Innis Arden Reserve Park hike in Shoreline, Washington

Why Go

The Innis Arden Reserve Park is a small park tucked away along the Puget Sound in Shoreline, just North of Seattle. A public trail at the northern part of the park provides for a short hike down to the railroad tracks which run on the shore of the Puget Sound. You will be treated to pretty views along the way, especially from a cleared overlook look near the top. However, the trail is often in a bit of a rough state, with mud, standing water and blowdowns common. The Innis Arden Beach trail to the south, off 166th St, is a private trail with a locked gate blocking access and is only open to residents of the Innis Arden community, which traces its roots back to William Boeing, the founder of the Boeing Company.

Click on an item on the map to view information about it

Getting There

directions_car

Directions

Driving west on N 175th Street, turn right onto 14th Ave and drive .3 miles. Take a sharp left onto Springdale Pl NW, followed by another left onto 15th Ave NW. Drive to the end of 15th Ave NW and look for parking.

local_parking

Parking

There is room for a small number of cars at the trailhead. This trail doesn't see many visitors outside of locals, and you can typically find parking without issue. No permits or fees required.

Sound Views Through the Mire

I confirmed the southern beach trail was indeed locked and off-limits, then scrambled down the muddy public route to the railroad tracks and a clearing overlooking Puget Sound.

calendar_today November 8, 2021

straighten 1 mile, roundtrip · 260 ft gain

chat 0 comments

After my hike at Shoreview and Boeing Creek Parks, I decided to head over to Innis Arden Private Reserve for a quick hike down to the Sound. I had read reports that the Innis Arden Beach Trail off Northwest 166th street was not publicly accessible, and since I was right nearby decided to confirm this - there is a metal gate that is locked, and signage indicating it is not for public use. But the trail off of 15th Ave is open to the public.

There isn’t much space to park, but I doubt this trail gets much traffic. As I pulled in there was a couple exiting the trail with their dog and walked down 15th Ave, obviously living close by. There were a number of Lime bikes parked at the entrance, would be curious to know who rode the bikes here and then decided they didn’t need them anymore…

The start of the hike

Trail gently descending

The trail gently descends a bit before you reach a wide open area with nice views of the Sound. From here the trail has a bunch of steep steps going down the hill, before it mellows out and descends at a more gradual pace. There were wooden planks along the trail that helped avoid the muddier spots.

Wide open area near the start of the trail

Going down

Muddy section with planks

Rope swing anyone?

Towards the bottom there was a couple of blowdowns in the trail which I was able to get around. Right after the blowdowns I abruptly exited the forest and was at the train tracks, staring at the Sound. It looked like a trail may have continued south into the forest, but I didn’t feel like following it - it looked really muddy and who knows where it ended up. I crossed the tracks to take a quick look at the shoreline (not much to it besides rocks) and then headed back up to the car.

Train tracks

Puget Sound

Tree overlooking Puget Sound

I'm glad I did the hike, but probably not something I will be doing again any time soon, unless I happen to be in the area and need to get some exercise!

Comments

on this trip report · Nov 2021

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Innis Arden Reserve Park

At a Glance

Why Go

Route & Map