Volunteer Park Water Tower

Seattle is full of free gems, including this landmark. The stairs upward are just enough for you to catch a breather once you reach the top — the reward is a 360 panoramic of the city including the iconic Space Needle.
Having been only once Im not too certain of the normal people traffic — and the stairs wrapping around the tower may be too narrow when a herd of people are going in the opposite direction.
Something to keep in mind but from my recent experience that wasn’t the case.
Nice gem indeed.

This park was beautiful! It was cool that the conservatory, black hole sculpture and the water tower are all in the same place. The top of the water tower had a pretty awesome view of Downtown Seattle and it was interesting reading about the history of the water tower.

No charge to climb the tower and capture a view from Bellevue to Elliot Bay, seemingly looking at the same level as the Space Needle. Placards in the tower provide a history of Seattle parks.
Visiting the tower also allows one to view the Sovietesque exterior of the monolithic stone building that houses the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

The view is free but the grates are grating in terms of obstructing the view and make taking decent photos a challenge.

Very awesome gem in the Seattle Capitol Hill area. There is the Art museum up there along with the conservatory. Great views of Seattle atop of the tower along with the many other viewpoints in the Park. You could kill hours up here checking out all the great stuff. Beautiful neighborhoods, and Lake View Cemetery is right in the area as well if you want to visit the sites Of Bruce and Brandon Lee along with many other famous people of Seattle.
We will definitely be back in the summer season to get a different and warmer perspective of the park.
Overall,…5 stars all the way. Awesome spot of Seattle and only a shot from the downtown area and Pikes Place and all that! A great trip to Seattle!

The water tower is one of the many features of Volunteer Park, 100+ steps are totally worth it for the amazing view! Built in 1906, it’s one of the older structures we have in Seattle, and so far it’s standing the test of time very well. Come here on a Summer day and enjoy the breezes that come through at the top!

We drove up to Volunteer Park for its views of downtown. They are some of my favorites anywhere. When we got there my friend asked what the stone tower was and we decided to climb.
This is a cool old stone clad water tower. There is a steel tank in the middle with stairs winding up inside, along the way up there are windows here and there. Its a long climb to the top there is a big room with benches and lots of windows. The middle of the room is the roof of the tank and is fenced off.
The views are great. The tower sits on top of the hill so you see out in all directions (not there are smallish windows covered with steel mesh which does obstruct the views some. Still there are views in all directions,
We saw Bellevue across Lake Union. U of W’s campus tothe north. To the west there is downtown, the Space Needle, Puget Sound, ferries… Finally to the south there are views of homes in the neighborhood…
It is worth the climb, but it is a steep and long one.

It’s just 107 steps up a winding staircase to beautiful views of the Emerald City. That may sound like a lot of steps but it’s worth the short climb for the 360 degree view of Seattle.
At 110 years old, the water tower at Volunteer Park is at the highest point of Capital Hill and can be found in the middle of a roundabout at the south entrance to the park. The tower is more than 75 feet tall but looks taller in my opinion.
What is nice about it is that it is not just sitting in the roundabout right next to the street. It is actually landscaped with trees, shrubs and paths. The green from the trees contrast the dark bricks of the tower and make it seem as if it is found in a more secluded area.
On the outside close to the north entrance, there is a bronze plaque to L.B. Youngs. He was the Superintendent of the Seattle Water Department. The memorial plaque was placed on the water tower in 1930.
You can enter the tower and there is no entrance fee. Walk inside of the tower and begin your climb to the top. As you walk up the long thin winding stairs you will pass several windows that you can look out of. Stop a moment and enjoy the view from the different viewpoints from each window.
Once you arrive at the top you will be able to take in views of Seattle from the many windows at the top. There are bars over each window so your view is a bit obstructed, but it is well worth the climb. You get a nice view of the park as well as the Space Needle and other sites as well.
If you have health problems you may want to avoid the climb because the staircases are very small and while I was there people were running up and down the stairs.
At the top of the tower there are a few park benches if you want to relax after the climb or just take a seat. I was more interested in looking out the windows and checking out the Olmsted Exhibit which is found on the walls of the tower in the top gallery. The exhibit was placed in the tower in 1997 by the Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks. It gives the history of the Olmsted brothers and their impact on the city of Seattle through a series of photos, maps and other historic information. The actual photos and maps are not used but there are display boards with copies of all the information. I thought it was interesting because I was not aware of their full impact on our city.
As you walk down take the other staircase and you will come out on the south side of the tower. It will also give you a look out of the windows on a different side of the tower.
An interesting thing you may notice is that there are several signs warning visitors not to climb the outside of the tower. It seems that because of the uneven placement of the bricks in the tower wall, rock climbers have climbed the outside of the tower in the past.
The Volunteer Park Water Tower is a nice place to visit if you are in the park and it is a short climb to the top for a nice view. While you’re at the top you can take in some history as well. If you’ve never climbed a water tower before you can check that off your list. Enjoy!

