Seattle Viewpoints
Beacon Hill Viewpoint

Map of Seattle viewpointsLocation
Corner of 12th Avenue S. and S McClellan Street, Beacon Hill. (Also known as 12th Avenue S Viewpoint.)

Admission
Free.

Getting there by car
Click on the map below for directions.


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Getting there by bus
 From downtown, via bus number 36 (Beacon Hill, Rainier Beach, Jefferson Park). The bus route takes you through the International District, and along the ridge that forms Beacon Hill, offering views to the east and west.
Board the southbound bus at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Pine Street.
Alight from the bus at the corner of Beacon Avenue S. and S. Lander Street.
It is about a 25-minute ride each way.

Walk west on McClellan Street to the end of the street, and follow the road left onto 12th Avenue, where you will see the viewpoint. It's about a 5-minute walk downhill for four short blocks.

Notes and Tips
The viewpoint is in a quiet, pleasant neighborhood, and on a sunny day you are likely to see locals out taking a stroll. The viewpoint itself is very plain, with a couple of benches, and bare of any plantings that might enhance the outlook. (On the day I was there it was being used as a storage site for "witches hats".)

The bus stops are outside a supermarket at which you might like to pick up some refreshments. I would recommend having a picnic lunch at the nearby Rizal Park, which is on the return route of bus number 36.

The Views
Beacon Hill Viewpoint offers 180º views over Elliot Bay, the Port of Seattle, I-5, and the southern side of downtown. Trees obscure the view of downtown from the northern end of the park area.

Best time for photos is in the AM.

The following photos were taken late morning, on a slightly hazy, sunny day in late March. Click on photo for full-size image.

Seattle viewpoints: Beacon Hill viewpoint
Looking northwest over I-5, towards the "back side" of downtown Seattle (47kb).

Seattle viewpoints: Beacon Hill
Looking northwest towards Safeco Field baseball stadium and downtown Seattle (46kb).

Seattle viewpoints: Beacon Hill
View west over the industrial area and port, with the Olympic Mountains in the background (51kb).

Seattle viewpoints: Beacon Hill
View west over the industrial area and port, and Elliott Bay (51kb).

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