Yao Garden
Yao Garden is a garden in Washington, at a modelled elevation of 64 m. Dixie Peak stands 1,404 m to the east-southeast, 22 miles off. The nearest named place is Kyoto Stone Water Basin, a artwork less than a tenth of a mile away. Mountains to Sound Greenway - I-90 passes 1.9 miles off.
A tranquil garden honoring its sister city Yao, Japan, with a traditional gate, basalt streambed, boulders, stone lanterns, Japanese maples, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Visitors stroll paths, reflect on cultural ties, and appreciate harmony.
What to expect
- Operated by
- Bellevue Botanical Garden Society
- Access
- Yes
- Fee
- No
How to reach it
- 1.9 mi off the Mountains to Sound Greenway - I-90, National
- 4.3 mi off the JCT WEST LAKE SAMMAMISH PKWY VIC ISSAQUAH TO JCT SR 970 VIC CLE ELUM
- 5.2 mi off the JCT SR 522 TO JCT SR 90 VIC NORTH BEND
- 7.5 mi off the SEATTLE TO VASHON
Overlooks nearby
- Viewing Platform · 3 mi
- Bird Trail Viewing Mound · 5 mi
- East Portal View · 5 mi
- Overlook · 6 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Kyoto Stone Water Basin: 0.0 mi
- Stone Lantern: 0.0 mi
- Kasuga Lantern: 0.0 mi
- Miyoshi Lantern: 0.0 mi
- Owl’s Glare: 0.0 mi
- Wilburton Hill Park: 0.1 mi
- Paxton House: 0.3 mi
- Main Street Park: 0.7 mi
- Surrey Downs Park: 0.7 mi
- Bel-Red Mini Park: 0.8 mi
- The Ravine Experience: 0.1 mi
- Microsoft Visitor Center: 3.0 mi
- Microsoft Logo: 3.1 mi
- Japanese Garden: 5.7 mi
- Cranes: 5.9 mi
- Mahatma Gandhi: 1.1 mi
- Lest We Forget: 1.2 mi
- Ostbo Boiler House: 1.3 mi
- Memorial Benches: 3.1 mi
- Microsoft Product Walk of Fame: 3.3 mi
- KidsQuest Children's Museum: 1.2 mi
- Kirkland Heritage Society: 4.9 mi
- Northwest African American Museum: 5.9 mi
- Seattle Asian Art Museum: 6.5 mi
- Wing Luke Asian Museum: 6.8 mi
- Stick + Stones Outdoor Hummingbird Planting Garden: 1.2 mi
- Bellevue Demonstration Garden: 2.2 mi
- Overlake Park Presbyterian Church Community Garden: 2.5 mi
- Doolittle Art Garden: 5.4 mi
- Green Burial Garden: 5.6 mi
- First Hill: 3.5 mi
- Promontory Point: 5.8 mi
- Cougar Mountain (Anti-Aircraft Peak): 6.0 mi
- Kite Hill: 6.1 mi
- Marshall's Hill: 6.1 mi
- Coal Creek Natural Area: 4.0 mi
- City of Bellevue Open Space: 5.1 mi
- Evans Creek Natural Area: 6.1 mi
- Hazel Wolf Wetlands Preserve: 8.1 mi
- Kathryn C. Lewis Natural Area: 8.2 mi
- Calkins Point: 2.5 mi
- Mercerwood Shore Club beach: 2.9 mi
- Road End Beach: 3.5 mi
- Rosemont Beach: 4.1 mi
- North Beach: 4.7 mi
- Picnic Area A: 2.5 mi
- The Meadow -- Picnic Area B: 2.6 mi
- Picnic Area C: 2.6 mi
- Shelter 2: 5.4 mi
- Shelter #1: 5.5 mi
- Quarters A: 12.5 mi
- Quarters B: 12.5 mi
- West Point Light: 12.6 mi
- Point Robinson Lighthouse: 17.8 mi
- Oil House: 17.8 mi
- Waterwall: 0.1 mi
- North Fork Falls: 5.4 mi
- Coal Creek Falls: 6.5 mi
- Far Country Falls: 6.5 mi
- Doughty Falls: 6.9 mi
- Pigeon Point: 8.8 mi
- Magnolia Bluff: 11.8 mi
- Teaters Bluff: 13.1 mi
- Fiddlers Bluff: 18.8 mi
- World Wall: 21.2 mi
- Ravenna Park Sulfur Spring: 7.3 mi
- Licton Springs: 9.8 mi
- Canyon Spring: 23.2 mi
- Silver Lake Rest Area (closed): 20.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 23.0 miles of Yao Garden. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dixie Peak | ESE 105° | 1,404 m | 22.4 mi |
| Blowdown Mountain | ESE 107° | 1,400 m | 22.1 mi |
| Crater Lake Peak | ESE 106° | 1,326 m | 21.8 mi |
| Mount Si / q̓əlbc̓ | ESE 109° | 1,254 m | 21.6 mi |
| Rattlesnake Mountain - Middle Peak | ESE 121° | 1,004 m | 20.2 mi |
| Rattlesnake Mountain - West Peak | ESE 120° | 994.257 m | 19.2 mi |
| East Tiger Mountain | SE 128° | 913 m | 13.6 mi |
| West Tiger #1 | SE 127° | 891 m | 11.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:41 | 19:22 |
| June solstice | 05:12 | 20:23 | 21:11 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:28 | 19:08 |
| December solstice | 07:55 | 15:27 | 16:20 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 42 | 43 | 47 | 51 | 57 | 61 | 67 | 67 | 62 | 54 | 46 | 42 |
| Precip in | 5.1 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 5.9 | 5.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Seattle Sand PT WFO, 7 mi away.
- Mallard256 obs
- western skunk cabbage175 obs
- Dark-eyed Junco135 obs
- Salmonberry128 obs
- western sword fern114 obs
- American Robin103 obs
- western redcedar95 obs
- Pacific chorus frog93 obs
Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaOpenStreetMap element way/32121704
Day trips start here
- Bellevue · 1 mi
- Mercer Island · 4 mi
- Kirkland · 5 mi
- Redmond · 5 mi
- Seattle/Capitol Hill-Central District · 6 mi
- Seattle/South · 6 mi
Take the scenic way to Yao Garden.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.