Ballard’s Best Kept Secret: Salmon Bay Park
On a bench in the best park in the world is the inscription “its good to be seen”
Sometimes that is all you need and to be seen here is one of life’s true little pleasures.
Reportedly, designed by the same park architect who designed New Youk’s Central Park, Ballard’s Salmon Bay Park is one block of rolling hillocks and full of trees smack dab in the exact center of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood an otherwise treeless flat area in Northwest Seattle. Being from the Midwest, I was drawn to this little Ballard park from the beginning.
Salmon Bay Park on a windy sunny day is absolute heaven. The breeze through the overreaching ancient evergreen trees against and emerald blue sky and the sounds of children at play and all kinds of other urban park activity keep this little park constantly active and vibrant. My dog and I have spent many a day here seeing and being seen while Ballard grows around us.
Our home is in between Salmon Bay park and Loyal Heights playground to the North and in between two excellent elementary school districts Whittier Elementary and Loyal Heights.Salmon Bay was originally named by pioneers William Bell and the Denny brothers. At that time, the bay area was inhabited by the Shilshole Indians. Salmon Bay Park itself was named after a former tidal flat, which is now part of the Washington Ship Canal. The Park was deeded to the City in 1890, and annexed to the rest of the city along with Ballard in 1907.
(Excerpted from Brandt Morgan’s Enjoying Seattle’s Parks)
About the author: Steve Craft is a long time Ballard Realtor and also a resident. If you are interested in seeing Steve’s neighborhood or touring Ballard homes for sale, you can reach him at 206-478-2900 or Steve@CooperJacobs.com.