Looking for cherry blossoms in Seattle?
The cherry blossom season is just about to begin here in Seattle. These spring-heralding flowers start to bloom in the Emerald City starting near the middle or end of March and last for about two weeks. To help you get your best shot for Instagram, we rounded up the best places to see the cherry blossoms in Seattle.
Everyone in Seattle turns out to celebrate this much-needed sign of springtime, so some of these spots can get crowded. You can also find cherry blossoms in your own neighborhood; scroll to the end of this article for our best tip for finding cherry blossoms near you.
Here are the top six places to see cherry blossoms in Seattle this spring:
1. University of Washington
The University of Washington is perhaps the most famous place in Seattle for cherry blossom viewing every spring. Sometime between mid-to-late March and early April, you’ll want to head over to the university to see the quad explode with pink blossoms. For updates you can check out the UW cherry blossom live cam or follow along on Instagram.
2. Washington Park Arboretum
The 230-acre Washington Park Arboretum is a beautiful place to explore year-round. In the spring, you can walk along the arboretum’s Azalea Way to see blooming cherry blossoms, azaleas, dogwoods, and more springtime flowers. There is also the Seattle Japanese Garden within the arboretum that opens on March 1st just in time for cherry blossom season (note that the garden has an admission fee except for the first Thursday of each month).
3. Green Lake
Seattle’s beloved Green Lake Park has something to offer during every season. You’ll be able to find quite a few cherry blossom trees blooming along the 2.8-mile paved path in the spring. If the weather is nice, it’s also a great place for a picnic.
4. Seward Park
Seward Park is another lovely option for seeing cherry blossoms in Seattle in the spring. This 300-acre park has a beautiful mix of forest trails and beaches. You can also drive north from Seward Park along Lake Washington Boulevard South to see more cherry blossom trees with Lake Washington in the background.
5. Jefferson Park
Jefferson Park in the Beacon Hill neighborhood has a gorgeous view of downtown Seattle, a spray park with two epic slides, a skate park, tennis courts, and more. If you go in the spring you can also enjoy the cherry trees blooming. Most of them were planted in 1912, with even more added in 2012 to celebrate the park’s 100th anniversary.
6. Seattle Center
Every spring, cherry blossom trees bloom at Seattle Center. The best time to go see them is in April during the annual free festival that celebrates Japanese culture. The 2025 Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival takes place during April 11-13. Read more about this year’s festival on the Seattle Center website.
Pro tip: you can also use this map of Seattle trees that was created by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to find cherry blossoms near you. As you can see on the legend in the upper right corner, the blue dots represent the Prunus (cherry/plum) trees in the city. Many Seattle neighborhoods are full of side streets and residential roads that explode with cherry blossoms every spring, so go and explore (while being respectful of private residences, of course).