Ravenna Creek

Ravenna Creek is a unique quality of Ravenna Park. Originally, this waterway drained nearyby Greenlake into Lake Washington’s Union Bay and flowed through both Ravenna Park and neighboring Cowen Park. However, a combination of urbanization, and the lowering of Green Lake in 1911 altered this. With the lake too low to allow flow into the creek, the connecting creek bed disappeared, additionally, another branch of the creek that began in Cowen Park was diverted into the sewer system, leaving only the natural springs of both parks to feed the creek.

For many years the main creek flowed through the park and emptied through a sewer grate at the end of the Ravenna park system. This all changed with a Daylighting project in 2006, which disconnected the creek from the sewer system. Instead, the creek now flows through a large pipeline that drains back into its natural outlet, Union Bay. In addition to this, the branch that had once flowed from Cowen Park was reconnected to the main creek, connecting the two parks’ waterways once again. 

These two pamphlets produced by King County outline the pipeline project that reconnected Ravenna Creek to Union Bay. Click to enlarge the photos.

Now the overall gentle flow of the creek, in combination with its predominantly fine, sandy bed and clear spring water, results in remarkably clear water. On any given day you can observe many creatures of Ravenna enjoying this creek. Be on the lookout for various insects, amphibians and animals while you walk along the creek.