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Trip Report    

December GoWalk! Urban Walks: 2 to 5 miles, 200 to 450 feet of elevation gain - Seattle Olmsted 70: Section 12

Seattle Olmstead Circuit Section 12 loop walk in southern Magnolia, including Perkins Lane, the "floating" stairs and Glenmont Stairs, the pocket beach at 4 Mile Rock, the Magnolia Water Tower, and Ella Bailey Park.

Chuck Harwood Chuck Harwood
December 01, 2025
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • Urban walk in a residential area and small businesses district with relatively light traffic in most places. The route included two flights of steep stairs, each with more than 150 steps.  One set, from the Magnolia Viewpoint down to Perkins Ln W is very uneven due the sliding slope it is built on.  For the other set, from Perkins Ln W up to W Glenmont Ln, a Find It, Fix It report was filed about two locations where the handrail is failing.  While walking on Perkins Ln W, watch for vehicles on the narrow roadway. The entrance to a 93-step flight of stairs at W Barrett St and 30th Ave W is nearly hidden by overhanging trees and shrubs. 

This was a mentored walk for the new Olmstead Section 12 steward.  While most Magnolia walks include Discovery Park (for good reason!) this walk focused on southern Magnolia by following the Section 12 Loop option.  After departing Magnolia Village, we stopped at the Magnolia Viewpoint to savor the sweeping view extending from downtown Seattle to the Olympics.

We then headed from the Viewpoint down the steep and infamous "floating" stairs--the individual treads have shifted and realigned by the unstable hillside they sit on--to Perkins Ln W.  After pondering the houses and trees sitting on the sliding hillside along Perkins Ln, we stopped briefly to enjoy a water level view of the Sound from the public access beach at 2400 Perkins Ln.  Next, we left Perkins Ln on the equally steep but more even Glenmont Ln stairs, located just past 2471 Perkins Ln, and headed back into Magnolia towards the Magnolia Water Tank.

While walking to the Water Tank, we stopped to speak with a neighbor about the area and the Olmstead Circuit.  After explaining we were Mountaineers on an Urban Walk, she pointed us to a little-known public right-of-way that seems worth checking out during a future visit.  We left her with a Seattle Olmstead Circuit information card and information about the upcoming book about the Circuit.  Once at the million-gallon Magnolia Water Tank, we discovered we were unable to see the view from the park around the tank because of a 2.5-year project started in the summer of 2025 involving a seismic retrofit, repainting, and new security fencing.   PXL_20251201_180814108.jpg

Before finishing our loop back at Magnolia Village, we headed further west, climbing the stairs at W Barrett St and walking through Ella Bailey Park.  With a sweeping view, from Queen Anne and the Space Needle to Elliot Bay, the Park capped off a wonderful morning of exploration.