A logging camp on the Sammamish River that grew across a county line, Bothell is where the Burke Gilman Trail meets the Sammamish River Trail and a 1931 junior high now brews its own beer.
Bothell, Washington sits at the north end of Lake Washington on the Sammamish River, about 15 miles from downtown Seattle, and it is one of the few Washington cities that lives in two counties at once. About 31,480 of its 52,010 residents are on the King County side, which holds downtown, the river parks and the UW Bothell campus. The other 20,530 live north of NE 205th Street in Snohomish County, much of it in Canyon Park, which the city annexed in 1992.
The town started as a logging camp at Brackett’s Landing. David Bothell, a Pennsylvania settler, bought 80 acres from lumberman George Brackett and opened his home to boarders, and when postmaster Gerhard Ericksen needed a name for the post office he said there were so many Bothells in town that it would do. In 1888 Thomas Burke and Daniel Gilman ran their Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railroad through the valley, and on April 14, 1909, Bothell incorporated with David’s son George as its first mayor.
That railroad grade is the reason to come now. The Burke Gilman Trail follows it for 20 miles from Shilshole Bay and ends in Bothell at the Sammamish River Trail, which runs another 10.1 paved miles past Woodinville’s wineries to Marymoor Park. Between rides, walk the pioneer buildings at the Park at Bothell Landing, swim in a 1931 junior high that McMenamins turned into a hotel, and eat your way through a rebuilt downtown that a Seattle Met food critic kept driving north to all through 2025.
Bothell is 15 miles and about 26 minutes from Seattle by car. From I-5, SR 522 is the scenic way in: it runs as Lake City Way and then Bothell Way along the north shore of Lake Washington, through Lake Forest Park and Kenmore, and straight into downtown Bothell before continuing on to Woodinville and Monroe. From the Eastside, I-405 runs north through Bothell from Kirkland and Bellevue and crosses SR 522 just east of downtown, while SR 527, the Bothell Everett Highway, heads north through Canyon Park toward Mill Creek and Everett. Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is 28.6 miles and about 35 minutes away.
The King and Snohomish county line runs through the middle of Bothell along NE 205th Street, which becomes 244th Street SW on the Snohomish side. Because most Bothell streets are numbered rather than named, north and south streets often change numbers when they cross it, so trust the address and your map app rather than the street sign. Downtown, Main Street, the Park at Bothell Landing, UW Bothell and the river trails are all on the King County side. Canyon Park, Thrasher’s Corner and the hotels and restaurants along the upper Bothell Everett Highway are in Snohomish County, with 98012 and 98021 ZIP codes instead of downtown’s 98011.
Without a car, take Link light rail to Shoreline South/148th Station and transfer to Sound Transit Express route 522, which runs along SR 522 through Bothell between Shoreline and Woodinville; the whole trip from downtown Seattle takes about 54 minutes. Sound Transit plans to replace route 522 with its Stride S3 bus rapid transit line, with Stride service beginning as soon as 2028. The more fun option is the bike: the Burke Gilman Trail runs more than 20 miles from Shilshole Bay in Ballard through Fremont, the University District and Lake Forest Park, paved and off road except for a short on street segment in Ballard, and it ends at the Sammamish River Trail in Bothell.
Seattle architect Earl W. Morrison designed this Art Deco school, which opened in 1931 as Bothell's first junior high and was later named for its first principal, Wilbert A. "Andy" Anderson; the city bought it in 2009, sold it to McMenamins in 2010, and the hotel and pub complex opened on October 15, 2015. The 5 acre campus at 18607 Bothell Way NE now holds a brewery, the Anderson School Theater, small bars like the Principal's Office and the Woodshop, and Tavern on the Square in the old cafeteria. Take a pint into the plant filled courtyard by the fire, and check the McMenamins calendar for concerts, bingo and history tours.
The Anderson School's North Shore Lagoon is a full size indoor pool kept at 88 to 90 degrees, open to swimmers of all ages in one hour public sessions that start at the top of the hour, and free for overnight hotel guests from check in to checkout. Swimmers under 17 need a parent or guardian in the pool area, children under 6 need an adult in the water, and hours vary by season, so check the McMenamins pool page before you go. On some Saturday nights it turns into a 21 and over DJ pool party.
