Discovery Park and Ballard Locks

Growing up in Seattle gives you a unique appreciation for anything to do with the water. My Chicago husband still doesn’t understand my love of a ‘Northwest’ beach: Flipping over rocks! Discovering tidal pools! Building a driftwood fort! “Where’s the sand??” he says. But moms know that this environment is perfect for young explorers. And luckily you don’t have to go very far to find it – we love a day trip to Discovery Park in Seattle and the Ballard Locks.

General Itinerary:

9:00 – Arrive at Discovery Park’s Learning Center at the East Parking Lot to obtain a Beach Parking Pass

Note: Beach passes are currently unavailable due to construction at the Learning Center. But in June 2023 they will return! They are traditionally available on Tuesdays-Saturdays on a first-come, first-served basis and only for families with disabilities or with children under 6. They are very limited, so arriving early is key – Center is open from 8:30-5:00. During the Summer you can also grab a beach shuttle on select Saturdays & Sundays from the Visitor Center or the North Parking lot – these run about every 20-30 minutes. Other option is to park in the South lot and walk 1.5 miles to the beach. Click here for more parking and shuttle information for Discovery Park.

9:00-9:30 – Explore the new playground just to the south of the East Parking Lot

9:45-10:45 – Beach time along Discovery Park’s South Beach

11:00 – Arrive at Commodore Park on the Magnolia side of the Locks

11:30 – Lunch at Pagliacci Pizza in Ballard

Bring:

Towel to wipe down the playground slides
Extra layers for playground and beach if it’s a cool day
Rain Boots – this is a “typical” Northwest Beach, full of rocks, tidal pools, etc. – it’s not sandy
Bucket and Shovels to collect beach treasures
Towels, baby wipes, and a complete change of clothes for after beach-time
A bag for all those wet clothes
Stroller for walking across the Locks
A Stroller and kid’s bikes if you plan to park in the South Parking Lot at Discovery Park and walk to the beach (1.5 miles each way!)

Don’t Bring:

Flip Flops
Beach sand toys
Double BOB – Locks are too narrow
The Dog – dog’s aren’t allowed on the beaches at Discovery Park, and I wouldn’t want to navigate the Locks with my 70 pound Golden…

Weather:

This day trip would be great on a sunny warm day, but still fun as long as it’s not raining.

Details:

Discovery Park in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood is a huge (534 Acre) reserve filled with trails, salt water beaches, a great new playground, and many other areas to explore. When you’re there, it’s hard to believe that you are still within the city limits – it feels like you’ve completely escaped. This trip is fabulous on a sunny day, but great on a gray Seattle day as well. We like to go in the morning and stay through lunch. However, it’s good to check the tidal charts for a low tide before you go. Tide levels are definitely not a deal breaker for this outing, but you’ll get more out of your beach exploring if you visit during a low tide.

The first place you need to stop is the Discovery Park Environmental Learning Center at the East Parking lot. The Center is open Tuesday-Saturday from 8:30am-5:00pm and you’ll want to get there as close to that 8:30 mark as your family can swing it: if you have kids under the age of 6, they’ll give you a free parking pass for the beach. These ‘golden tickets’ are first-come, first-served and there are only 10 parking spots available. They have a 3-hour shelf-life however, so you might need to wait for one to come available if your day had a slower start.

A good way to kill some waiting time would be to head 150 yards south of the Learning Center to the recently re-done playground. They did a great job with this new space and there’s something for kids of all ages at this park. It is nestled pretty good within the woods however – any good mom will know what that means at 9am on a northwest day: cool shade and wet slides. So be prepared with a towel or 2 and an extra layer. Side benefit: you’ll be the hero of the playground when you wipe all those slides down!

When we go, I head into the Center for the passes and my husband and the kids walk down to the playground for a little playtime. I know we won’t be at the beach for much more than an hour, so adding playground time won’t eat too much into our 3-hour parking pass. Be sure to hit the bathrooms back at the Center before you head off to the beach.

If the wait for passes is too long, your second-best parking option is the South lot, which is a 1.5 mile walk to the beach. During summer months (Memorial Day through Labor Day) the park runs a shuttle to the beach on Saturdays and Sundays. The shuttle stops at the Learning Center East lot and the North Parking lot every 20-30 minutes.

The beaches at Discovery Park are Northwest beaches: driftwood, rocks to turn over, tidal pools to explore. At these types of beaches, I like to have the kids in rain boots or water proof shoes that aren’t slippery and will really protect their feet. Also bring buckets & shovels for collecting treasures and hats & sun screen if it’s a warmer day. But definitely prepare to get dirty and wet! Once we’ve had enough (aka the 2-year-old is sufficiently wet and cold), head back to the car for towels, a “baby wipe bath”, and a complete change of clothes (shoes and all!).

Next, head to Commodore Park on the Magnolia side of the Locks. This is a lesser used parking lot for the Locks, but I like this unconventional approach because it gives us a chance to walk across the Locks twice during our visit. I’m a big fan of walking younger kids across strapped securely in a stroller – I just feel like there are some openings over the water that are a bit too wide. Stop into the fish ladder if it’s mid-June through September to see the salmon running. Watch the boats going up and down the “water elevator”, as we call it. Look for a train crossing the bridge just to the west. Once a helicopter flew over when all these things were happening – I thought my 4-year-old’s head was going to explode!!!

Walk all the way through the locks to Ballard and have lunch at Pagliacci Pizza – they have pizzas by the slice or you can order ahead of time via their app when you arrive at Commodore Park. They have both indoor and outdoor seating.

Then stroll back to your car via one more trip across the Locks. And you’ll have plenty of time to head home for naps! Hope this day trip to Discovery Park is a fun adventure for your family!

Links:

Discovery Park: www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/discovery-park

Parking at Discovery Park: https://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/centers/discovery-park-environmental-learning-center/parking-and-beach-shuttles

Tidal Charts: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/noaatidepredictions.html?id=9447854

Commodore Park: www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/commodore-park

Ballard Locks: ballardlocks.org/

Pagliacci Ballard: https://www.pagliacci.com/

Destination Addresses:

Discovery Park Learning Center: 3801 Discovery Park Blvd, Seattle, WA 98199

Discovery Park Beach: 1400 Discovery Park Blvd, Seattle, WA 98199

Commodore Park: 3330 W Commodore Way, Seattle, WA 98107