Groveland Beach Park trail

Location: Mercer Island

Length: About a half-mile round-trip.

Level of difficulty: Level to steep paved trail.

Setting: This small, three-acre park in a quiet neighborhood clings to the western slope of Mercer Island. The area was originally a summer Bible camp; the city bought the land in 1965 for use as a beach park. The park's main attraction, a swimming beach, directly faces the thickly forested peninsula of Seattle's Seward Park, across Lake Washington.

From the parking lot, a wide, steep, paved path drops down to a small lawn with a playground. Big-leaf maples and Western red cedars shade the sloping, groomed grounds, with picnic tables placed at appealing overlooks. Down at the shore, a broad lawn features a swimming area and a fishing pier. The beach's western location offers a secluded place to soak up some afternoon sun, and when no Jet Skis or motorboats are present, the park is very quiet.

Highlights: From the beach, look across to Seward Park's dense forests on Bailey Peninsula. At the end of the 1920s, there was interest in running a suspension bridge from the peninsula across to Mercer Island. Although the plan even reached Congress, the idea was eventually dropped. Imagine, however, how this restful spot would have been altered had the bridge plans succeeded. For more park information, call 206-236-3545.

Facilities: Restrooms, playground, fishing pier and beach.

Restrictions: Leash and scoop laws in effect for pets; not allowed on beach area.

Directions: From Interstate 90 east of Seattle, take Exit 7B and follow Island Crest Way south. From the westbound freeway, take Exit 7, turn left at the end of the exit ramp, and head south on Island Crest Way. Turn right on Merrimount Drive (opposite Southeast 44th Street), then turn left on West Mercer Way and head south. Turn right on Southeast 58th Street into the parking lot.

Cathy McDonald is coauthor with Stephen Whitney of "Nature Walks In and Around Seattle," with photographs by James Hendrickson (The Mountaineers, second edition, 1997).