Saint Edward State Park451

St Edward State Park is a wooded park on the northeast shore of Lake Washington features several easy hiking trails, meadows, and lake shoreline, as well as imposing brick buildings left over from its days as a Catholic seminary. Access to the undeveloped shoreline is by trail only.

Many of the park's trails are short and easy enough for smaller kids to access, although not stroller-friendly. The Beach Trail is 0.43 miles; the Orchard Loop 0.25 miles; and the Plateau Trail 0.26 miles. Trail maps and mileage are posted at the brown kiosks located near the parking lots. The park's mixture of deciduous trees and conifers, and shoreline access, ensure a varied bird population.

A primary reason for families to come here is the brilliant playground completed in mid-2003. It offers two all-wood, outdoors-themed play areas: a completely fenced tots' area for kids up to age five, and an enormous climbing/running/hiding structure for older children. Both play areas incorporate quality art and clever surprises for kids to find throughout.

Owl Forest, the tot's area, features lots of open space for running, a large wooden climb-in plane, a turtle marimba, and swinging wooden blocks painted in rainbow colors to hit and look at. Look for a little hidey-house, too.

The climbing structure in the big kids' area is simply amazing. The complex, multilevel structure's turrets and towers give it a vaguely Medieval look, and it's full of small cubbyholes for kids to duck into, maze-like passageways for hide and seek, and lots of places to climb. A climbing wall is located facing the swings. (It's perfectly safe for small children, although parents can lose sight very quickly. If you visit with more than one small child, we recommend bringing along another adult.)

Check the website for information on holding picnics and other events in the park.