The Burke Gilman, King County's best known regional trail, follows an old railroad grade for 20 miles from Shilshole Bay in Seattle and ends near Blyth Park in Bothell, where the Sammamish River Trail picks up and runs 10.1 paved miles past Bothell Landing and Woodinville's wineries and breweries to Marymoor Park in Redmond. Both are paved with soft surface shoulders, and as the trail crosses Bothell the wetlands and open space alongside it make up the city's Sammamish River Park, with a gravel lot at 17995 102nd Ave NE. Ride east for a winery lunch in Woodinville, or west around the top of Lake Washington toward Kenmore.
The city calls the Park at Bothell Landing the crown jewel of its parks, and this 14 acre riverside park gathers Bothell's pioneer buildings: the Hannan House, moved from Main Street in 1978 and home to the Bothell Historical Museum, plus an 1885 schoolhouse and the 1884 Beckstrom log cabin. The museum buildings open Sundays from 1 to 4 PM, April through October, with free admission, and the park at 9919 NE 180th St adds an amphitheater, a playground, a pedestrian bridge over the Sammamish River and a hand carry boat launch. A redesign with a splash pad, an inclusive playground, a skate park and better river access is in final design, with construction expected from 2028 to 2031.
This Washington Trails Association route is a 10 mile loop with 900 feet of gain that starts at the Park at Bothell Landing, follows the Sammamish River Trail about a mile to Blyth Park, then switchbacks up through forest to the Tolt Pipeline clearing. About two miles in, a bench at the top of the hill looks west to the Olympics on a clear day, and the route follows the pipeline east and drops past wineries to the Sammamish River Trail, which carries you back to Bothell Landing. There is no parking fee, the trailhead has restrooms with running water, and buses stop right at the park.
North Creek Forest is a 64 acre mature forest just outside downtown that meets the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's definition of priority habitat, with nine wetlands, seven streams and more than 100 plant species, and its wetlands and streams filter water and protect habitat for endangered salmon nearby. The city lists it as an undeveloped forested hillside with informal trails and street parking only at 20325 112th Ave NE; from I-405 take exit 24 toward NE 195th St, follow Beardslee Blvd to 112th Ave NE, and park outside the gate. The volunteer group Friends of North Creek Forest leads stewardship and education work in the forest.
When UW Bothell and Cascadia College built their shared campus, restoration began in 1997 on 58 acres of former pasture along North Creek, and the university says that just seven years after planting finished the wetland met all of its 10 year objectives, all without pesticides, herbicides or fertilizer. The public is welcome any time on the paved regional trail along its western and northern edges and on the central boardwalk, which has interpretive signs and leads out to North Creek; going off the boardwalk requires a permit. For years tens of thousands of crows roosted here every night from late summer to early spring, but the university reports few if any still do as of January 2025, after the birds shifted to a roost in Redmond.
The city bought this old golf course with help from the conservation group Forterra and opened its 89 acres for walking, picnicking, bird watching and legal fishing; golf is no longer allowed, and it opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes before sunset. Park at the old clubhouse at 16721 96th Ave NE or walk over from Blyth Park, the city's oldest parkland, donated by the Lions Club in 1959 on the site of a former brick factory. Leashed dogs are welcome, and salmon habitat work on the Sammamish River and Waynita Creek began in the Back 9 in September 2026, so watch for closures.
This short run of brick is the only remaining piece of the original Bothell and Lake Forest Park highway, the first paved road around the north end of Lake Washington, completed in 1913 with bricks brought by train from Renton. On its opening day, celebrated locally as Good Roads Day, about 80 cars an hour tried it out, and the trip from Seattle to Bothell took 55 minutes. Find it near the southwest corner of SR 522 and 96th Ave NE, right beside the Burke Gilman Trail, and stand on the road that later carried the Pacific Highway and US 99 through town.
Downtown Bothell is the product of a $150 million redevelopment that began in 2010, and Main Street was rebuilt as a curbless shared street after a July 22, 2016 fire at the Mercantile Building damaged or closed more than 20 businesses. In June 2020 the city closed the block between 101st and 102nd to cars for outdoor dining, and the council voted in 2022 to keep it that way while it studied the change. Browse Wanderlust Book Lounge at 10202 NE 185th St, opened in 2022 by Lisa Soli and Vicki Isett, with monthly book clubs, writers workshops and kids events; it is open Wednesday through Saturday 11 AM to 6 PM and Sunday noon to 5 PM.
