Mercer Slough Nature Park

Mercer Slough Nature Park is a 320-acre nature park in south Bellevue that protects Lake Washington's largest remaining freshwater wetland. The slough was once a shallow inlet of Lake Washington; after the 1917 completion of the Lake Washington Ship Canal lowered the lake roughly 8.8 feet, the exposed lakebed was partially dredged in the 1920s to allow small watercraft.

The park offers about seven miles of trails, including the 0.8-mile Bellefields Loop, the 1.1-mile Heritage Loop and a roughly 4-mile Periphery Trail, plus a meandering waterway where canoes and kayaks can be paddled through restored wetland habitat rich in birds and other wildlife.

On-site attractions include the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center, operated in partnership with the Pacific Science Center, and a working blueberry farm. The park sits beside Interstate 90 and Bellevue Way and serves as both an ecological refuge and an environmental-education destination.