Remember this next year when you see all the lupine pictures from Van Lierop Park or Mount Rainier. There are lupines in Seattle and if you don’t have time to drive out of the city you don’t have to miss out. They seem to bloom between mid-may and early June. This year they are just starting to bloom in the park at the Beach at Expedia Group because it’s been really rainy (around June 15ish). So if there is a sunnier spring next year, I’d just check a little earlier. (My photos from last year have the blooming around the middle to end of May)
What are lupines?
I had no idea lupines were a thing before I started seeing people posting all these lupine pictures this year and last year. I have some growing in my garden and almost didn’t because I started pulling them out thinking they were weeds. They have unusual palm frondish leaves and I think they were part of a wildflower packet we bought. My mom is a master gardener and she helped me identify them before I destroyed them all. And one of my kids was studying Mount Saint Helens and learned that they were a big part of helping the area regrow and heal after the eruption. When I looked them up for more information I found out that they are related to Bluebonnets, and we once went on a huge journey looking for bluebonnets in Texas too.
The Beach at Expedia Group park is where you can find the closest lupines near Seattle
I posted a video of the lupines at the Beach at Expedia Group on Instagram recently before they bloomed so I’ve been getting a few questions about where to park to get there. There are public parking spots available in the Expedia Group Parking garage. We tend to go after work and near sunset and there are usually spots available. On the weekends I think it can get busy so another way to get there that involves a cool bridge is to park near Fuji Bakery on Elliott Avenue (just check the parking times). If you’re going to park there then you might as well pick up a pastry or two, walk across the really cool Helix Pedestrian bridge and walk to your right (there is a north, west, south or east direction for this that I’ll update as soon as my husband reads this) and the park with the lupines will be about a 10 minute scenic walk along the waterfront.
(PS. I’ve also been told there are some in Discovery Park but I’m not sure where to find those so you can leave info in the comments if you do. There are a bunch on the slope on Western Avenue by the Olympic Sculpture Park as well but these are just fun to drive by and I don’t think I would make this a stop.)
Also if you’re only in Seattle for one day, I have a post to help you out on some fun things you can see without leaving downtown.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)