Gas Works Park to the Fremont Troll: One Free Seattle Afternoon
Kite Hill for the water and the skyline, the Burke-Gilman Trail west along the canal, and a troll under the Aurora Bridge holding a real Volkswagen Beetle. Two free stops and one walk between them.
Gas Works Park to the Fremont Troll
🌊 Kite Hill first, facing Lake Union
Seattle built this park on a coal gas plant, and the towers left behind still stand over the grass. They are fenced off and closed to the public. Stay out and do not climb them. The climbable ground is Kite Hill, the wide grass slope above Lake Union, where the view runs from the Space Needle to the downtown towers and the boats below. The shoreline is closed as well: swimming, wading, and fishing are all banned. Entry is free and nothing needs booking.
🗿 Then the troll under the Aurora Bridge
The Fremont Troll sits under the north end of the Aurora Bridge, at N 36th Street and Troll Avenue N. He is 18 feet of concrete from 1990, one silver eye and one hand closed around a real Volkswagen Beetle. The car is the reason to walk up close. No ticket and nothing to book, and ten minutes covers the photos; the sculpture stays open around the clock.
🚶 The mile between them, in order
The walk is the other half of the day. The Burke-Gilman Trail runs past the Gas Works parking lot. Take it west along the canal into Fremont, then leave it at Troll Avenue N and climb to N 36th Street. Allow 25 to 30 minutes for the mile and a bit; the last stretch up to the bridge is the climb. Park first and troll second, with the downhill on the way back.
