Location: Northwest Seattle
Address: 8498 Seaview Pl. N.W.
Acreage: 87.8
Golden Gardens Park is a lot like one of my other favorite parks in Seattle, Alki Beach Park. Both have long sandy beaches, fire pits and popular barbecue spots. But, in the battle between West Seattle and Ballard, I think I’m going to have to give an edge to Golden Gardens in a very important category: Best Place to Watch a Sunset.
There is no better place to spend a summer evening in Seattle than at Golden Gardens watching the sun set over the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains. Disagree? Fine, but I say this even as a devout West Seattleite.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can talk about the other cool features of this park:
For kids, it’s heaven on earth to dig in the sand, especially at the south end of the park where a small stream meets the Sound creating the perfect muddy conditions for small shovels. A new playground is also currently under construction to replace the small, aging one.
For pet owners, it’s the two-plus-acre off-leash dog park tucked away on the other side of the pedestrian underpass.
For sweat-enthusiasts, there’s beach volleyball, basketball and many walking/hiking trails.
For nature-lovers, the quiet, less-trafficked paths at the north end of the park crisscross around preserved wetlands, great spots to look for birds, animals and sea life.
For picnickers and beach bums, I return again to this park’s great appeal: the gorgeous waterfront setting where you can watch sailboats float by while roasting hot dogs at twilight around a fire pit.
What better place is there to be on a warm Seattle evening than with your feet in the Golden Gardens sand?
#289 (Visited 6/1/11)