Awesome place, I wish I came on a clearer day.
It is a little trek to get up the stairs and it might be a little scary for people afraid of heights but I think it’s well worth it.
It is sort of annoying that you can’t take perfect pictures because of the small window bars but its better than not having any bars!

This is a great quick urban hike, whether u’re just loitering in the neighborhood or jogging, etc. It wasn’t at all difficult to me. At least the Astoria column is harder. Decent enough views and not crowded on weekdays. Go.

4.5 stars. Volunteer Park Water Tower is in its own way an urban hike of 100+ steps up the tower. The steps up the tower are a little narrow and, for those not used to climbing stairs, would be just a tiny challenge. However, the walk up is less than 5 minutes, and once you are up there huffing and puffing your breath, you can get a great view of Seattle for free. The place doesn’t really take that long to visit at all. On the top floor of the towers, there are just a few benches to sit and some historical posters about the area. It’s realatively a quick visit if you are looking for a quick but not too intensive workout/walk…and I think you can allocate just 20 – 30 min for this place. then continue your walk to check out the greenhouse/​other areas of Volunteer Park.
It’s completely free! If you happen to be around Capitol Hill and, even better, are already at Volunteer Park, take chance to hike up for a good 360-​degree view of Seattle.
P. S. we took one of our wedding photos here, too and the lushness of the greens on the grounds around Water Tower combined with the brick background also makes a wonderful backdrop! :)

Approximately 108 stairs, then great picture opportunities. Check out the interesting history on the plaques. When you’re done keep exploring all else the park has to offer!

Wonderful view! The stairs are a challenge, tho. Fat people should stay at the bottom.

This place has been in my bookmarks forever. Finally found the time to stop by, and it was well worth it.
Do you have about half an hr, a basic level of fitness, and a beautiful Seattle sunny day in front of you? That’s all you need for a spectacular view. Go to the water tower!
I’ve heard it called the poor man’s space needle. No tourists, no elevator, and no price of admission. Walk on up and the view is yours.
There’s mesh grating over the windows that obscure photos slightly. But this was a minor downside for us.
Street parking on 15^th is plentiful.
Enjoy!

This was the highlight of our day. It was amazing beyond belief. My husband was blown away. To be able to walk up the water tower was just awesome. We didn’t go in the Museum but we plan to soon. We just moved here from San Diego, CA and this is right in our backyard and it’s amazing. Don’t pass this up.

A very cool old relic with a an excellent view of the city. Be careful, the stair case is pretty slippery, but on a nice day, it’s pretty cool to check out.

Amazing view!
My boyfriend and I took a weekend road trip and Seattle was one of our stop, we wanted to do a trip with a tight budget but was willing to pay to go to the space needle, however I’m so glad I found this place!
When we arrived we parked along the roads and took our dog around for a walk, the museum at the time was also offering a free visit but we had two of our puppies with us and dogs weren’t allowed in. Across from the museum is a nice art piece you can climb on top and take pictures of. In the middle of the art piece you can see the space needle! I took a picture that seems like I was taking a bite out of the space needle it was pretty cool! And of course it was FREE!
Finally we went to the tower, it’s a bit of a walk if you’re out of shape like me! Haha but the view was very nice I just wish there wasn’t a fence between the window made it hard to take a picture but we manage to get some.
In general this is a very nice place to take your dogs, kids and family for a nice outdoor walk or picnic!

Free water tower entrance with cool history in a beautiful park. Great views of all directions of Seattle.

FREE SEATTLE VIEWS!
Hidden within the massive, green Volunteer Park is the red brick Water Tower built in 1906 as part of the Olmstead Exhibition. The 106 stairs to the observation deck are absolutely dreadful… but keep reminding yourself of the light at the end of the tunnel.
Take advantage of a 360-​degree view of all the natural beauty the Pacific Northwest has to offer: Lake Washington, Bellevue downtown, Mount Rainier (on a clear day), Seattle downtown, Cascade and Olympic Mountain Ranges! Well, that is as long as it is a clear day. While the Space Needle is much more posh, the Water Tower is how the locals enjoy their city.
I’m glad Seattle Park District was able to keep this tower free of charge for all to enjoy.

The Volunteer Park Water Tower is perhaps the oddest attraction at Volunteer Park. It is a fort like structure straight out of a Disney fairy tale cartoon or some damsel in distress drama.
As you walk up the winding stairs of one of the two entrances and reach the top you will encounter a cage like structure and barred windows. I wonder how many people take role play pics here like they are Quasimodo or Rapunzel locked up in this tower.
Despite the tower dungeon feel at the top, this is a good spot to take pictures of the city. Since the bars are in the way, you do need to use your camera zoom feature to crop it out however. There is a nice view of the Space Needle and downtown Seattle. To the east, there is a partially obstructed view of Lake Washington. Large trees get in the way of a clear view.
It is not an obvious spot to go to for a viewpoint of the city, but the Volunteer Park Water Tower is actually a pretty decent spot for this purpose and is one of the most interesting structures that I have come across in Seattle.