Purchase tickets here!

Tickets will be available for purchase by members on May 29, starting at noon. Remaining tickets will be available for purchase by nonmembers on June 2, starting at noon. If you are a member, be sure to log into your member account before trying to purchase a ticket.

53-acre Schmitz Preserve Park is one of only two parcels of old-growth forest still alive in Seattle. It was donated to the City in pieces between 1908 and 1912.  The most generous portion came from a German immigrant/banker/realtor named Ferdinand Schmitz, who served on the park commission during those years. He and his wife Emma donated the land “to be used perpetually…for park purposes…in order that certain natural features be preserved.”

The Olmsted Brothers firm developed design drawings for Schmitz Park in 1909 – the design included a shelter house and pergola at the terminus of Schmitz Boulevard within the northern reaches of the park. Olmsted also laid out a trail system, scenic pool and waterfall within the park.  Except for the paved entrance and a parking lot at the northwest corner, the park has remained largely untouched ever since. You can learn more about the park’s history and the influence of the Olmsted Brothers by joining Sue Nicol in our continuing series of plant and garden walks for 2025. Details on parking and meeting locations will be provided in an email after registration is completed.

Sue Nicol is a retired horticulturist and consulting arborist with 23 years’ experience in public horticulture. She worked 18 years for the Seattle Parks Department, 17 as head of horticulture at the Woodland Park Zoo. She then managed public and ProHort educational programs for the UW’s Center for Urban Horticulture. In 2006 she started a consulting business specializing in tree preservation and care.

Sue is on the Board of the Cass Turnbull Garden. She is also a board member of Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks (FSOP) and a Master Gardener, both for 20 years.