The Yesler Swamp Boardwalk is a highly accessible route through the restoration area on Union Bay.

The Yesler Swamp Trail begins at the east corner of the parking lot of the Center for Urban Horticulture at 3501 NE 41st Street.

Directions:  At the five-way Union Bay Place intersection on NE 45th Street, turn south onto Surber Drive.  The CUH is located just past the curve in the road, and the Yesler Swamp trailhead is at the corner of the parking lot farthest from the CUH building.

The Yesler Swamp is named for Henry Yesler, one of Seattle’s early settlers, best known for his sawmill which was set up in 1853 at the present site of Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle.  What is less well-known is that in the 1880s, Yesler bought land from his friend Joe Surber in what is now Laurelhurst, to set up another sawmill on Union Bay.  The sawmill was at about the present site of the Center for Urban Horticulture building at 3501 NE 41st Street.

Dr. Fred Hoffer at a Yesler Swamp resting area overlooking Union Bay

Over the past ten years a dedicated group, the Friends of Yesler Swamp, worked to coordinate volunteers and grant-funded projects to create this nature area and trail.  University of Washington students and many other volunteers worked on the project.