I wasn’t expecting Seattle to have beaches worth talking about on my first visit. Then I ended up at Alki on a clear evening in July with the Olympics turning pink behind the skyline and a bowl of clam chowder in my hand, and I understood immediately why people who live here never want to leave.
One thing worth knowing before we get into the list: Seattle beaches are not Caribbean beaches. The water is cold year-round — typically between 45 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit even in summer. Most people do not swim so much as wade, kayak, paddleboard, picnic, or just sit and watch the view. On a clear summer evening with the mountains lit up and the ferries moving across the Sound, that is more than enough.
Below is the list of 13 beautiful beaches in Seattle.
Alki Beach
The beach stretches 2.5 miles along Elliott Bay in West Seattle, from Alki Point to Duwamish Head. A paved path runs the full length of the shoreline and on a sunny weekend it is full of joggers, cyclists, rollerbladers, and people walking dogs. The sand is real sand — not gravel or grass — which puts it in a smaller category than most Seattle beaches.
There are volleyball courts along the beach, designated fire pits for evening bonfires — one of the few beaches in Seattle where this is allowed — and a boardwalk lined with restaurants, cafes, and seafood spots. Salty’s on Alki is well known for its seafood and views. Alki Spud Fish and Chips has been serving halibut and fries on this beach for decades. Cactus does good Southwestern food with a view of the water.
I usually end up at Spud because there is something right about eating fish and chips on the sand with the skyline in front of you.
The water in Elliott Bay is cold. People swim here but most come for everything else — the volleyball, the walk, the sunset, the food.
Getting to Alki from downtown: the West Seattle Water Taxi runs from downtown Seattle directly to West Seattle in summer and is genuinely one of the nicer ways to arrive. You dock right near the beach and walk over. There is also street parking along Alki Avenue but it fills up fast on sunny days — arrive early or take the water taxi.
Dogs are allowed in the park but not on the beach itself. There is a $500 fine for pets on the sand, which is enforced.
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Golden Park Beach
The beach sits at the end of Seaview Avenue NW and it has a character that Alki does not — quieter, more neighborhood, less tourist-facing. Ballard locals treat this beach as their own backyard and that community feel comes through when you visit. I have spent afternoons here where I felt more like a local than a visitor, which is a good sign.
There is real sand here, fire pits, picnic areas, a boat launch, and restrooms in the historic Golden Gardens Bathhouse. The views look out over the Sound toward the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. On a clear day the mountain views from this beach stop you mid-step.
There are three parking lots at Golden Gardens — at the marina, behind the beach, and an overflow lot up the hill. They fill up on summer weekends without fail. Get there early or arrive by bike through the neighborhood.
Discovery Park Beach
Discovery Park is the largest park in Seattle at 534 acres and it sits on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound in the Magnolia neighborhood. The park has forests, meadows, wetlands, and two miles of beach at its western edge — North Beach and South Beach — connected by a trail that drops down from the bluff.
Inside the park is the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, which tells the story of the Duwamish and other Coast Salish peoples whose land this was long before the city existed. It is worth taking 20 minutes to walk through while you are here.
The North Beach Trail is a good hiking route down from the park’s upper bluff to the beach. The children’s play area near the main entrance has been recently renovated with swings, climbing equipment, and a zip line. There are multiple miles of trails for hiking and biking through the forest above the beach if you want to make a full half-day of it.
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The beach at Discovery Park does not have lifeguards. The park itself is open from 4:30 AM to 11 PM with the beach closing a bit earlier in the evening.
Carkeek Park Beach
The thing that makes Carkeek unusual is how you get to the beach. You park in the lot, walk through a forested area, and then cross a pedestrian bridge over active railroad tracks to reach the shore below. Trains pass through regularly and watching them from the bridge — or from the beach — is something kids genuinely love.
My first visit here I ended up staying an extra 30 minutes just because a freight train came through at exactly the right moment and the sound of it rolling past while you are standing between the forest and the Sound is something you do not forget.
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The beach itself looks out over Puget Sound toward the Olympic Mountains. It is pebbly rather than sandy, which is typical of many Puget Sound beaches. There is a playground near the entrance for younger children, plus hiking trails through more than 200 acres of forest, meadows, wetlands, and creek areas that run through the park above the beach.
Wildlife sightings are common here — eagles, herons, and the occasional seal offshore show up regularly. The park also has fruit orchards tucked into its forest sections, which feel completely out of place and completely right at the same time.
The beach closes at 10:30 PM in summer. Parking is available in the main lot off NW Carkeek Park Road.
