Despite having lived in Seattle since the late ’80s, it seems like every other week I stumble across a new facet to Seattle. I couldn’t tell you how often I’ve passed by the Union Bay Natural Area without having the faintest clue it was there, bordered on one side by UW’s Husky Stadium, on another by Laurelhurst, and another by Lake Washington.
I mean, I knew something was there, I just didn’t know it was a nature preserve open to the public. I blame a birder-led conspiracy of secrecy. That is who, largely, you will find out there, clutching their binoculars and telephoto-lensed cameras, hoping to see some of the 200-plus species of birds that have been spotted so far. “At 74 acres, with four miles of shoreline,” the site informs you, the UBNA “is the second largest natural system left on the lake.” It is positively lousy with great blue herons.
At the moment, many of the birds are nesting and looking after chicks, and will let you know if you have come too close without an invitation. If you stay on the gravel path that loops throughout the preserve, you won’t disturb much as the gravel’s crunch will forewarn them of your arrival. There’s an instant immersion into what feels like wilderness. Even though you also get views of the 520 floating bridge, or Mount Rainier framed by Eastside towers, when the trail dips, the marsh grasses rise up around you and the city drops away.
Ponds hold turtles, beavers, and ducks, besides of course more herons. Alongside the trail are wooden benches where you can sit to take in the view, carefully graffiti’d by someone who claims to be in the know regarding the code for the end times. I now forget the details, but I seem to recall it was some years off.
Connected to the preserve is the UW’s Center for Urban Horticulture, which also has two gardens, a grove, and a courtyard that are open for public viewing. They have a parking lot just off NE 41st Street, if you want to leave your car there while you wander.
I recommend renting a kayak at Aqua Verde in the late morning, paddle for a few hours, then come back in time for lunch.