Overlook Walk

Project Status

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Overlook Walk is now open to the public! 

Read the official opening announcement here.

Located where the Viaduct once stood, Overlook Walk creates a key pedestrian connection between the City’s downtown core and its waterfront, connecting 100 feet of vertical elevation change in a short distance.  People can walk, use strollers, or wheelchairs on the elevated pathway from Pike Place Market to the waterfront without ever crossing the new Alaskan Way. Overlook Walk adds approximately 60,000 square feet of new elevated park space to Seattle’s waterfront. With 360-degree views of downtown Seattle, Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park, Elliott Bay, the Olympic mountains, and Mount Rainier, ample seating options provide an opportunity to rest and enjoy the views.  Additionally, the park features a new play area for kids and a concessionaire space featuring small local businesses, which is anticipated to open in 2025.   Both Pike Place Market’s MarketFront and the Ocean Pavilion connect directly to Overlook Walk with public elevators at each end. 

Overlook Walk was engineered to reflect the cultural heritage and natural environment of the Pacific Northwest in its urban design. For example, the Bluff Walk pathway features landscapes and plants that mimic the natural environment that surrounds the city, transitioning from grasses to ferns and shrubs as you move across elevations — featuring native species like Vine Maple, Western Sword Fern, and Nootka Rose that reflect the diverse vegetation of the region.   

By early 2025, large-scale artwork will be installed on Overlook Walk’s Salish Steps to honor the Native history of the waterfront. Created by the MTK Matriarchs—Indigenous artists Malynn Foster (Squaxin Island and Skokomish Tribes), Tamela Laclair (Skokomish Indian Tribe), and Kimberly Deriana (Mandan and Hidatsa Nation)—the piece will resemble an open cross-warped twined basket, symbolizing the matriarchs who have preserved their traditions, teachings, and technologies through weaving and carving. The second artwork at Overlook Walk will be created by internationally acclaimed artist Ann Hamilton. Visible through a perforated screen below Overlook Walk, it will feature marionette-like figures made of undulating cloth, animated by overhead cables. These suspended elements will interact with the street, water, and setting western sun, creating a dynamic visual experience.  

Overlook Walk is part of the decades-long Waterfront Park redevelopment planned to be fully open to the public in 2025. Learn more about the full Waterfront Park transformation here.

PARTNER PROJECTS

Many key partners are taking their own steps to reinvest in Seattle's waterfront, including projects with strong connections to the Overlook Walk. The Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects works closely with these key partner projects, as well as coordinating with the various private development projects underway.

  • Pike Place Market's MarketFront: In 2017, Pike Place Market grew for the first time with the new “MarketFront”, a waterfront-facing westward expansion of the Market featuring more small businesses, farmers, senior housing, public art, and a new neighborhood center. MarketFront links directly to the new Overlook Walk and the Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion to provide a critical new public connection to and from the waterfront, overcoming the city's steep topography and avoiding street crossings.
  • Seattle Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion: Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion connects Seattle to the Indo-Pacific ecosystem in the Coral Triangle. In conjunction with the adjacent Overlook Walk, this investment connects downtown, Pike Place Market, and the waterfront as a gathering place for all. Providing an extension of the existing Seattle Aquarium on Piers 59 and 60, this new exhibit provides several critical public features such as a new public elevator and a publicly-accessible rooftop park. 

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Overlook Walk Accessible Connections January 2025 [PDF, 1.56 MB]

Project fact sheet

Video about the final design April 2021 [Youtube link]

Seattle Design Commission presentations