Best Rainy-Day Parks and Playgrounds Around Seattle and Beyond
Photo:
Maple Leaf Park. Photo: Linnea Westerlind
Maple Leaf Reservoir Park, Seattle
Fantastic, two-level Maple Leaf Reservoir Park in northeast Seattle offers outdoor thrills year-round, with two picnic shelters — one right next to the playground — available for an escape from the pouring rain. The lower part of the park is the site of the playground, where kids will have a blast zipping on the zip line, whooshing down the slides built into the hill, climbing on rock structures, hiding in the little rock cave and digging in the sand area. If the weather holds up, walk or bike the half-mile paved loop in the upper section of the park. You can also shoot hoops on the basketball court or play pickleball.
Location: 1020 N.E. 82nd St., Seattle. Free street parking is available on Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 82nd Street. Buses stop on Roosevelt Way Northeast and on 15th Avenue Northeast.
Warm up: Just north of the park, longtime neighborhood favorite Cloud City Coffee (8801 Roosevelt Way N.E.) serves hot drinks, soups and sandwiches, and baked-on-the-premises cakes and pastries (coconut bread!). Kids love the small play area, with its big trucks and small books.
Next stop: Camp Long
