Carkeek Park — Attraction in Seattle

Amazing park on a beach in Puget Sound, 18 minutes from downtown, that makes you feel a hundred miles away from a very loud, hectic city. The lights disappear and you can actually star gaze - something kids who grew up in Seattle in the last 30 years - don’t even understand. Honestly. it’s hard to find peace and solitude and some true nature in this city. It is Shocking the city leaders never planned for - parks, big parks - and certainly never planned for superb, rapid transit. The most current leaders seem to have had their eye on the dollar (more growth) and not the ambiance and character of what once was the emerald city (it used to be green)! So past leaders and politicians had the foresight and put aside Carkeek Park. Be thankful for those who were here in the early part of the 1900’s for this (Carkeek Family were donors of original park - which morphed into this 215 acres!) and go spend an afternoon on trails, grass and beaches. Best at low tide for most amount of sand. Wonderful to arrive an hour before sunset and discreetly have a wine and cheese hour. I believe the Environmental Center lost its’ funding so please be your own Steward and leave it better than you found it. Oh, and yes, some trains will go by but it’s rather pleasant and even a little nostalgic to some of us ... Enjoy ! P.S. Free - in case you are from a place that charges to use public space (which should be illegal in the USA). Photo Credit - Wikipedia,...

Carkeek Park is a family friendly, multi-use park. Many hiking trails surround the park as it is in a gully. It has a model aircraft use area as well as trails along Carkeek Creek and a fish hatchery. Large lawn areas for hundreds of picnic users as well as a play area for kids. A larger well maintained bathroom and bonfire areas are also used frequently. Trails lead to a pedestrian overpass that take you safely over the BNSF Railway.

If you choose to cross over the railway be extra cautious as the BNSF folks have welded all the rails together and there is no longer the clicking noise as trains rush along the corridor at speeds of 50 mph plus! Always cross the Railways safely!

Though many like to walk the rails to photograph scenery or graffiti along the rails, the RR Police may cite you for criminal trespass. There have been multiple deaths along the stretch from Golden Gardens North to Richmond Beach from careless individuals walking on the rail road tracks, so, stay off!

Other than that warning and no dogs allowed on the beach, this is one of my favorite destinations in North Seattle. Tons of sea life, wildlife, wind surfers and great scenery from sunsets to sailboat races and the...

I love this park, I've been going to visit my whole life. I even had to learn how to drive on the hill going down into it! But I love the hiking trails, lookout/viewpoints, covered bbq/party areas that are rentable, the kids play area, big fields, loud trains, and of course the beach! I really love the beach. It's cleaner than Golden Gardens, because there's less bonfires down there. And I just love the biodiversity of the small area. Very very fun rock hounding too. During low tide you can find moonsnails, starfish, huge anemones, crabs big and tiny, skates (fish), and much more. As a kid I loved to play in the pipes that connect Pipers creek runoff to the sound. I know it's kind of gross to think about now, but I never had any issues and it was a fun time. The trains seem to come so close by, so there was a thrill from that as well. The only thing I cannot stand are the stairs to get to and from the beach, that go over the railroad tracks. Theyre made from iron welded into a grate pattern, so you can see right through them. I always get vertigo... But I deal with it because I...