exercise — All Blog Posts — Rain or Shine Guides

It's no secret we like to eat. And sometimes blog posts require that we eat 5 donuts in one morning (it's for research, people!). So, it's probably smart if we occasionally try to get outside and move our bodies so we can tackle more donut shops in the afternoon. Of course, we want something that is going to pack a serious punch in the shortest amount of time. Enter stair climbing. It's one of the fastest ways to burn fat, tone your legs, scream curse words, and not be able to get out of bed the next morning. Outdoor staircases in and around the city are numerous. In fact, there is an entire website dedicated to finding these hidden leg burners. Today, we are here to tell you about our 3 favorites. They get you to different parts of the city and are pretty to boot! If you are going to do a workout from hell, you might as well get some scenery, amiright?

Thistle Street Stairs

Location: 8261 Northrop Pl SW, Seattle, WA 98136

This long stair case is located in West Seattle right next to Lincoln Park, which is sort of perfect because Lincoln Park is a beloved and large park located right on the Puget Sound (and home to Colman Pool). It's worth the trek to West Seattle to visit the park and you can tackle this stair climb as part of your outdoor adventure day. The stairs start at Fauntleroy Ave. right by the park and the ascend 367 steps towards SW Thistle Street. They start off fairly gradual with long steps, but eventually steepen before reaching the top. Take a deep breathe, and get moving! You got this.

Howe Street Stairs

Location: 810 E Howe St, Seattle, WA 98102

Howe Street Stairs and Blaine Street stairs are located right next to each other and run parallel from Lakeview Blvd E. all the way up to E. Howe Street and E. Blaine Street. There are 388 steps making them the longest, continuous staircase in Seattle. They are relatively popular, so you will have to share the steps with others looking to get in a workout, but the steps are wide and there is plenty of room. The steps run alongside houses with beautiful backyards and lush vegetation making them a beautiful place to get your steps in. If you haven't passed out from running up and down Howe Street stairs, we recommend walking the short distance to Blaine Street and doing it all over again.

Beautiful backyards along Howe Street Stairs

Wilcox Wall

Location: 8th Ave. West at West Lee St.

The Wilcox Wall is a lovely retaining wall located in Queen Anne with stairs built into it. While the number of stairs in the wall are actually relatively small, this one makes the list because it can be combined with the Lee Street Stairs located not too far away and, if you are really ambitious, can also be combined with the Galer Street Stairs for one long, epic workout. It also offers sweeping views of the Sound! We recommend starting at Olympic Way W. and W. Lee Street, running up the Lee Street Stairs, up the Wilcox Wall then following W. Lee St. all the way to Queen Anne Ave. N. where you can finally hit the final 36 steps that brings you to the top of Galer St. Here is a map for reference.

The best part about this run is that it ends right at Queen Anne's 5 Spot, so you can get a lovely brunch (and mimosa) after you are done. You deserve it.