“Bothell is two counties, three regional trails and one Art Deco junior high that now pours its own beer.”
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The only hotel on this list in downtown Bothell: 72 rooms with private baths in a 1931 junior high, some named for notable Bothell residents such as musician Chris Walla and Senator Patty Murray, plus free use of the North Shore Lagoon pool for overnight guests. You can walk to Main Street and the river trails, pets are welcome for $30 per pet per day with no size limit, and check in is 3 PM with checkout at 11 AM.
Visit websiteThe pick for longer stays and families who want to cook: every suite at 11920 NE 195th Street has a full kitchen, hot breakfast is free every morning, and there is a seasonal outdoor pool and guest laundry. It is about three minutes from UW Bothell, self parking runs $12 a day, and up to two pets are allowed for a fee.
Book directOn the Snohomish County side at 22600 Bothell Everett Highway, about 3 miles from downtown Bothell and UW Bothell, with an indoor pool, free self parking and the Garden Grille and Bar, which opens at 4 PM. Cooked to order breakfast is $16, there is no airport shuttle, and up to two dogs of 75 pounds or less are allowed for a fee.
Book directOn the Snohomish County side at 3850 Monte Villa Parkway, with an indoor pool and hot tub open 6 AM to 10 PM, an on site restaurant and free parking, about a 10 minute drive from Woodinville wine country. Up to two dogs of 25 pounds or less stay for $35 a night, and guests must be 21 to check in.
Book directFind a Cabin Near Bothell
Bothell’s food scene has started pulling people across the lake. Seattle Met’s food critic wrote in December 2025 that her GPS kept sending her north along Bothell Way all year, and she counted three of the region’s top Indian restaurants in town. Start with these five.
Chef Muhammad “Fai” Fairoz Rashed and Katie Pohl named T55 for the French grade of all purpose flour, though Fai laminates his croissants with softer T45, and Seattle Met put the pain au chocolat on its list of the region’s best pastries. Pohl told the magazine they looked at every building in Seattle’s Chinatown International District before settling at 18223 Bothell Way NE, and the bakery was mobbed from both sides of the lake when it opened in late 2022. The menu changes weekly; a recent one ran from a hōjicha orange blossom tart to Basque cheesecake and black truffle goat cheese focaccia. It is take out only with patio seating, open Wednesday through Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 2 PM, and the parking garage entrance is on NE 183rd Street.
The Lee family opened Tá Jóia in 2021, cooking from their Korean heritage and the years their mother spent in Brazil; the restaurant calls it “our mom’s story in a bowl.” Seattle Met calls it inimitable. Order the Ta Joia Special, a meaty trio of brisket, pork and sausage, or the bulgogi beef, and know that everything is made to order. It sits on the Snohomish County side at 22833 Bothell Everett Highway, Suite 151, and is open Monday through Saturday, 11 AM to 8 PM, closed Sundays.
Willard Austin bought this squat building in 1959, when the Bothell Everett Highway was a two lane road through farmland and horses poked their heads through the service window. It started as part of the Zesto chain, became The Freezer, and took the Ranch name in the early 1960s after the family introduced its Ranch burger, topped with homemade ranch dressing. Get that burger with crinkle cut fries and a thick milkshake at 18218 Bothell Way NE. Fall hours are 10 AM to 10 PM on weekdays and 11 AM to 10 PM on weekends.
The Bine at 10127 Main Street is the downtown beer stop: a draft list posted online, a heated patio and no reservations, with seating first come, first served. Order the beer battered Ellsworth, Wisconsin cheese curds with serrano jelly and smoky aioli ($11) or the smoked carnitas tacos ($12). It is open Monday through Saturday 11:30 AM to 10 PM and Sunday until 9 PM, with happy hour 3 to 6 PM on weekdays.
McMenamins turned the Anderson School’s cafeteria into Tavern on the Square, a Northwest style restaurant with full length windows, a fireplace and a band of stained glass that carries musical notes from a Grateful Dead song. It opens at 7 AM every day and serves brunch until 3 PM, then dinner until 10 PM, or 11 PM on Friday and Saturday, with weekday happy hour from 3 to 6 PM. Pair a McMenamins Hammerhead or Terminator Stout with dessert made with ice cream from the Anderson School Creamery.
