With five miles of shoreline, 47 park and open space sites, and multiple athletic fields, we know how lucky we have it in Edmonds. It’s easy to find a park to play in, a bench to rest on, a forest or a beach to breathe deeply at.
Edmonds is a walker’s paradise, with opportunity at every turn for a good stretch of the legs and some fresh sea air in the lungs. With a very walkable downtown and 47 different parks and open space sites, many with wooded trails, walking is a favorite pastime of the locals.
Visit the mile+ waterfront walking trail or Yost Memorial Park (great for walking and looking for wildlife that thrive in forests and near streams),
Meadowdale Beach Park, Pine Ridge Park (24 urban acres with a pond), and Yost Park are perfect for a long walk.
The crown jewel is the Edmonds Marine Walkway — a paved path just over a mile long that runs from the 650-slip Edmonds Marina, past Olympic Beach, where you might catch sight of the Bubble Man, to the Marine Sanctuary, dotted with public art sculptures and opportunities to watch birds and wildlife.
We revel in our beaches, from the off-leash dog park at its southern end to the Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Dive Park, where Annie Crawley and her Underwater Dive Team train and steward our oceans. Crawley says there’s something different to see underwater every season. "Swimming through the eelgrass, there were hundreds of melibe nudibranchs. It’s a treasure hunt every time you go underwater. Our region brings divers from around the world to hunt for Giant Pacific Octopus, salmon, and our orcas [Welcome Magazine]."
Whale watching cruises with Puget Sound Express, guided beach Rangers tours, a popular fishing pier, and a ferry for a leisurely family ride make the Edmonds Waterfront a popular destination.
Edmonds peeps do love their dogs. So they banded together to create the spacious off-leash park on the beach and they volunteer to keep it clean. Because dogs love the beach, just like we do.
The Edmonds Marsh is a 22.5-acre park preserving an urban remnant of the saltwater marshes that provide fish, bird, and wildlife habitat. It’s the first stop on the National Audubon Society’s Cascade Loop bird trail. Nearly 200 species of birds are spotted annually in Edmonds. In September, Puget Sound Bird Fest celebrates by bringing in birders from across the nation.
Looking for a playground or ball field? Kids and adults enjoy tennis/pickleball and basketball courts, Pétanque, and Sand Volleyball. Let the kids play on the beach or the playground at Marina Beach Park, run through the spray park (closed for COVID-19) at Edmonds City Park, or find Yost Pool, which will re-open for 2021 summer fun. Kids can also learn marine science, soccer, and all about the outdoors in a summer camp.
There is no better time – or place – to get outside. We've provided a map here with all of Edmonds' fine parks.
Dive photos by Annie Crawley.
Photo of Annie Crawley by Tom Gruber.
Skatepark photo courtesy of Edmonds Downtown.
