Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

Many Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed Monday, June 20 in observance of Juneteenth.

These facilities and services are CLOSED:

• All recreation programs
• Community centers and teen centers
• Environmental learning centers
• Indoor swimming pools
• Outdoor swimming pools (open weekend-only June 18-19, and then open daily starting Saturday, June 25)
• Green Lake Small Craft Center
• Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center
• Amy Yee Tennis Center (Closed June 19-20)
• Seattle Japanese Garden and Volunteer Park Conservatory (closed regularly on Mondays)

These facilities are OPEN on regular schedules:

• Parks
• Boat ramps
• Sprayparks
• Interbay, Jackson Park, Jefferson Park and West Seattle golf courses

Starting Saturday, May 28, 2022, designated fire pits will be available for beach fires at Alki Beach and Golden Gardens on a first come, first served basis. Bringing your own fire pit is not allowed, and no propoane fire pits/rings are allowed.

• Fires must be extinguished by 9:30 p.m.
• Fires allowed Saturday, May 28-Sunday, September 4
• Staff will be on-site to manage and assist with putting out fires at 9:30pm.
• Parking lot gates will be locked and the park will close at 10 p.m. for summer hours.

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Break out the s’mores and enjoy a Pacific Northwest sunset by beach fire at Alki Beach or Golden Gardens Park! Keep in mind, beach fires are only allowed at designated fire rings at these two sites. The fire rings are available first come, first served. Please only burn clean (natural, bare, dry cord-wood) wood and douse your fire completely before leaving.

Beach fire rules are outlined in detail in the Seattle Municipal Code section 18.12.270 and in our Beach Fires Policy.

• Light a fire ONLY in one of the installed fire containers
• Use only clean, dry firewood
• Please douse your fire with water, not sand
• Fires are not allowed during air pollution alerts; we will post sign
• Please don’t remove any materials from the park, beach or dunes
• Please dispose of trash and ashes in the containers provided for each. (SMC 18.12.260)
• Be considerate of others–please, no loud or amplified music! (SMC 18.12.170)
• Remember, no alcohol or smoking are allowed, and parks are drug-free zones.

If you see an illegal fire, call 911. For current burn ban and air quality questions, contact Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

Fire pits at Golden Gardens and Alki are unlocked between 4-5p.m. daily, starting May 28.  Please begin to extinguish all beach fires (using water, not sand) at or before 9:30 p.m. in order to ensure that all fires are completely extinguished in ample time before the park’s closure.

Seattle Parks and Recreation will start a pilot shortening the hours at Golden Gardens and Alki Beach during the 2022 summer months in order to address dangerous and/or illegal behavior that has been typical of summer evenings at these two parks. Under this pilot program the beach hours at these two parks will be 4 A.M.-10 P.M. from May 27-September 4. After September 5, the hours will be 4 A.M. – 11:30 P.M.  

This program is a pilot and will be reviewed at a Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioner meeting after the pilot is complete. This review will be informed by public comments from the questionnaire below, public comment given at the Board meeting, and data collected throughout the pilot period. 

Similar to previous summers, Seattle Parks and Recreation staff, assisted by Seattle Police Department staff, will begin closing down these two beach locations starting at 9:30 P.M.  

Public input can be provided here. 

Additionally, designated fire pits will be available for beach fires this summer beginning Saturday, May 28, 2022.  

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) Acting Superintendent Christopher Williams has approved a new name for Burke-Gilman Playground Park, Pathways Park. In 1983, the Park Naming Committee discussed the proximity of this park to Burke-Gilman Place Park and that once the park design was completed, they would solicit public comment and chose a distinctive name – noting that it would be a “playground for all children.” The new name represents the pathways around and through the park, as well as the connections that bring people together through inclusivity.

This neighborhood park along Sand Point Way is connected to the Burke-Gilman Trail. SPR has been working with the Eli’s Park Project Committee and the community to renovate the playground. The innovative renovation created an accessible, inclusive, nature-based park space where people of all ages, abilities and identities can find play and peace.

As part of the renovation, the community wanted to ensure the park had a name that reflected the vision for this park, located at 5201 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105. The renovation project will be completed summer of 2023 and includes improvements to the comfort station, parking, pedestrian lighting, improved storm water management, irrigation, new plantings, art elements, new play equipment, site furnishings, barbeques, bike racks and more. The upgrades are in response to community engagement efforts by Eli’s Park Project Committee which highlighted the desire for a park that is welcoming and accessible to all abilities. The approximately $4.8 million project was funded through a combination of private and public contributions.