UW Bothell takes over downtown Bothell with rising bands, local craft breweries, food trucks and outdoor games. The 2026 edition ran Saturday, May 30 from 2:30 to 8:30 PM, with $25 all ages general admission and $45 Brewfest tickets that included a tasting glass and six tastes.
On the Sunday before Memorial Day, the Bothell Historical Museum gathers people on the arched footbridge at the Park at Bothell Landing to drop flower petals into the Sammamish River in memory of friends and relatives. The 2026 gathering was Sunday, May 24 at 12:30 PM.
Bothell's hometown Independence Day, long known as the Freedom Festival, opens with a pancake breakfast from the Bothell Fire Department, followed by the Children's Parade and the Grand Parade through downtown. It draws thousands, so claim a spot on Main Street early.
The city's free summer series alternates Friday Music in the Park concerts at the Park at Bothell Landing amphitheater with Movies in the Park on a 40 foot screen at the North Creek Sportsfields. In 2026 it ran from July 10 through August 28, with concerts from 6 to 9 PM, food trucks and films starting at dusk.
Thousands of families trick or treat at more than 30 candy stops along Main Street and 101st Ave NE, with appearances from Bothell Fire, Police, Parks and Public Works. The 2026 event is Friday, October 30, a date the city set partly because of I-405 construction work.
A free holiday light display fills the Park at Bothell Landing throughout December, made for an evening walk with family, friends or the dog. Park at the landing, then walk up to Main Street for dinner.
Woodinville is about 2.8 miles and 5 minutes from Bothell, and more than 130 wineries are spread across its four winemaking districts in the Sammamish River Valley. Skip the drive and take the Sammamish River Trail east from Bothell Landing; King County’s trail page notes it passes Woodinville’s wineries and breweries on its way to Marymoor Park. Plan with Spending a Day in Downtown Woodinville, Downtown Woodinville’s Best Spots for Wine and Food, our Schoolhouse District guide and Visiting Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery. On summer Saturdays, add the Woodinville Farmers Market.
Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore is about 4.8 miles and 10 minutes from Bothell. It is a day use park of sprawling lawns and forested trails set around Romanesque Revival brick buildings, and its trail network runs through the forest down to the shore of Lake Washington, with some trails open to mountain bikes and others for hikers only. The park is open 8 AM to dusk all year, a Discover Pass is required ($10 a day or $45 a year), and the restored landmark now houses the Lodge at Saint Edward, with rooms, three dining options and a spa. On a Sunday, the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market is about 4.2 miles from Bothell down Bothell Way at Town Center, 17171 Bothell Way NE, and runs 10 AM to 2 PM from Mother’s Day through the third Sunday in October.
Snohomish is 14.9 miles and about 23 minutes from Bothell, and it is the easy half day for anyone who likes to browse. Its 26 block downtown historic district has been on the National Register since 1974 and packs more than 175 antique dealers into the redbrick storefronts along First Street. Start with our Snohomish guide.
Downtown Seattle is 15 miles and about 26 minutes away by car, or about 54 minutes by bus and light rail. If you have a bike and a free day, ride the Burke Gilman Trail from Blyth Park around the top of Lake Washington, past Log Boom Park in Kenmore, Magnuson Park, the University of Washington and Gas Works Park, all the way to Shilshole Bay. Our Seattle guide covers the neighborhoods and where to stay.
Leavenworth is about 100.3 miles and 2 hours 4 minutes from Bothell, and SR 522 gives you a head start: it runs from Bothell to Monroe, where it meets US 2 for the climb over Stevens Pass. It is a long day trip and a better overnight. Read our Leavenworth guide before you go.
Bothell does its best work from late May through August. The UW Bothell Block Party and Brewfest takes over downtown in late May, the Fourth of July parade fills Main Street, and the city’s free Summer Nights series alternates Friday concerts at the Park at Bothell Landing amphitheater with dusk movies on a 40 foot screen at the North Creek Sportsfields. The Bothell Historical Museum only opens on Sundays from April through October, so a summer Sunday lets you pair the pioneer buildings with a ride on the river trail. In December the city lights up the Park at Bothell Landing for Lights at the Landing, a nod to a town that once decorated a 112 foot Douglas fir on Main Street every year from 1929 to 1979, a tree Life magazine called the largest living Christmas tree in the world in 1962.
