Discovery Park has changed significantly over the years, but its fundamental character as Seattle’s largest naturalistic urban park has remained remarkably consistent. This now archived Seattle Channel segment offers a snapshot of the park around the turn of the century, when host Lowell Deo visited Discovery Park to explore what was new at the time.
The video provides a glimpse into how visitors experienced the park during this period and offers a useful point of comparison for anyone familiar with Discovery Park today. Trails, vegetation, restoration areas, facilities, and the surrounding city have all continued to evolve, while the park’s expansive meadows, forests, shoreline, and views remain central to its identity.
Watch: Seattle’s Discovery Park
Seattle Channel’s Lowell Deo, circa 2000, visits the city’s largest park to see what’s new.
Discovery Park Then and Now
Archival footage like this provides more than a look at what Discovery Park once looked like. It helps document the ongoing evolution of a landscape that has been shaped by generations of people, from its history as Fort Lawton to its transformation into a public park and its continuing restoration today.
Some parts of the park have changed considerably since this video was filmed. Restoration efforts have expanded native plant communities, removed invasive vegetation, and helped return portions of the former military landscape to more natural conditions. At the same time, Discovery Park’s historic buildings, open meadows, forested areas, trails, and sweeping views continue to connect today’s visitors with the landscape captured in this earlier footage.
The contrast between past and present also highlights why documenting Discovery Park matters. Photographs, videos, maps, and personal stories provide a record of how the park has changed, and help us understand what has been preserved, restored, and still needs protection.
Explore Discovery Park Today
Want to experience the park for yourself? Explore Maps & Trails to plan your route, and visit our Visit Discovery Park page for information to help you make the most of your time in the park.
You can also explore the History of Discovery Park to learn how the landscape evolved from its Indigenous history and military past at Fort Lawton into the park we know today.