Ravenna's ravine is getting work from two directions this fall. On the paved edges, city and campus crews are breaking up asphalt that tree roots have heaved, repainting bike lanes and laying out a new shared path. Inside the half-mile ravine, the work is in the hands of volunteers pulling blackberry and neighbors writing grant proposals for trail signs. The crews have taken on the routes into the park. The park itself still runs on volunteers.
Seattle Parks describes Ravenna Park as a half-mile wooded ravine with trails linking two picnic areas, with Cowen Park adjoining its west end and carrying trails of its own. That description hasn't changed in years. What's changing this fall is how you get there.
The Trouble Under The Asphalt
The Burke-Gilman repair north of the neighborhood is about roots. Seattle Parks scheduled work between NE 65th St and NE 77th St starting Tuesday, September 8, and expected it to take about three weeks, weather permitting. The department's notice said the work fixes places "where the surface has been damaged by tree roots or other environmental factors," and that similar work was done in 2025 north of NE 77th St.
During construction, the trail was supposed to stay open, with temporary gravel ramps where asphalt had been pulled up. Cyclists were asked to get off and walk through the work zones. Counting three weeks from September 8 puts the expected finish around September 29. As of early October, neither the Parkways notice nor the project page on Engage Seattle Parks had posted that the work was done. If you ride that stretch this week, a gravel ramp is still possible. Ben Handziak at Seattle Parks is the contact listed for timeline questions.
Roots are causing trouble on the stretch south of the neighborhood too. The University of Washington's Braden Kelley, who runs the university's commute and transportation planning programs and bikes part of his commute on the Burke-Gilman, put it this way in a July UW Facilities article:
"It's a little narrower and darker. There are roots coming up through the asphalt. It doesn't feel as welcoming and it doesn't feel as safe."
He was talking about the trail east of Rainier Vista. He added that people coming from north and east Seattle "might be less inclined" to ride through that section to reach campus. For a lot of Ravenna riders, that's the way to campus.
The Southern Link Runs On A Longer Clock
The north repair was planned as a three-week job. The south repair is on a multi-year schedule. UW's project covers the Burke-Gilman between Rainier Vista and NE 47th Street. Plans call for widening the trail where possible, separating people walking from people biking where that does the most for safety, and adding new paving, better lighting, improved drainage and better connections to ADA-accessible paths.
Granite Construction and KPFF Civil are the design-build team. Design is already underway, construction is expected to start in spring 2027, and their contract runs through the end of 2029. The state authorized UW to spend $16 million, and the City of Seattle put in $750,000 for early design. For a preview of the finished trail, the university points to the section between 15th Avenue NE and Rainier Vista, which was rebuilt in 2016.
UW Transportation Services Director Mark Huppert said in the same article that many riders on the UW segment aren't stopping on campus. They're traveling point to point within Seattle or heading out of the city. That explains the city money, and it describes the Ravenna rider passing through on the way somewhere else.
Ravenna Ave NE Gets Its First Half
The third project at the edge of the park is on the street grid, where SDOT is working on Ravenna Ave NE, NE 55th St and 22nd Ave NE. Construction started in August 2026. Crews trimmed vegetation along the west side of 22nd Ave NE, switched back-in parking to standard parking, and painted the new bike lane markings. The bigger pieces come next: a new shared-use path for walking and biking, upgraded curb ramps, marked crosswalks, and an all-way stop at Ravenna Ave NE and NE 54th St. The plan also includes a protected southbound bike lane on 22nd Ave NE between NE 54th St and NE 45th St, plus speed cushions and intersection daylighting. SDOT says it doesn't have a timeline yet for the second phase.
Here are all three edge projects side by side:
| Route | Done so far | Still ahead | Timing as posted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burke-Gilman, NE 65th to NE 77th | Root-damage repairs began Sept. 8 | No completion notice posted | Expected about three weeks |
| 22nd Ave NE and Ravenna Ave NE | Vegetation trimming, parking change, bike lane markings | Shared-use path, curb ramps, crosswalks, all-way stop at NE 54th | No timeline yet |
| Burke-Gilman, Rainier Vista to NE 47th | Design underway | Widening, separated lanes, paving, lighting | Construction expected spring 2027 |
Inside The Ravine, The Work Is Done By Hand
None of those projects reach the trails between the ravine walls. Seattle Parks' current project directory has no entry for Ravenna or Cowen Park beyond the Burke-Gilman maintenance program. Inside the park, volunteers do the work.
The next scheduled session is the Ravenna Restoration Romp, a Green Seattle Partnership event on Sunday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Volunteers will start around the basketball court and work their way down the access road to the southeast. They'll pull blackberry and ivy, take out some Golden Chain trees that are crowding the area, build mulch piles, and get the ground ready for planting next year. The group meets near the Ravenna Park basketball courts, just east of the Cowen Park Bridge on the south side of the park. Tools and gloves are provided, all ages are welcome, and the organizers suggest long sleeves and pants because of the thorns. When the research was gathered, 4 of 16 spots were filled. There's no dedicated parking lot, and the listing notes that Roosevelt light rail station is about five blocks away.
Today's planting prep becomes next year's planting. Volunteers work on the ravine one season at a time, much more slowly than the paving crews outside it.
Learning The Bridges By Name
The park's other volunteer group is Friends of Ravenna-Cowen. Their annual Ravenna Park History Walk ran on September 13 with 26 people. A smaller tour for Merrill Gardens residents on September 25 was cut short by rain. The group's walking-tour guides are free to download and work well for a self-guided loop. They separate the Cowen Park Bridge from the 20th Ave NE Bridge, which are easy to confuse, and they name the park's sewer bridges, including the West Trestle Bridge.
The guide also follows Ravenna Creek. It's spring-fed, starts in Cowen Park, runs down the ravine, drops into an underground drain at lower Ravenna Park, and comes back to the surface near Union Bay. The guides were written in 2022 and 2023, so treat them as a reference for names and history rather than a report on current trail conditions.
Friends of Ravenna-Cowen would like those names to be posted in the park itself. In late August, the group was preparing a grant proposal for a Ravenna-Cowen Parks Safety & Education Project. It would pay for maps, trail markers and informational signs to help people find their way, help first responders locate someone in the ravine, and encourage good use of the parks. Supporters were asked to weigh in by September 2. As of the group's latest blog post on September 28, no award decision has been announced. If the grant comes through, the ravine would get the same kind of wayfinding that the paved routes outside it are getting this fall.
The Rest Of October, Close To The Ravine
Three dates are worth putting on the calendar:
- Friday, October 16: A Halloween Carnival in the gym at Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, 6535 Ravenna Ave NE, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., according to the center's volunteer listing. The center is still looking for helpers to set up, run carnival games and take down.
- Sunday, October 25: The Ravenna Restoration Romp, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., meeting at the Ravenna Park basketball courts.
- Friday, October 30: Chance Encounter Games at 6317 1/2 Roosevelt Way NE lists a "Parade of Monsters" with a Spooky Art Market from 3 to 9 p.m., a costume contest at 6 p.m. and a charity raffle at 7 p.m. Check the shop's events page for final details.
The carnival is right on Ravenna Ave NE, so if you walk there on the 16th you'll pass the new 22nd Ave NE bike lane markings and the corners still waiting for the shared-use path.
At Milaina West, we follow projects like these because they shape how a block works day to day, from which corners get crosswalks to how long a commute route stays rough. If you're weighing how planned trail and street work near Ravenna Park might affect a sale, a purchase or a move, book a free consultation and we'll go through the city's posted timelines with you.
