Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

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!

We are working hard to recruit, train, and hire more lifeguards and wading pool 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
• Southwest Pool, 2801 SW Thistle St. (limited summer operations)

Medgar Evers, Evans, and Queen Anne pools will remain closed this summer. We are taking advantage of planned pool closures for construction work by redirecting lifeguards at these sites to beaches. Read more about our lifeguard shortage and impacts on summer aquatics offerings here.

BEACHES – Six beaches opening June 25

Beginning Saturday, June 25, the following beaches will be guarded daily from 12 P.M. -7 P.M. on weekdays, and 11 A.M. -7 P.M. on weekends. We encourage all Seattleites and visitors to come out to these beaches for a safe and fun swim experience.  

• Madison Beach, 1900 43^rd Ave. E 
• Madrona Beach, 853 Lake Washington Blvd. 
• Magnuson Beach, park entrance at NE 65^th and Sand Point Way NE 
• Mt. Baker Beach, 2301 Lake Washington Blvd. S 
• Pritchard Beach, 8400 55^th Ave. S 
• West Green Lake Beach, 7312 W Green Lake Dr. 

The following beaches will remain CLOSED this summer: 

• Matthews Beach 
• Seward Park Beach 
• East Green Lake Beach 

Seattle Parks and Recreation intended to reopen all Seattle lifeguarded beaches this summer, however we were not able to hire enough trained, experienced lifeguards to do so. Please click here to read more about our decision making around opening 2022 beaches.

WADING POOLS –  Opening on various dates starting on June 25, see schedule below.

Wading Pools are open on sunny days when the temperature is forecast to be 70 degrees or above. Please call the Wading Pool Hotline to verify hours and open/closed status the day of your visit: 206-684-7796, or follow our Wading Pool Facebook page.

Wading Pool	Address	Area*	Dates	Days	Hours
Beacon Hill	1902 13th Ave. S	CE	6/29-8/18	Wed/Thurs	12pm-7pm
Bitter Lake Community Center	13035 Linden Ave. N	NW	6/29-8/19	Wed/Thurs/Fri	12pm-7pm
Dahl Playfield	7700 25th Ave. NE	NE	6/28-8/18	Tue/Wed/Thurs	12pm-7pm
Delridge Community Center	4501 Delridge Way SW	SW	6/29-8/19	Wed/Thurs/Fri	12pm-5:30pm
E Queen Anne Playground	160 Howe Street	CW	6/27-8/21	Mon/Tue/Sun	12pm-7pm
E.C. Hughes Playground	2805 SW Holden St.	SW	6/27-8/21	Mon/Tue/Sun	12pm-7pm
Gilman Playground	923 NW 54th St.	NW	7/1-8/20	Fri/Sat	12pm-6pm
Green Lake Park	N 73rd St. & W Green Lake Dr. N	NW	6/25-9/5	Daily	12pm-7pm
Lincoln Park	8600 Fauntleroy Way SW	SW	6/25-9/5	Daily	12pm-7pm
Magnuson Park	7400 Sand Point Way NE	NE	7/2-9/5	Daily	12:15pm-6:30pm
Peppi’s Playground	3233 E Spruce St.	CE	6/27-8/16	Mon/Tue	12pm-7pm
Powell Barnett Park	352 Martin Luther King Way	CE	6/29-8/21	Wed-Sun	12pm-7pm
Ravenna Park	5520 Ravenna Ave. NE	NE	7/1-8/20	Fri/Sat	12pm-7pm
Sandel Playground	9053 1st Ave. NW	NW	6/28-8/17	Tue/Wed	12pm-6:30pm
Soundview Playfield	1590 NW 90th St.	NW	6/27-8/21	Mon/Sat/Sun	12pm-7pm
South Park Community Center	8319 8th Ave. S	SW	6/27-8/17	Mon/Tue/Wed	12pm-7pm
Van Asselt Community Center	2820 S Myrtle St.	SE	6/25-9/5	Daily	12pm-7pm
View Ridge Playfield	4408 NE 70th St.	NE	6/27-8/21	Mon/Sun	12pm-7pm
Volunteer Park	1400 E Galer St.	CE	6/25-9/5	Daily	12pm-7pm
Wallingford Playfield	4219 Wallingford Ave. N	NW	6/30-8/20	Thurs/Fri/Sat	12pm-7pm

*CE=Central East; CW=Central West; NW=North West; NE=North East; SW=South West; SE=South East

SPRAYPARKS

A number of Seattle parks have water spray features where you and the kiddos can cool off. We will operate 10 sprayparks this summer, beginning Saturday, May 28 (unless otherwise noted below) 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 (opening delayed until later in June)
• Yesler Terrace Park
• John C. Little Park
• Pratt Playground Spraypark

Not opening this year:

• Ballard Commons Spraypark is not opening this year as the park is currently closed.

*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+ trees 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.

Arts in Parks supports new and established festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, celebrate diversity, build community connections, and activate parks through arts and culture.

See below for Arts in Parks events taking place in May.

All events are FREE.

Sunday, May 15, 2022: Sundaes Outside, a day festival geared towards BIPOC (all are welcome) to build community through outdoor recreation, art, and conversation.

When: 1pm to 6pm, Sunday, May 15

Where: Beer Sheva Park, 8650 55th Ave. S

By: Golden Bricks, LLC

Saturday, May 28, 2022: The annual Eritrean Independence Day Celebration. A multi-generational celebration of Eritrean 31st Independence with cultural music, dance, poetry, sport, food, and more.

When: 12pm to 8pm, Saturday, May 28

Where: Seward Park, 5898 Lake Washington Blvd.

By: Eritrean Association in Greater Seattle

The Seattle Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Thursday, May 12, 2022 on the Board’s draft recommendations for funding for the Seattle Park District’s next six-year cycle (2023-2028). The meeting will be held virtually.  

Since the last week of March 2022, the Board has been conducting a process to review and prioritize 41 proposals funded by the Park District designed to provide clean, safe and welcoming parks, enhance access, services and recreation programs; and invest in the future. Three Board subcommittees met several times during the month of April to make their recommendations, which were summarized in a draft report by Board Co-Chairs Marlon Herrera and Jessica Farmer. 

The Seattle Park District was approved by Seattle voters in August 2014. The first six-year cycle of Park District-funded projects and programs began in 2015. 

PUBLIC HEARING DETAILS  

The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners will hold the public hearing on Thursday, May 12 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Information on how to join the meeting will be at this site. 

To view the Board’s draft funding recommendations and for more information on this topic, click here.

WRITTEN COMMENTS  

Please send written comments to PDPlanning@seattle.gov.