Schmitz Preserve Park - West Seattle

You can thank Ferdinand and Emma Schmitz for donating the first 23 acres of land for this park in 1908. Schmitz, who served on the park commission saw how rapidly the forests around Seattle were disappearing so he hoped to preserve part of it in its natural state. Parts of the park still have old growth trees that give a glimpse of what it all looked like before settlers arrived. Inside this quiet park are hiking trails meandering with the small creeks in a ravine out of sight of the nearby homes. Schmitz Reserve has remained undeveloped all these years, and will stay that way for this is how the Schmitz asked it to stay in the land grant to the city. Most of the main trails are wide, while minor trails leading to nearby neighborhoods will look less maintained. You'll be happier if you bring a map and the park can be explored in an hours time. Then head over to Alki Beach...wide and open compared to the claustrophobic feel of the thick forests of the park.