There were maybe two other people in the Klondike Gold Rush National Park when we visited so we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. Unlike most National parks, this one in the center of our city is not a traditional outdoor park. This place is more like a visitor center and museum. And this museum in Pioneer Square is open most days 10am-5pm but it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It is free to visit and has bathrooms too! (So this is another reason it’s a great stop if you are in Pioneer Square!).
The Klondike Gold Rush National Park is also closed on some holidays and things always change so make sure you check the actual website before you visit.
What to see at the Klondike Gold Rush National Park
You can probably easily spend 30 minutes in this museum. We received a brief overview when we entered and were told we had the option of watching movies that were around 20-30 minutes. A temporary exhibition about Japanese American Exclusion “Nidoto Nai Yoni” (Let It Not Happen Again) is on display too- I couldn’t find out how long it’s going to be there. It is not a very big museum but it has two floors of exhibits. Through these exhibits we learned about the history of the gold rush and how it influenced our city today. There is also a really cool National Park store attached to the museum which might be a good place to get gifts for people who love to get outdoors.
Be a Junior Ranger at the Klondike Gold Rush National Park
We saw places to stamp a booklet while we were walking through the museum so I looked this up when we got home and it might be part of the Junior Rangers Program. I didn’t know that Junior Rangers were from 9-16 years old (and my guys are 15 so I should have looked into this) but there is a booklet you can complete here for your Junior Ranger badge. Maybe we will try to do this with my niece and nephew next time they visit too. This seems like a fun way to help kids learn about the Gold Rush and our city.
Self-Guided walking tours
I saw a flyer on the wall about a Japanese American Remembrance Trail in Seattle that you can do through Wing Luke Museum (this is only about a 12-15 minutes walk away too). And the Klondike Gold Rush National Museum has a walking tour as well. There is a Trail to Treasure Map that talks about the stories of places in the area and I think we’ll try to do this next time we’re in the area and have some time. I love how there is so much history in our city!
Have you been to this National Park in downtown Seattle?
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)
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