Making Seattle’s Burke-Gilman Trail Safe, Enjoyable, and Accessible for Everyone

The original Burke-Gilman Trail segment in Northeast Seattle has served our community for nearly 50 years, but it’s time for critical upgrades to ensure everyone can enjoy this treasured resource.

The Challenge: This historic section faces serious accessibility barriers that prevent many community members from safely using the trail. Narrow passages force wheelchair users and families with strollers into dangerous situations. Uneven surfaces create hazards for those with mobility devices. Poor drainage leads to flooding and icy conditions during Seattle’s rainy months.

Our Vision: Transform this segment into a fully ADA-compliant pathway that welcomes all users regardless of age, ability, or mobility needs. Your support will fund essential improvements including:

• Widening narrow bottlenecks to accommodate wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and side-by-side use
• Leveling uneven surfaces to eliminate dangerous gaps and bumps
• Upgrading drainage systems to prevent flooding and maintain year-round accessibility

The Impact: These improvements will open the trail to thousands of Seattle residents who currently cannot safely access this vital transportation and recreation corridor. Parents with strollers, seniors with walkers, wheelchair users, and anyone with mobility challenges will finally have equal access to one of our city’s most beloved public spaces.

Join Us: As we approach the trail’s 50th anniversary, help us create a legacy of inclusion and accessibility. Your donation directly supports construction costs for widening, leveling, and drainage improvements that will serve our community for the next 50 years.

Together, we can make the Burke-Gilman Trail truly accessible for everyone.

Improving Drainage on Burke-Gilman Trail

The original Burke-Gilman Trail segments on the very north end of Seattle have drainage issues. The ditch on the west side is inadequate and overflows in the winter. The cleaning process only makes the edge of the trail even more damaged. The tile get blocked. This is going to be the most expensive and time consuming of the modernization efforts. King County Parks did this just north of Seattle a number of years ago. It was combined with a wider and repaved trail. Seattle’s portion of the original Burke-Gilman Trail deserves the same kind of treatment.