- Mountlake Terrace — Thumbnail History (historylink.org)
Mountlake Terrace – not to be confused with “Montlake” and no longer to be simply called “Terrace” – began life as a speculator’s dream. In 1949, developer Albert LaPierre and his partner, Jack Peterson, bought an abandoned airstrip on logged-over land about 12 miles north of Seattle, just over the Snohomish County line, and began filling it with 640-square-foot cinder-block houses, priced at $4,999 and aimed at World War II veterans with young families. They named their development Mountlake Terrace because from some parts of the property they could see both Mount Rainier and Lake Washington, and the old runway looked a little like a terrace. Buyers snapped up the modest houses as fast as they could be built. By 1954, when Mountlake Terrace was incorporated, it was one of the fastest-growing communities in Washington state. The growth stalled in the late 1970s, however. A quintessential suburb, designed for the automobile, Mountlake Terrace has struggled to redefine itself in recent years, with controversial efforts to create a more centralized, pedestrian-friendly “downtown.”
northbound on Interstate 5
southbound on Interstate 5
Washington Trails Association
- Lake Ballinger Park (wta.org)
Ballinger Park itself is 42 acres, a beautiful green space established after a golf course in the area closed in 2012. As a passive-use park, the space has not been developed with a set trail system, but three access gates for people recreating on foot are available. One is near the boat launch, one near the clubhouse, and the last on the park’s west boundary.
- Lakeview Trail (wta.org)
Follow a gentle, stroller-friendly slope for about a mile along the eastern and northern shores of scenic Lake Ballinger. You can extend your walk by continuing west along Lakeview Drive to the nearby Interurban Trail, or head east to explore the gravel forested path through Terrace Creek Park, 23200 48th Ave W, a popular destination for disc golf. Regardless of your route, the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center makes a good starting point.
- Terrace Creek Park (wta.org)
This 60 acre park in Mountlake Terrace - sometimes referred to locally as Candy Cane Park - includes a mile of Lyon Creek as it flows through a mixed deciduous-coniferous forest. The stream does qualify as a small creek during the wet season, and it eventually flows into Lake Washington. But in late spring the creek may be reduced to a trickle, and at the end of a long summer it could be almost dry.
- Mountlake Terrace, Washington (Wikipedia)
Mountlake Terrace is a suburban city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It lies on the southern border of the county, adjacent to Shoreline and Lynnwood, and is 13 miles (21 km) north of Seattle. The city had a population of 19,909 people counted in the 2010 census.
