Location: Des Moines
Address: Redondo Beach Dr. S. and Redondo Way S.
Acreage: 2.79
I’m always curious about little spots of green on a waterfront when I look at a map. A little exploring in Des Moines brought me to Redondo Beach and Pier, arriving just as the sun peeked out from the clouds.
This is a spot best enjoyed on a sunny day when I hear it’s packed with people from this part of the South Sound. A wooden pier sticks out into the water where you can fish or check out the views of Vashon Island straight across the water. An enormously popular boardwalk was destroyed by a storm in 2014, but it’s being rebuilt and will be worth returning to stroll along when it’s complete later this summer. Kids will idle away hours on the beach here, looking for signs of sea life and digging in the gravel and sand.
A second park (with a funny name), Wooton Park, is just half a block away up the hill. It has more picnicking amenities with tables and barbecue grills. A cute white gazebo will give you some shade. And, kids will like the climbing structure with slides and a tunnel and horseshoe pits (bring your own horseshoes). A trail leads into the greenspace to the east of the park.
#452 (Visited 5/23/16)