington

Position your car (or bicycle) at the northern entrance to Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum and prepare for a lovely, in-city ride. Use Lake Washington Boulevard as your route south to Seward Park, about 15 miles.

The Arboretum ought to provide enough color of its own to keep you busy all day — to say nothing of the Japanese Garden near its southern border, a must see. You can take the upper or lower roads (or both) for good fall viewing.

At the southern end of the Arboretum, cross Madison Street and head into a patchwork of old, private gardens and parklands and past an outlook at the top of Denny-Blaine Park. From there, you'll descend to the lake, eventually dissecting Madrona Park (the beach on your left and the newly restored hillside on your right, a woodsy climb well worth the effort).

Before you enter the Leschi business district, make sure to veer to the right, uphill, to follow the original Lake Washington Boulevard as it skirts Leschi Park and cuts through Frink Park before heading south again along the slope.

Both parks are good places for a mid-drive walk or rest. Another is the outlook over the I-90 tunnels in Mount Baker — great colors in the gardens and trees surrounding the outlook as well as a colorful panorama up and down Lake Washington.

From there, continue on as the boulevard winds back to the lake through another jewel — Colman Park — and then passes Mount Baker beach and park, also worth a walk or at least a quick side drive up and down its main, tree-canopied roadway.

From there, continue along the lake south to Seward Park.

There are a couple more gems. One is the perennial garden you can reach by taking 43rd Avenue South, south off the boulevard to South Genesee. Turn left at that intersection and park in the lot on the north side of the street. The garden is behind the parking lot.

The other is Seward Park itself, a favorite of Duane Penttila, horticulture and forestry manager for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Penttila says there are two gardens near the park entrance visitors shouldn't miss. But the best place to end this journey, he says, is at the top of the peninsula in some 150 acres of never-been-logged forest. It's a great place to get a taste of Northwest sights and fragrances.

IF YOU GO: CITY DRIVE

More information: You can get more parks information from Seattle Parks & Recreation Department, 100 Dexter Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109; 206-684-4075 or www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/parkmap.htm..

For Arboretum information, try the Web, depts.washington.edu/wpa, or call 206-543-8800. For the Japanese Garden, see www.seattlejapanesegarden.org or call 206-684-4075.

Lunch idea: If you get a little hungry en route, stop at Leschi Market, 103 Lakeside, open every day, for picnic supplies. There's a great butcher shop in the back of the store, a good selection of salads and other snacks and a growing wine selection quickly becoming a hit in the neighborhood.

Copyright © The Seattle Times Company

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