Lake Washington

Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake in King County, Washington, United States, immediately east of the city of Seattle and west of the Eastside suburban cities. It is one of the largest lakes in the state and a major regional geographic feature.

Indigenous peoples, including Duwamish communities, lived around the lake for centuries before European settlement. In the 20th century the lake became integrated with regional transport and urban development, including construction of floating bridge crossings and the ship canal that connected the lake to Puget Sound.

Lake Washington lies immediately east of the city of Seattle and west of Bellevue and other Eastside suburbs in King County, Washington; it is served by major highways and numerous public parks on its shores.

• Size and depth: Covers roughly 34 square kilometres and reaches depths exceeding 60 metres, forming the largest lake entirely within King County and directly bordering Seattle and several Eastside cities.
• Transport and viewpoints: Two major floating highway bridges and multiple park shorelines make the lake a focal point for commuting, boating and waterfront recreation; frequent viewpoints are along the Burke-Gilman Trail and waterfront parks.

What to See #

• Floating bridges: The floating highway bridges that cross the lake, including the I-90 and State Route 520 crossings, which are among the longest floating bridges in the world and carry major commuter traffic between Seattle and the Eastside.
• Ballard Locks and Ship Canal: The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (Ballard Locks) and the Montlake Cut provide the lake's navigation connections to Lake Union and Puget Sound via the Lake Washington Ship Canal.