Criteria considered in naming parks include geographical location, historical or cultural significance, park elements and natural or geological features.

For more information about the project, go to https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/projects/burke-gilman-playground-renovation and/or https://www.elispark.org/

Whether you like to lap swim, dunk, dog-paddle or wade, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) has dozens of ways to hit the water this summer!

Due to challenges in hiring lifeguards and wading pool attendants, we are unable to announce our beach and wading pool schedules at this time. We are working hard to recruit, train, and hire more lifeguards and attendants so that we can offer aquatic fun this summer. We encourage the public to please share our lifeguard job opportunities with your networks.

Here’s a list of current aquatics possibilities in Seattle parks this summer of 2022:

OUTDOOR POOLS – Open weekend-only June 18-19, and then daily starting Saturday, June 25 through Labor Day.

SPR operates two unique outdoor pools every summer. This year both will offer lap and recreational swim sessions, and Mounger will offer water fitness as well.

• Lowery C. “Pop” Mounger Pool,at 2535 32nd Ave. W, 206-684-4708, will initially open the weekend of June 18 and 19. Thereafter, seven-day operation will begin on Saturday, June 25 through Monday, September 5 for playland, lap fitness, and recreational swimming. View the full schedule here. Mounger Pool is really two pools in one place. The “big pool” has a 50-foot corkscrew slide, and the warmer, shallower “little pool” is great for relaxing and for teaching little ones.

• Colman Pool,at 8603 Fauntleroy Way SW, 206-684-7494, is scheduled to initially open the weekend of June 18 & 19. Seven-day operations will begin on Saturday, June 25 and will run through Monday, September 5. View the full schedule here. The pool will be closed July 7 through 9 and July 15 and 16 for swim meets. The pool enjoys a spectacular view of Puget Sound from its prime location on the beach in West Seattle’s Lincoln Park. It features heated salt water!

INDOOR POOLS – currently open.

The following indoor pools are currently open and will remain open through the summer.

• Rainier Beach Pool, 8825 Rainier Ave. S
• Ballard Pool, 1471 NW 67^th
• Meadowbrook Pool, 10515 35^th NE
• Madison Pool, 13401 Meridian Ave. N
• Queen Anne Pool, 1920 1^st W (limited summer operations)
• Southwest Pool, 2801 SW Thistle St. (limited summer operations)
• Medgar Evers Pool, 500, 23^rd – Medgar Evers is currently closed until at least mid-June due to mechanical and electrical repair work.

BEACHES – We are planning to operate safe, lifeguarded beaches this summer – and we strongly recommend swimming only where lifeguards are present. Due to difficulties in hiring lifeguards, we are currently working to determine the schedule for lifeguarded beaches.

Once available, we will update this announcement and post the update on our summer beach schedule here.

WADING POOLS –  Our goal is to open as many wading pools as possible this summer, but we need wading attendants to make that happen. We plan to release the wading pool schedule in the next few weeks as we bring staff on board.

YOU CAN HELP! Apply to be a wading pool attendant or share this opportunity family, friends, and neighbors.

Little ones love the cool, shallow water and your grown-up feet will too! We are currently determining which wading pool sites we can operate this summer. Wading pool schedules will be impacted by our ability to hire wading pool attendants.

Once available, we will update this announcement and post our wading pool schedule here.

SPRAYPARKS

A number of Seattle parks have water spray features where you and the kiddos can cool off. We will operate 11 sprayparks this summer, beginning Saturday, May 28 until Labor Day.

These sprayparks will be open from 11 am to 8 pm each day of the week:

• Beacon Mountain in Jefferson Park
• Georgetown Playfield
• Highland Park
• Judkins Park
• Miller Community Center/Playfield
• Northacres Park
• South Lake Union Park
• Yesler Terrace Community Center
• John C. Little Park
• Pratt Playground Spraypark
• Ballard Commons

*Spraypark and wading pool schedules are subject to change (due to weather or damage to the facilities). Check back here for details or follow the SPR Wading Pool Facebook page.

BOAT RAMPS – currently open

There are 7 motorized boat launches within Seattle city limits, and five of them have parking and require permits: Eddie Vine at Golden Gardens; Don Armeni in West Seattle; Stan Sayers, Atlantic St. and Magnuson Park on Lake Washington. Boat launch fees and permit info can be found here.

The launches at 14th Ave NW and Sunnyside Ave. N along the Ship Canal have little to no parking, and do not require a permit.

