Seattle In September - Washington Park Arboretum / UW Botanic Gardens

We spent a few hours one morning exploring the Waterfront Trail at the Washington Park Arboretum, including a walk along the Lake Washington Ship Canal through the Montlake Cut.

A good portion of the trail is on elevated or floating walkways and bridges along the edge of Lake Washington.

The trail connects to a path that runs along the Lake Washington Ship Canal, through the Montlake Cut, and under the Montlake Bridge.

These old iron drawbridges are fun to walk under and over - and fun to watch in operation too. The Montlake Bridge was built in 1925.

Along the way we found a totem pole. The plaque at the bottom says it was carved by  Haida chief John Dewey Wallace, in Waterfall, Alaska in 1937. My limited understanding of totem poles is that it's always better to be depicted towards the top.

The cool, shaded path along the Ship Canal is a nice place for a walk on a warm day.

Time to head back through the Arboretum and on to our next adventure.

But not without one last stop to check out a flower.

Click here to see more images from the Lake Washington Ship Canal, the Washington Park Arboretum and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, taken during our trip to Seattle in September of 2012.