Seattle Parks holding meeting on plans for new Pacific Pathway and China Forest inside the Washington Park Arboretum

The Seattle Parks Department is holding an information meeting later this month to share plans for a new accessible pathway inside the Washington Park Arboretum.

The Washington Park Arboretum Pacific Pathway will connect existing Azalea Way, the Arboretum Loop Trail, and an adjacent parking area to the Pacific Connections Garden and historic Lookout Gazebo:

Please join us for an Open House at the Arboretum, just off Azalea Way on Saturday, March 21 between 10 am and noon to meet the team, review the current design and provide feedback. The team will be stationed at the south end of Azalea Way, close to the Azalea Way (Birch) Parking Lot, 1438 E. Lake Washington Blvd.

Seattle Parks says the pathway will be the first phase of the new China Forest within the Pacific Connections Garden. “An accessible trail, Pacific Pathway is designed to weave through existing plant collections and new plantings that highlight the rich biodiversity of Mount Emei, China—a UNESCO world heritage site,” the announcement reads.

The 230-acre Arboretum to the east of Capitol Hill is cooperatively managed by Seattle Parks and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, and is also supported with funding from the Arboretum Foundation. “The city owns the land and maintains the roads, trails, lawns, and utilities,” Parks says, “while the University owns and curates the plant collections.”

The budget for the full Pacific Pathways project received $873,000 in grant funds through the Department of Commerce’s Local Community Grants Program to cover construction cost. The city says remaining budget “relies on generosity of local donors, communities, and dedicated fundraising effort by the Arboretum Foundation.”

The Planning and Conceptual Design phase of the project took place last year. Construction is slated for January to August 2027.

Other recent Arboretum additions include the Arboretum Loop Trail, a 1.2-mile trail that created a 12-foot-wide paved path through the leafy area for walkers, wheelchairs, slow bikes, and strollers and to connect to the park’s meandering trails. The trail opened in 2018.

Meanwhile, the SR 520 replacement and Montlake Lid project has also changed the area including bringing an end for highway’s Arboretum onramp.

You can read more about the Washington Park Arboretum Pacific Pathways projects here.

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