There are 20+ hand carry boat launches across the city as well.

Find a boat launch in your area and set sail!

Visit our reservation site here to view availability and reserve a court. Filter the search by the preferred date and time, and all courts that do not have a current reservation on them will pop up. The per court fee is $8/hr., per court. Players must bring their own nets and ball. Courts can be reserved online up to 2 weeks in advance.

From our friends at Washington State Parks:

Borrow a special adventure pack that includes a Discover Pass from your local
library and explore the beauty of Washington state lands.

The Check Out Washington program now serves all public library systems in
Washington and this year, 10 library systems will offer new adventure packs
that triple the number of Discover Passes available in their communities.
Library cardholders in these 10 library systems can check out an adventure
pack that includes a special Discover Pass for a week at a time, free of
charge. These passes provide day-use access to state lands managed by
Washington State Parks, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW) and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Find the 10 participating libraries near you on the Washington State Parks
Foundation Check Out Washington website. Contact your local library for
more information!

WSECU and the Washington State Parks Foundation donate 400
adventure packs including Discover Passes to libraries
The Washington State Parks Foundation secured a sponsorship from WSECU
that supported the creation of new adventure packs along with a purchase of
more than 400 Discover Passes and resources to enhance exploration and
enjoyment of nature and the outdoors. Learn more.

Our Impact Dashboard provides a snapshot of some of our major accomplishments in 2021. It illustrates the programs, activities and services Seattle Parks and Recreation provided to the community to help support Healthy People, a Healthy Environment, and Strong Communities.

Healthy People:

• 7,620 hours of Rec in the Street program, serving 1,050 participants via “traveling community centers”
• 11,730 meals for children in summer outdoor programs
• 461 lifeguarded days at 8 beaches; 1450,000+ attendance; 27 First Aid; 48 rescues
• 12,870 users at hygiene and shower programs at 5 community centers
• 939 enrolled in 50 Specialized Programs; 2,800 participants during 1,558 Lifelong Recreation program hours

Healthy Environment:

• 59 acres of Seattle’s urban forest enrolled in restoration
• 97% of Seattle residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park or publicly owned green space
• 110,092 facility maintenance hours completed
• 41 capital projects substantially completed and 13 project assessment studies finished
• 53,600 native plants, including 10,600+ tress planted

Strong Communities:

• 32 formerly homeless adults secured employment after completing the Seattle Conservation Corps program
• 226,800 scheduled hours for athletic fields and 10 fields for free drop-in play
• 51,500 volunteer hours by 22,700+ volunteers
• 3,399 event permits; 16,546 bookings
• 2,020 people received a total of $2.39 million in scholarships to access recreational, aqautics, and wellness programs

The Lifelong Recreation Summer 2022 program brochure is available for viewing here. Find a wide assortment of programs for ages 50+ across Seattle. Options include fitness classes, arts, Tai Chi, social programs, field trips and more!

Registration for these programs opens May 24 at noon.

Need help registering or navigating our programs? Each region of Seattle has a designated Recreation Specialist to help you out.

Northwest: Carol Baxter-Clubine, 206-399-8561, Carol.Baxter@seattle.gov

Northeast: Robin Brannman, 206-300-2043, Robin.Brannman@seattle.gov

Central: Angela P Smith: 206-450-9522, AngelaP.Smith@seattle.gov

Southwest: John Hasslinger, 206-423-3988, John.Hasslinger@seattle.gov

Southeast: Case Berrysmith, 206-310-8163, Case.Berrysmith@seattle.gov

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the community to the final online Open House for the  2021-2022 Pickleball Study on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. To register please visit  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZclc-ugrjMiG9I9pDJHCB5iFCgFJM2ZlPPD. This online event is an opportunity for all to review strategies and locations for expanding access to outdoor pickleball in Seattle.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the process for the 2021-2022 Pickleball Study. The project team used the input received to propose sites for dedicated pickleball courts, update design standards and make location suggestions for dual-striping courts and potential court conversions. Please note that meeting participants will be asked about which general area of the city they live in. Break out groups during the online meeting will discuss proposals specific to their self-selected region of the city.

The 2021-2022 Pickleball Study is funded by the Seattle Park District. At the conclusion of the study the final recommendations will be presented to the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners. To find out more about the study and to subscribe to updates please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/projects/2021-2022-outdoor-pickleball-study or contact Oliver Bazinet at oliver.bazinet@seattle.gov.