Ed Monro Seahurst Park

Hike Length: 3 miles minimum + explorations
Elevation Gain: 400’
Hike Difficulty: easy
Map: City of Burien street map
hike overview map


Burien’s 180 acre Ed Monro Ed Monro Seahurst Park encompasses nearly a mile of Puget Sound waterfront and two wild-wooded valleys with flowing creeks. The beach area is quite civilized, featuring a paved promenade along most its length. But away from the shore, a dense, unsigned network of trails in the wild uplands of the park awaits exploration.

To finish off the day, it’s possible to walk from the park to “Olde Burien”, where you can find some interesting shops, cafes, and art galleries. The nearby transit center offers good connections back to Seattle.

Getting There:

From downtown Seattle, ride the M 135 bus to the intersection of Ambaum Boulevard and SW 130th St, a rather long, winding trip [GPS N 47 deg 29 min 12 sec, W 122 deg 20 min 58 sec].

Weekend bus service is available.

The Hike:

Walk west on SW 130th St a quarter mile. Just beyond a southward bend in the road, turn right onto 16th Ave SW, a short dead-end street. At the end of the street is a gated entrance to Ed Monro Seahurst Park. Go around the gate and follow the gravel service road into the park.

The service road gently switchbacks down the richly forested slope, reaching the beach after a half mile and 400 foot loss of elevation. A dense forest shades the road, where red-barked madrone trees appear among the usual firs and broadleafed trees. Tempting side trails occasionally peel off the road; follow them as you wish. There are no trail signs anywhere, but the park is too small to really get lost in. A particularly nice trail begins near the gate and drops into the canyon; at a junction go left onto a trail that contours around the headwaters of the park’s northern creek. Eventually the trail splits, one branch descending to the shore and the other crossing the creek and joining the gravel road.

Once down on the shore you can walk south along the beachside promenade, or if the tide is low, on the beach itself. On a clear day, Vashon Island is visible across the Sound, with the jagged peaks of the Olympic Mountains rising beyond. Benches, picnic tables, and restrooms are available in this civilized portion of the park. Continue walking south beyond the small beachside parking area, where motorists vie for the few precious slots--a problem you don’t have to worry about. The promenade crosses the park’s south creek and continues another quarter mile to the edge of the park. Along the way, rugged trails ascend the steep bluff above the shore; explore them at will.

If the tide is low, you can continue walking beyond the park’s boundary for some distance on the beach towards Three Tree Point; the high bluff hides the houses perched above.

When done with walking the beach, return to the parking area and ascend next to the park’s access drive (SW 140th St) on a wide sidewalk. In a quarter mile you pass a large parking lot where latecomers have to park. From the parking lot, some trails (not explored by me) take off into the park’s southern wilderness. The road continues a steady climb beyond the parking lot, soon exiting the park boundary. Bending southward, the road becomes 13th Ave SW, and after 300 feet of gain over a mile, it finally ends at a junction with SW 144th St.

You could walk east on SW 144th to catch the M 135 bus on Ambaum Boulevard. But it’s not too much effort to walk to “Olde Burien” where shops and restaurants abound--worth a short look, at least. A good way to do this is to walk south on 12th Ave SW, a quiet residential street, to its end on SW 152nd St; there go left (east) into “Olde Burien”, which is located along 152nd St on both sides of Ambaum Boulevard.

When ready to leave, walk east on 152nd St to 4th Ave SW; turn left (north) and walk a block to the Burien Transit Center.

Getting Back

From Burien Transit Center, connections are good to downtown Seattle. You can ride the M135, 136, or 137 busses; best of all is the express M132 which offers nonstop service to Seattle.

Rev 02.07.06