Ways to Spend a Day at Golden Gardens
Golden Gardens Park has a good mix of facilities, so it is easy to stay from morning until the evening light fades over the water. Here is what you will find:
- Fire pits for gathering near the water as evening settles in
- Picnic areas spread across the grassy sections
- A play area for younger kids
- A basketball court
- Walking and hiking paths linking the beach with the upper park
Get Out on the Water
Launch a kayak or canoe, or watch sailboats glide past while kitesurfers and sailboarders catch the wind, a common sight along this stretch. Because Puget Sound sits more than a hundred miles from the open Pacific, the park is sheltered from the harshest weather. That calmer water is a big part of why paddlers and sailors favor this shore.
About Swimming
Think wading rather than long swims. The water at Golden Gardens stays very cold, even in the middle of summer.
Birds and Wildlife by the Ponds and Shore
Bring binoculars, because Golden Gardens is well known among bird watchers for both resident species and migrants passing through. The ponds and marsh support a surprising range of animals for a city park.
Birds to Watch For
- Mallard ducks paddling in the wetlands
- Red-winged blackbirds in the marshes
- Canada geese around the parking lot and picnic areas
- The occasional wood duck
- Bald eagles, a common sight overhead
- Glaucous-winged gulls
- Anna's hummingbirds in the trees near the ponds
Give the mallards and Canada geese some space. Both are used to people and have been known to attack visitors.
Beavers, Turtles and Life in the Sound
Look along the pond edges for signs of the resident beavers, which have felled many of the alder trees there. Muskrats are often spotted swimming, and red-eared slider turtles sun themselves on the logs.
Out on the Sound, listen for California sea lions, which are frequently heard, and watch for harbor seals, which are commonly seen. Orcas sometimes pass close to the beach, so keep an eye on the water.
The Landmark Bathhouse
Stop by the Golden Gardens Bath House, one of the park's best-known structures. The City of Seattle named the bathhouse a historic landmark in 2005.
Seattle's Only Pro Rally Stage
As you drive the double switchback road that climbs up from Golden Gardens Park, you are following a surprising piece of local history. In 1987 it hosted a special Seattle demonstration stage for the Olympus Pro Rally, with cars starting from the Shilshole Bay Marina parking area on Seaview Avenue and finishing at the top of the ridge on Golden Gardens Drive.
That stage launched the Olympus Rally's international push for FIA World Rally Championship status. It is still the only professional rally stage, and the only professional motor sport event, ever held within Seattle city limits.
Nearby in Shilshole and Sunset Hill
Several spots sit within a short walk of the park's address:
- Eddie Vine Boat Ramp, under 0.1 mile away, for launching boats
- Sunset Hill Park, about 0.2 mile away
- A dog park listed under the Golden Gardens name by Seattle Parks and Recreation, about 0.3 mile away
- Golden Gardens Bath House, about 0.3 mile away
- Norvell House and Rosen House, both landmarks within about 0.6 mile
- Webster Park, about 0.7 mile away
Round out your day in the neighborhood by pairing the beach with a stroll through the Ballard Farmers Market. Craving more Puget Sound shoreline and forest trails? Head north to Carkeek Park or south to Discovery Park, or browse all Seattle parks for your next outing.
Before You Go
Pack layers, since the waterfront can feel cool even on bright days, and give the geese plenty of room near the picnic areas. For current hours, fire pit rules and parking details, check the official Seattle Parks and Recreation website before you set out.
