Lake Washington Lake

Address: Lake Washington, Seattle / King County, Washington, USA

Hours: Open outdoors year-round

Admission: Free (public lake and shore access)

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.

Lake Washington lies immediately east of the city of Seattle in King County. Major crossings are State Route 520 (the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge) and Interstate 90 (the Lacey V. Murrow/Homer M. Hadley bridges); these are the main driving routes between Seattle and the Eastside suburbs. From downtown Seattle the western shore of Lake Washington is within the city limits and typically a 5-20 minute drive depending on traffic; King County Metro buses serve neighborhoods along the lake and the bridge corridors for access to east‑side destinations.

• Visit early morning for calm water and good wildlife/kayaking conditions, or late afternoon for skyline views when the city light softens; midday weekends are the busiest times.
• Use public transit to reach popular access points (Seward Park, Montlake, and the University waterfront) to avoid heavy event-related and commuter parking; Seward Park and the Arboretum offer quieter shorelines.
• Don't miss viewing the two famous floating bridges (I-90/Lacey V. Murrow and SR 520/Evergreen Point); the SR 520 replacement includes a pedestrian/cycle path that provides a unique perspective of the lake.