Location: South Seattle/Rainier Beach
Address: 8400 55th Ave. S.
Acreage: 19.1
I bet you’ve never heard of Pritchard Island Beach. I’m guessing you’re also wondering why you’ve never heard there’s an island in Seattle. Am I right?
Well, this wonderful waterfront park is located in the Rainier Beach neighborhood, just a few blocks away from Rainier Beach High School. It’s off the beaten track, and you have to wind through a neighborhood to get there.
And, when you do arrive you’ll realize you didn’t cross any bridges to get here, so it must be an ill-named park!
But, actually Pritchard Island Beach is an appropriate name. Before the lake was lowered by nine feet in 1917, part of the land near this park was surrounded by water. An Alfred J. Pritchard owned the island and had a convenient little footbridge built to reach his secluded site.
Now the park is used as a swimming beach and is guarded in the summer. At the north end of the park is a long sloping grass lawn that is shaded with tall trees and is a perfect place to rest after a nice swim. The bathhouse is available for weddings and events.
It was easy in the excitement of discovering this new waterfront beach to almost miss the restored wetlands at the south end of the park. Follow a nicely kept trail through the native trees and shrubs to explore several acres of marshland.
You can learn more about the well-tended wetlands at Friends of Pritchard Beach Park.
#102 (Visited 1/25/10)