Tranquil lake still exists amidst bustling commerce

By JACK HOPKINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Yes, there is a Totem Lake, although it -- like the community -- has gone by other names in the past. Some still refer to it as Lake Wittenmeyer.

Totem Lake is more like a pond than a lake.

But it's pretty and offers a peaceful respite from the nearby hubbub of commercial activity.

"It is quite small," says City Manager David Ramsey. "Only an acre or something like that. But it is protected by some tall bushes and trees all around it, so it is really quite charming."

There's a wooden walkway leading to a small platform overlooking the lake and meandering through the surrounding wetlands.

Visitors -- when there are any -- can listen to chirping birds, spot an occasional fish lazing near the surface and pick wild blackberries in the late summer and early fall right from the boardwalk.

But there aren't many visitors.

"It is a wonderful place, but it is a guarded secret," Ramsey says.

One reason few people go there is because there is not much to do when they arrive; wetlands surrounding the lake limit development.

It is also hard to find. It's pretty well hidden behind the Clarion Inn and the Cowboy Steakhouse and Saloon near the intersection of Totem Lake Way and 120th Avenue Northeast.

"Very few people have walked the paths around Totem Lake," says local resident Joe Martineau. "They are there, but few people find them."

Ramsey says the city is committed to keeping the wetlands in their natural state.

But it would like to see more people enjoying them.

"We are real serious about preserving it. But in terms of people's enjoying it, we can do a better job of letting people know they are there," Ramsey says. "We need to celebrate it and enhance it."