Golden Gardens

We had a really fun summer evening at the beach at Golden Gardens. We had brought our own metal grating and negotiated to share a friendly group's fire pit. It was fun just hanging out to the sound of the drum circle and people watching while taking in the gorgeous late summer sunset. The atmosphere was a tad hippie, but that was fun. There was a cute little hippie kid running around with dreads, and the fire jugglers and hoopers and whatnot. Perhaps they were practicing for Burning Man. It gave it a fun, surreal party vibe. But don't plan on finding a fire pit if you arrive at 7pm like we did unless you get lucky and find someone willing to share. Dogs are plentiful and love this place, though they may not be officially allowed. Beer on the beach is the norm as well, though again, unsure if it's allowed (pretty sure it's not). In general, I would say this is a nicer beach to hang out in than Alki, because of the physical surroundings and natural beauty (Alki is more urban with bars right across the road). more

I love this beach. It tides me over when I'm longing for the summers I spent on the beach in Southern California. The only thing that ruins the illusion is the water. Waves aren't huge and the water is always cold. It is Seattle, after all. It never gets as hot here as it does in California, but at Golden Gardens, you can be a pretend beach bum for a day. Wade in the water, make a sand castle, throw frisbees and footballs, fly a kite, or just lay out on a blanket. This is a wonderful location for picnics. They have a number of tables underneath shade trees on the grassy part of the park. In the summers, you have to make a reservation or have good timing in order to catch a party as they're vacating their space for the day. Come early in the evening or late in the afternoon if you want a bonfire. Bonfires outside of the fire pits are not allowed, but people obviously make them anyway because the beach sand is half charcoal. Your feet and ankles will get VERY dirty. In the summer, you can catch performers doing cool routines and stunts with fire when the sun goes down. As beautiful as this place is during the day, it's especially gorgeous when the sun goes down and you see the silhouettes of sailboats against the red-orange sky. At night, it's magical to hear the sound of trains coming out of the darkness on the tracks that border the edge of the beach. Parking's tough, but it's worth it to make some rounds of the parking lots. There's a decent amount of turnover. more

Golden Gardens beach and park is definitely one of Seattle's treasures. The views are amazing, the beach is spacious, the recreational activies abound. You can even have a bonfire in designated areas. However, it can get unbearablly crowded. If it's such a nice day that you think "I HAVE to go to the beach!" You can bet that the rest of Seattle thinks that too. However, if you go on a not-so-perfect day, you can still enjoy the view and the fun. The dog park, which is located above the beach, is very nice as well. Good fences, nice people and lots of dogs. more

Golden Gardens, the long strip of beach, grass and woods on the western end of Ballard, is a spectacular place to watch a sunset. On a clear day, the Olympics loom across the sound and the sun sinks behind them, coloring clouds and water alike. I can't recommend swimming in the water (it's too cold for all but the most determined of small children), but staing on land is entertaining enough, with a sandy beach with fire pits (fires outside of these designated areas are now off-limits), picnic shelters, volleyball, and hiking trails back in the woods. There's a dog park back there, too. A nice place to take in the beauty of Shilshole Bay and the Olympics. more

Golden Gardens is a beautiful beach and park to visit. It is located along the water of Seaview Avenue. I've been going there for many years and they have done a lot of renovating there, and it looks a lot nicer than it did a few years back. They have a wonderful playground for kids, a bathhouse, water fountains, nice and new paths for walking, and more. Its a wonderful place to watch the sunset, take a walk, breath some fresh air, or view the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. They also have an area where you can go fishing. more