The biggest change on the ground is the $834 million I-405/Brickyard to SR 527 Improvement Project, a WSDOT, Sound Transit and Skanska job that is rebuilding four and a half miles of the freeway, mostly in Bothell. Crews have been removing and replacing ramps and bridges at the I-405 and SR 522 interchange to add express toll lanes and direct access ramps, and that work brings overnight and weekend closures, so check WSDOT before driving at night. The city even set its 2026 Trick or Treat on Main Street for Friday, October 30, partly because of the work. At the former Wayne Golf Course, salmon habitat construction on the Sammamish River and Waynita Creek began in September 2026 in the Back 9. The Park at Bothell Landing redesign is in final design and permitting, with construction expected from 2028 to 2031.
One day covers the core: a morning on the Burke Gilman or Sammamish River Trail, pastries at T55 if you beat the sellout, the Park at Bothell Landing and Main Street, then dinner and a pint at the Anderson School. Stay the night to add Woodinville or Saint Edward the next morning. Of the hotels on this page, only McMenamins Anderson School is downtown; the others sit north along I-405 and the Bothell Everett Highway, a short drive from Main Street. If you are here in late October, the Bothell Historical Museum and McMenamins host Honoring the Dead from the Old Pioneer Cemetery at the Anderson School’s Haynes Hall on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with doors at 6 PM, a 7 PM program and $5 admission.






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Get your free cardBoth. The county line runs through the city along NE 205th Street, which is 244th Street SW on the Snohomish side, and the Office of Financial Management counts 31,480 residents in King County and 20,530 in Snohomish County as of 2026. Downtown, Main Street, the river parks and UW Bothell are on the King County side; Canyon Park, annexed in 1992, is the heart of the Snohomish County side.
Bothell is known for its trails, its riverside pioneer history and McMenamins Anderson School. The Burke Gilman Trail ends here at the Sammamish River Trail, the Park at Bothell Landing preserves the Hannan House, an 1885 schoolhouse and an 1884 log cabin, and the 1931 junior high on Bothell Way is now a hotel with a brewery, a theater and a warm indoor pool. It is also home to the shared UW Bothell and Cascadia College campus and a busy biotech and tech corridor along North Creek and in Canyon Park.
Bothell is about 15 miles and 26 minutes from downtown Seattle by car, usually by SR 522 along the north shore of Lake Washington or by I-405. By transit, take Link light rail to Shoreline South/148th Station and Sound Transit route 522 into Bothell, about 54 minutes in all. Cyclists can ride the Burke Gilman Trail the whole way from Shilshole Bay.
Yes, especially if you ride, walk or eat. You can bike two regional trails from downtown, visit a free Sunday history museum, swim or drink a house brewed pint in a 1931 school, and eat at bakeries and restaurants that Seattle Met’s food critic kept driving north for in 2025. Woodinville wine country is 5 minutes away, which makes Bothell a practical base. See our downtown Woodinville day trip for the next stop.
The Burke Gilman Trail ends in Bothell, where it meets the Sammamish River Trail near Blyth Park. From Shilshole Bay in Seattle it runs about 20 miles through Ballard, Fremont, the University District, Lake Forest Park and Kenmore, then the Sammamish River Trail continues 10.1 paved miles through Woodinville to Marymoor Park in Redmond. The trail follows the route of the railroad Thomas Burke and Daniel Gilman built through Bothell in 1888.
Country Village, the themed shopping center that opened in 1981 with about 40 small shops and chickens wandering the grounds, closed in 2019. Rising property taxes led the owners to sell the back six acres to housing developers, where townhouses were under construction before the center closed. For browsing today, head to Main Street and Wanderlust Book Lounge, or to the antique district in nearby Snohomish.
Yes. Tavern on the Square opens to everyone at 7 AM daily, the small bars and the Anderson School Theater are open to the public, and the North Shore Lagoon pool sells one hour public swim sessions; overnight hotel guests swim free. McMenamins also runs history tours, concerts and pub events in the building, so check its calendar before you go.
Very. Woodinville is about 2.8 miles and 5 minutes from Bothell, and its more than 130 wineries are spread across four districts in the Sammamish River Valley. You can also ride or walk there on the Sammamish River Trail. Start with Downtown Woodinville’s Best Spots for Wine and Food and Visiting Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.