Madison Park Beach
The beach itself is a 400-foot stretch of sand along the lake with a grassy slope behind it where people lay out in the sun. There is a floating dock in the water with diving boards that swimmers can reach from the shore. In summer, lifeguards are on duty from noon to 7 PM on weekdays and 11 AM to 7 PM on weekends and holidays — one of the more reliably staffed beaches in the city, which matters when you are in the water.
The park also has a children’s play area, a bathhouse, tennis courts, and restrooms. The northern section of Madison Park Beach has historically been Seattle’s unofficial gathering spot for LGBTQ parkgoers and that inclusive, welcoming atmosphere is still part of the beach’s character today.
Matthews Beach Park
The park sits on Lake Washington in the Sand Point neighborhood on the northeast side of the city. The beach has a large grassy lawn, picnic areas, grills, a play area, basketball courts, and restrooms. In the water there are floating platforms with diving boards that swimmers can reach — the kind of feature that makes younger visitors not want to leave.
I watched a group of kids spend two straight hours on those platforms the last time I was here, launching themselves off the boards in increasingly creative ways while their parents read on the grass below.
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Seward Park — Rainier Beach
Seward Park is one of the best-kept secrets among Seattle’s beach parks and honestly one of my personal favorites on this list. I think it is underrated compared to how much it offers and I do not understand why more people do not talk about it.
The beach has a swimming area with seasonal lifeguards — on duty from late June through early September — and the water is calm freshwater. You can fish from the piers for cutthroat trout, largemouth bass, and yellow perch. A 2.5-mile loop trail circles the entire peninsula and the lake views throughout are consistently beautiful.
Ample parking is available.
Lincoln Park — Fauntleroy
Lincoln Park is in West Seattle about four miles south of Alki Beach and it is a completely different experience despite being in the same part of the city. If you are spending two or more days in West Seattle — which I would recommend — Alki and Lincoln Park together give you a full picture of what this side of Seattle offers.
The park also has a children’s playground with a zip line, horseshoe pits, tennis courts, athletic fields, and five covered picnic shelters. It sits just north of the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal, so watching the ferries come and go is a free and pleasant background to whatever else you are doing. Dogs are welcome on leash throughout the park.
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Madrona Park Beach — Madrona
Madrona Park is a small beach on Lake Washington in the Madrona neighborhood on the east side of the city. It is a neighborhood beach in the best sense — low-key, genuinely beautiful, and without the crowds of the more well-known spots.
Wildlife is active here early in the morning — turtles, ducks, herons, and eagles are all commonly seen before the crowds arrive.
Golden Gardens to Carkeek Low-Tide Walk
I listed this separately from Golden Gardens because it is genuinely its own experience rather than just an extension of the beach — and it is the one I recommend most enthusiastically to people who ask me what to do in Seattle that they will not find in a standard guidebook.
At low tide — and only at low tide — the two miles of shoreline between Golden Gardens and Carkeek Park become walkable. The beach is otherwise inaccessible at high water. When the tide is out you can walk this entire stretch along the base of the bluffs with Puget Sound on one side and the forested hillside on the other. It is one of those walks that feels nothing like being in a city even though you technically are.
Check tide tables before you go — this is essential, not optional.
Myrtle Edwards Park Beach
Myrtle Edwards Park is not a traditional beach but it deserves mention for visitors staying downtown who want to be near the water without traveling far.
Adjacent to Myrtle Edwards is the Olympic Sculpture Park, a free outdoor art space operated by the Seattle Art Museum with large-scale sculptures spread across a terraced lawn that slopes down toward the water. The two parks connect naturally and combining them makes for a genuinely enjoyable waterfront afternoon without leaving downtown.
No swimming here — this is a walking and view beach rather than a swimming one — but as a place to decompress and get near the water after a day of city sightseeing, it is the most convenient option on this list.
Richmond Beach Saltwater Park
Richmond Beach Saltwater Park is technically just outside Seattle in the city of Shoreline, about 15 miles north of downtown. I am including it because it is worth the drive and because it does something none of the in-city beaches quite manage.
Getting to the beach requires a short walk — about a quarter mile from the parking lot, down a trail, across a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks, and then down to the shore. Similar to Carkeek, trains pass through regularly. It sounds like a minor inconvenience and it ends up being part of the charm.
The park has an off-leash dog area, restrooms, trails, picnic tables, a children’s play area, and public art installations scattered through the grounds.
Denny Blaine Park Beach
Denny Blaine Park is small, quiet, and worth knowing about if you want somewhere genuinely off the beaten tourist path on Lake Washington.
It is a peaceful, low-key spot. Good for reading a book, watching the lake, or a quiet swim in the summer. The kind of place where the people who know about it are glad most people do not.
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