Matthews Beach Park

Cute little park! In the summer they put a diving board in the water. Not much sand but lots of grass and a life guards are here most peak days

I read this place is a Hidden Gem of Seattle. I would say it's out-of-the-way, but there's nothing particularly special about it. It has nice views of the water and the East side, with lots of geese (and their poop) near the water. There's a few picnic tables and playground. The bathroom looks neglected, so I didn't brave using it. There are walking and bike trails connected to the park, so it's fine for a quick stop, but I wouldn't drive 15-20 mins just to come here again.

I love that this is so close to home! The parking lot is tiny so it's tough to grab a spot on sunny days, but there is a lot of lawn space and a few picnic tables in the area.

It's definitely a nice and smaller alternative to Magnuson Park down the road.

I hesitated on doing a review for this peaceful park because I don't wan to attract more people to it (ha!)! I discovered this beach park after driving past the signs dozens of times. I'm a regular at the Magnuson Park next door, but Matthews Beach Park is also amazing. Such a clean & well-kept spot. Great for picnics, playground playing, tossing a football, riding bikes, or even listening to the baby waves. I've studied here & highly recommend. Only a 12-15 minutes drive from the Northgate Seattle area.

I never knew that there was such a cute little beach near University Village/District. Don't expect a lot of sand though, there isn't much of it!

Matthews Beach Park is not too long of a bus ride from the University. You take the 75 and it will take you basically all the way there. There is an average grassy area to put your towels down, or kick a soccer ball, or toss a frisbee. Lots of families and kids come here.

The sand portion of the beach is really small and not typical of what a real beach with sand would like it. None the less, kids can still pull out their buckets and shovels and build things.

The water is pretty lukewarm on a hot, sunny day. Life guards are on duty until 7 PM. The first section that is bordered off is not that deep and an adult could stand in it just fine. Kids are probably perfect being in this section. Just be careful because the ground is rocky and there are some sharp rocks! For more advanced swimmers, you are allowed to pass the first border into deeper waters. There is a small dock where you can take a break from swimming, or jump off the diving board. There is a life guard in a boat that patrols this section of the area.

Every time there is a life guard switch you have to either get out of the water or move to the nearest structure. At 7 PM, they ask all people to get out of the water. However, you can still swim after the lifeguards leave, it's just unsupervised swimming so you have to understand the risks.

The public restrooms here are not all that great, but most beach restrooms aren't. The smell isn't the greatest and there are no locks on the door in the women's restroom. Be prepared to hold the door yourself if there are people waiting. Thankfully there was soap in this restroom, but I do advise bringing hand sanitizer just in case they run out.

Don't forget the sunscreen, towels, water and snacks! It's a nice place to take a swim and relax.

I wouldn't go here there's multiple car break-ins on more than one occasion and the cops don't care and never set up cameras. Always saw broken glass in the lot and thought nothing of it until I come back 15 minutes later and see 7 different car windows smashed. Cop drove past I chased his ass down and told him about it and he said "I'm a Sargent and I don't want to get caught up in the paper work since were being defunded." Big ego on you bud, sorry your feelings are hurt. Told him there's kids there and he didn't even ask if everyone was ok, I was bleeding pretty bad, and he just kept driving. Especially if you carry guns in your car don't come here because that's what they were looking for.

Once again, the Annual Polar Plunge was great. Lots of families, crazy kids, still drunk college kids and some guy in an ape suit with a bikini.

Still one of the funnest places to hang out. I mean, I get to walk and bike the trail right into the park. Plenty of room to lay out and enjoy the weather in the summer. And I like having the park to myself in the winter.

And the occasional teen drinking beer on the lifeguard chair is fine with me.

You do however have to watch out for assholes on bikes that zoom on through. I do like when the kids hit them with pine cones. haha. And sometimes there are people that don't know how to control their dogs. It's not a dog park, but nice ones are welcomed. Avoid these people that take up space and enjoy the fat moms and kids. :)

I drove by after taking my dogs to dog park on Sand Point. Parking is available by the entrance.

Matthews Beach Park is north of the dog park a couple miles away by Lake Washington. I love the path around the beach that I can walk around with my dogs. However, DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED in the beach area. If you get caught, it's $500 fine!

It's good for kids. There's a playground area for kids.

Since there's a big and pretty grass beach, Matthews Beach Park is good for picnic and sunbathing in a sunny day.

So many pros and cons with this beach.
The water is very polluted amd even when ecoli levels are low enough to swim in the lake I still need a shower right away. I begin sneezing and have itchy skin within minutes of getting out.

Oh wow!

Picnic tables, a playground, a sandy beach, lifeguards, lots of trees, SPACE for space-hungry Seattlites, biking and walking paths, a beautiful view of Lake Washington, and restrooms with a drinking fountain. Can't wait to go back!

My most recent visit was during the last snow. It was dark, cold, and beautiful. We had to park in a near-by neighborhood, though, so we wouldn't get stuck when they closed the gates. I was rather surprised to see that they locked them on-time even though it was snowing and slushy out.

Every once in a great while I come here in the middle of the day. Last time this was at 3pm on a chilly, windy Monday. There were a couple of people with dogs, a person just wandering, and a woman with a stroller. There were birds chirping away and it was a wonderful spot to sit down and relax for a little while.