Matthews Beach Park

Address:	5100 NE 93rd St, Seattle, WA 98115, USA
Phone:	+1 206-684-4075
Site:	seattle.gov
Rating:	4.5
Working:	6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 20

Virginia See

This park is simply the best for family picnicking in the summer. The beach is really nice and manageable-sized for little kids to dig in the sand and wade in the water, or as they get older, they can float/swim a little further out, and then older still and they can head out to the floating dock and do some jumps off the diving board. And when youre tired of the beach, there are the huge lawns where you can play all kinds of ball games and lay out on blankets in the sunshine. Then theres the fun little playground up in the trees. The bathroom can sometimes be gross, and parking can be difficult, but hey, what do you expect at a highly used public park in Seattle in the summertime?

Ana Mullinix

One of my favorites places in Seattle! Love the convenience of the showers and restrooms just a few feet away. The life guards always watching and enforcing the rules to keep the swimmers safe. Friendly to little kids and grown ups :-) Bring lunch, snacks, a blanket, folding chair and just relax. Even when crowded I am able to find a comfortable spot near the water or under a tree. Dont forget to bring some cash to purchase ice cream! The truck would stop by regularly. Parking space very limited on a hot day and if you arrive past noon. I usually try to get there between 11:00 -11:30 am and have no trouble finding a spot. Love, love, love, and will continue to visit :-)

Nyle Ramos

Matthews Beach is a place that defies expectation. The beach (if you can even call it that) is a goose poop-dry grass-dirt filled mess, the water is a healthy mix of algae and trash, and the bathrooms are anything but accommodating. Yet on a sunny day this place is packed, and I dont really know why. I myself contribute to this, for as often as I suggest going a mile over to Magnuson instead, I still find myself back at Matthews every summer. Maybe its the low quality of the beach that adds to the experience? Squalor does have a kind of comfort thats hard to explain. If you can set aside your dreams of sandy beaches and clear blue water, this is the place for you.

Natalie Lockwood

Cute little grassy beach and park with picnicking areas and playground w/swingsets for kids. Park walking trail leads up to main Burke-Gilman bicycle/walking trail. A fun diving platform resides in the water to swim out to. A nice place for families or anyone to come enjoy summer leisure activity or a stroll without the potential overwhelm of a bigger park and beach area. Life guards are on duty during day through early evening in the designated beach swimming area during summer and there is a beach house to change into swim gear.

DANNIE MACRIN

Great place to picnic and camp. You can experience a nostalgic evening in the waterfront staring the shoreline on the opposite bank dotted with shimmering light reflecting off the water. You can feel extremely lucky if you can catch the moon hovering over the water. DO NOT miss the "Christmas Ship" performance if you are from this locality conducted during the first week of December. (Remember to carry a mug of hot chocolate or coffee)

Elias Kass

Long shoreline access to Lake Washington, but very little actual sand (maybe two feet, then sidewalk, then lots of lawn). Sand is very coarse and quickly turns to gravel. Good for older kids, not so much for babies or kids who really want to play in the sand. Lawn can accommodate lots of folks hanging out. Playground is nice, newer construction, lots of swings, but slides are oddly steep.

pankaj anand

Its one of the nearest beaches from Seattle. Hardly 10 miles and you are out in recreational zone. It has toilet facility and picnic tables as well. Though the beach is not superb but it clean enough to enter into water and do some kayaking. If one is adventurous enough, a slight swim can take you a diving point which is sort of attraction point here.

marcello di paolantoni

I love this place because there is a beautiful beach on the Washington lake and close to it there is a nice playground where children can play. All the area has a wide grass with trees that make shadows and there are many picnic tables. Surrounding the playground there is also a bike trail which connect Bothell to Seattle university District.

Halimah H

Gorgeous views of the Cascades and the East Side. Not a very big park but its got a ton of spots to lie down, sit or run around. Public bathrooms can be very gross and this one isnt the grossest but other than that its one of my favorite beaches to visit. The burke gilman trail goes right through the park too so thats convenient.

Melinda Issakov

Great little beach spot. Lifeguards on duty in Summer which is perfect for families of less confident swimmers. Large grass area to sit on behind the beach and excellent bathroom facilities. The sort of park you can spend a whole day at with the kids. If you have toddler up to elementary age kids this is a great place to visit.

A Private User

When the sun hits, most people head to Alki for the beach - which makes sense if you want a lot of people around and shops... but if you want to just hang out and swim a bit, Matthews is a great alternative. No real beach to speak of, but if you have a raft and wanna just swim, avoid the crowds and head here.

Max White

Matthews Beach is great. I like that its next to the Burke Gilman trail so my friend and I can park our car there and go for a bike ride. The water is nice because they comb out the seaweed. My only complaint is the bathrooms that are dark and have spiders hanging from the ceiling literally everywhere.

Andre Ruette

Great place to chill no matter the season. Cool n crisp water to swim in during the summer with plenty of shade and spots to bar-b-q. Fall/Winter offer peace and tranquility and the Burke/Gilman is also attached to the park making for easy access no matter your mode box transportation.

Alyssa Stewart

The beach area is pretty small but plenty of room to lay your towel in the grass, really crowded on the nice days parking is scarce. If you dont want sand in every crevis and crack of your body then this beach isnt for you. Extremely sandy & restrooms are 5/10 at best.

Patrick Thomsen

The view of Lake Washington is great, park facilities for kids to play on, a basketball court as well as accessible public washrooms. Its accessibility to the Burke Gilman Trail is a major plus. Park backs right on to it making to easy to access for bikers and runners.

Karlyn Fedosh

Fun way to access the Burke-Gilman trail! Small park is cozy for family picnics and fun. Can even get out onto the water for a swim of you want, but Id only recommend if a lifeguard is present and/or there is enough of a crowd.

Kirk Lestelle

Beautiful waterfront location for families and friends to get together. Offers a great swimming hole and wide open spaces for frisbee. However, it can get crowded quickly on gorgeous days.

Kaarin Kaaihue

Lots of childhood memories! even took my kids here, but the water was too cold for them (they grew up in Las Vegas and Hawaii) and it is not as clean as it used to be.

Eve Hu

A bit on the smelly side. Would not recommend being there near the end of the day, when the seagulls descend on the food scraps and trash left by visitors.

JASN SOUNDS

This is a nice park. Great playground with things even adults can climb on. Enough room for an event on the grass. Has a bathroom right in the middle!!