Washington Park Arboretum

Washington Park Arboretum encompasses 230 acres extending from 40th Ave. E. and E. Madison St. n. to SR 520 and Lake Washington. In a city blessed with urban green spaces, Washington Park Arboretum is one of the loveliest. It contains more than 5,500 kinds of plants from around the world—including many species native to the Pacific Northwest—that give the overall impression of a natural but meticulously manicured woodland.

There are notable collections of conifers, maples, rhododendrons, camellias, hollies and magnolias. Spring is a highlight, when the azaleas, dogwoods and cherry blossoms that grace Azalea Way, a promenade three-quarters of a mile long, are in bloom.

Rhododendron Glen, planted on a hillside valley off Arboretum Drive E., has varieties from dwarfs to tree forms and is ablaze with color from April into June. In fall Japanese maples turn a vivid array of reds and purples, and the bright yellow blooms of witch hazel in the Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden prove that not all plants go into cold-season hibernation.

Guided tours are available. Pet friendly (call for restrictions/fees.). Time: Allow 1 hour, 30 minutes minimum.