Spend an Afternoon at Alki Beach in West Seattle
We’ve seen the sun the last few days, and everywhere I look people are out walking, running, biking, enjoying a park or a beach. It’s not all that warm yet, but I think all of us in Seattle are ready for sun on a more permanent basis.
One popular destination, rain or shine, is Alki Beach in West Seattle.
Alki Beach was the site of the landing of Seattle’s first white settlers in November 1851, where they found themselves greeted by Chief Seattle. The Chief and his tribe helped the settler’s build shelters for the winter. Good thing, because they had no idea about the cold and wet that was to come.
In the 1920’s, Alki was the site of an amusement park called Luna Park (after a Coney Island park). There were several heated saltwater pools for swimming, or bathing as it was commonly called, along with a large carousel, roller coaster, and Ferris wheel. Luna Park was destroyed in 1931, and never really regained any prominence.
Today, Alki Beach consists of a two and a half mile strip of beach running from Alki Point to the Duwamish Head on Elliott Bay. On the beach you’ll find volleyball players, beachcombers, and sun lovers. There are benches and picnic tables at various points, and along the beach is a wide path for pedestrians, bike riders, and rollerbladers. Public restrooms are available. Before you get tempted to jump in the water though, remember that water temperatures are only in the 45-55 degree range.
A visual bonus that Alki provides is spectacular views of the city. You can see both the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, an expansive view of the ferry boats shuttling back and forth across Puget Sound, and sailboats and sailboarders enjoying the day.
Alki is attracts more locals than tourists, although you’ll see both. It’s just a great place to hang out, whether you live or here or are just visiting.
Photo credit: ©Jon Rochetti
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Tags: Alki, Alki Beach, b5media, beaches, city blogs, destination blogs, seattle, Seattle tourism, seattle-traveler, the-seattle-traveler, travel, travel information, vacation, Washington, Washington-State, West SeattleRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Family Fun, Great Places to Unwind, Great Walks, Lunch Hour Fun, People - Interesting Local People, People Watching, Sports & Recreation
Seattle66°
3 opinions for Spend an Afternoon at Alki Beach in West Seattle
Free Beach Coalition
Mar 5, 2008 at 2:15 pm
It’s really too bad that Seattle doesn’t have a publically accepted clothing optional beach at Alki. A section of that beach should be designated as clothing optional. Other similar metros in the Pacific Northwest have public designated and supported nude beaches. When will Seattle get with the program? I thought Seattle was a progressive city?
b5media - Nature in all Her Glory at b5media
Mar 7, 2008 at 2:13 am
[…] - Enjoying the great outdoors on a Seattle beach is the subject of Mary Jo’s post, Spend an Afternoon at Alki Beach in West Seattle. Walking, running, cycling, or sitting, you can experience water and mountain […]
burke
Jul 9, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Nude beaches suck and are offensive. You nudist weirdos walk around in your houses nude all you want. The rest of us don’t feel the need to drop our drawers, we are quite comfortable who we are!! Way to be City of Seattle. Hold to your decision…..NO NUDE BEACHES
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