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Aerial photo of Mercer Island, WashingtonPhoto: Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Mercer Island

Mercer Island has 18 miles of mapped trails, 2.9 for every square mile of land

99% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 10% of Mercer Island’s land is conserved, about 412 acres. The biggest trail networks: Pioneer Park (5.9 mi), Luther Burbank Park (2.6 mi), Island Crest Park (1.3 mi).

Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #30 of 285 in Washington. What drives it

Conserved land
10%
412 acres · of 6.4 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
496 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.6 mi
1.6 mi lanes · 6.5 mi paths
Highest peak
322 ft
First Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
3 beaches · 4 boat launches

What kind of outdoors town is Mercer Island?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

A trail town2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 97% of U.S. towns.Parks close to home99% of residents live within a half mile of a park.Land that stays wild10% of the land is conserved; a typical Washington town, 4%.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Mercer Island have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mercer Island is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #30 of 285 in Washington. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.

A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mercer Island’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (496 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13BParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · WA 92% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 90%

Water is more than half of Mercer Island’s area (7 of 13 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.

How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.

PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →

The map

Conserved land, trails & bike routes

Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.

123456
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk

Pick a walk

The longest trail network is Pioneer Park, with 5.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Pioneer Park

Park
120 acres5.9 mi of trail
Northwest Perimiter TrailSE Perimeter TrailOverlook TrailRavine Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Luther Burbank Park

Park
69 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Island Crest Park

Park
36 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Upper Luther Burbank Park

Park
41 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Engstrom Open Space

Park
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Engstrom Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet

Rotary Park

Park
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 19 parks & preserves
Pioneer Park120 acres · 5.9 mi of trail
Directions
Luther Burbank Park69 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
Directions
Island Crest Park36 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Directions
Upper Luther Burbank Park41 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Directions
Engstrom Open Space8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Rotary Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Mercerdale Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Aubrey Davis Park27 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Clarke Beach Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Mercer Island
Directions
Wildwood Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Bellevue
Clise Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Slater Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Homestead Field11 acres
Directions
Hollerbach Park11 acres
Groveland Park4 acres
Directions
Outdoor Sculpture Gallery2 acres
Directions
Roanoke Park1 acres
Directions
First Hill Park1 acres
Secret Park1 acres
Who protects it

412 conserved acres

10% of Mercer Island’s land. Water is left out: Mercer Island has 6.4 square miles of land and 6.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Mercer Island’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Town or city349 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits117 ac
Local Park · 270 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 112 acLocal Other or Unknown · 79 acForest Stewardship Easement · 4 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 29 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Pioneer Park
Private Recreation or Education
Land trusts & nonprofits112Closed
Loth90
Local Other or Unknown
Town or city79Open
Luther Burbank Park
Local Park
Town or city64Open
Island Crest Park
Local Park
Town or city38Open
Park On The Lid
Local Park
Town or city34Open
Se 53Rd Pl Open Space
Local Park
Town or city24Open
Mercerdale Field
Local Park
Town or city20Open
South Mercer Playfield
Local Park
Town or city16Open
Homestead Field
Local Park
Town or city11Open
Gallagher Hill Open Space
Local Park
Town or city11Open

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

53 places to go in Mercer Island

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Picnic areas in Mercer Island
Picnic Area AIn Luther Burbank Park
Directions
Picnic Area CIn Luther Burbank Park
Directions
The Meadow -- Picnic Area BIn Luther Burbank Park
Directions
Trails & water

25 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.1 miHorses · 2.5 miUnpaved · 12.2 mi
Northwest Perimiter Trail1.0 mi
SE Perimeter Trail0.7 mi
Overlook Trail0.4 mi
Ravine Trail0.3 mi
Engstrom Loop Trail0.3 mi
Fox Trail0.3 mi
Woodpecker Trail0.3 mi
Warbler Trail0.3 mi
Salal Trail0.2 mi
Horse Trail0.2 mi
15 more trails
Chickadee Trail
0.2 mi
Maple Trail
0.2 mi
Fire Station Trail
0.2 mi
Fir Trail
0.2 mi
Flicker Trail
0.2 mi
Fern Trail
0.1 mi
Hemlock Trail
0.1 mi
Currant Trail
0.1 mi
Creek Trail
0.1 mi
Hazelnut Trail
0.1 mi
Dogwood Trail
0.1 mi
Alder Trail
0.1 mi
Sculpture Trail
0.1 mi
Bridge Trail
0.1 mi
Salmonberry Trail
0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Ellis Pondpond
Biking & sports

8.6 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

1.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.5 mi
off-road bike paths
0.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
64Tennis
43Pickleball
27Basketball
6Baseball
6Soccer
5Softball
3Football
2Beach volleyball

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

2 places on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
Lakeview SchoolBuilding · listed 1988
About it
Keewaydin ClubhouseBuilding · listed 2005
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Mercer Island: April to September

NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)8.810.211.813.615.116.015.614.312.510.79.28.4
High (°F)485155606771777872615247
Rain (in)5.13.54.03.02.01.60.71.01.63.75.65.3

July is the driest month (0.7 in) and August the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.6 inches fall in November, the wettest month. The climate in Mercer Island →

Next door

Mercer Island and its neighbors

Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Seattle194 miBellevue76 miRenton32 miMercer Island18 miMedina2.3 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Mercer Island10%2.92099%A
Seattle11%2.3899%+A
Bellevue11%2.31699%+A
Medina18%1.65793%A+
Renton8%1.41199%+A

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Mercer Island

Where can I hike in Mercer Island?

The longest trail networks: Pioneer Park, 5.9 miles; Luther Burbank Park, 2.6 miles; Island Crest Park, 1.3 miles; Upper Luther Burbank Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Mercer Island is conserved land?

10% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Washington town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.

Are dogs allowed on Mercer Island’s trails?

Pioneer Park and Luther Burbank Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in Mercer Island?

8.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of painted or protected lanes, 6.5 of off-road paths and 0.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.

Is there public land near Mercer Island?

26,450 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mercer Island or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 496 of them inside the city line.

How much outdoors does Mercer Island have?

Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #30 of 285 in Washington. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

Trail talk

Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Mercer Island neighbors.

Town Square →
Share a tip
Sources

Where this page comes from

Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →