Seven Hills of Seattle: Capitol Hill

We have a new series... The "Seven Hills of Seattle" is a very old promotional meme, meant to evoke the Seven Hills of Rome. There's no agreement now on what those seven hills are, though, and at least one of the originals -- Denny Hill -- is gone, now the Denny Regrade. And the highest point in Seattle -- High Point in West Seattle -- wasn't even part of Seattle when the promotion took off. The idea will be to use these hills for some in-city elevation gain.

Let's start with a hill that's on all the lists -- Capitol Hill. We'll meet at Volunteer Park, in front of the Conservatory (because the restrooms are nearby...). We'll start by going up the Water Tower, then head for the Blaine and Howe stairs. We'll cross back through Volunteer Park, and over to Interlaken Park. Then we can tag the Arboretum, then Washington Park Playfield, and return to Volunteer Park.

This is about 5.5 miles, and a little under 1000 ft elevation gain. Some is on streets, some on stairs, some on official trails, and a little on "informal" trails.

Logistics

Note the start time! This is after lunch! We will pass Macrina Bakery on the way back to Volunteer Park, but they tend to have long lines. The end time is an estimate, and depends strongly on whether folks want to line up at Macrina...

Bring water, snacks. Hiking shoes recommended due to the trails.

Bus riders: The #49 bus runs near the west side of Volunteer Park. Get off at 10th Ave E & E Galer St.

Drivers: There is parking near the Conservatory. Entrance is at 15th Ave E and E Galer St.

Use event comments to coordinate.

If your plans change, please change your RSVP -- thanks!