Seahurst Park, Burien Washington

November 29, 2008: The new restroom has been open for several weeks now and the walkway to the south end of the park and the South Shelter are essentially finished. If you haven't checked them out, you should, it's a very nice walk.

Do you have any old photos of Seahurst Park or the area before it became a Park? If you do, I'd love to get copies that I can post in the Photo Gallery. Please contact me using the address at the bottom of any page on the site.

Help preserve our Park. If you see suspicious or inappropriate activities please notify the Parks Department or call the police if necessary. The Park belongs to all of us, help protect it so that we can all enjoy it. Vandalism and theft are problems almost everywhere these days, lets try to keep it under control in the Park. Be aware of what's going on around you.

Friday, December 12, 2008 and Saturday, January 10, 2009 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Beach Naturalists from the Environmental Science Center will on hand to give a talk, lead walks and answer questions. You'll need to bundle up against the weather and bring a flashlight with good batteries, wading boots, a warm hat and dry gloves. More details are available from the ESC website and the ESC flyer.

Check the tide table to find the best times to go to the beach.

A lot of creatures live on the beach, and they are often exposed at low tide. Please remember that you're in their house, and many of them are very fragile. Watch where you step, and don't remove anything [except garbage] from the beach, it's all part of the habitat. Additional information about the Beach Naturalist program is available from the Seattle Aquarium.

SAVE THE CHILDREN
Leave all shells and animals on the beach rather than taking them home. Shells and rocks need to be left on the beach because they provide a home for the next generation, an animal's children, to live on.

Seahurst Park is located on the shore of Puget Sound in Burien, Washington which is just south of Seattle. The shoreline area in the Park is designated as a Marine Reserve and is undergoing a habitat restoration project. The Park has walking trails, a paved path above the beach, a great deal of wildlife, magnificent views across the Sound towards the Olympic Mountains, restrooms, picnic shelters (available for rent), parking areas and much more. It is a wonderful educational and recreational resource. In fact many local and not so local [Ellensburg sends students over each year] schools bring bus loads of students down to the beach at low tide to give educational presentations. Beach Naturalists and Scientists from the Environmental Science Center are available to help work with students. Please contact them for more information if you're interested. This Google Map will let you see what the park looks like, and has many of the features marked on it.

Seahurst Park is surprisingly untouched by development considering that is so near to Seattle and surrounded by urban areas. For many years it was used by the Duwamish Indians as a gathering place, for harvesting berries and other plants, for fishing and more. When settlers arrived in the late 1800s it was homesteaded, but apparently primarily so that the lumber could be harvested. In the 100+ years since the logging was completed much of the Park has returned to it's natural state. There are some huge old stumps with springboard notches scattered around the Park, but many of the trees that have grown up since then are over 100 feet tall. Once the logging was done the area was used for recreation by local settlers, and because of all the springs, as a water source. Many springs are still found in the Park, and running water can be found in many areas all year long. Subsurface ground water from the area of the park also surfaces along the beach, keeping the sand wet at low tide so that plants and animals can survive there. For many years people from Seattle would travel to what is now Seahurst Park for recreation, even when that required a long boat trip or horseback ride. There are stories that it was also used a place to land liquor shipments during prohibition.

Seahurst Park was first officially opened in 1975 and was operated by King County. Burien took over ownership of the Park starting in 1993. The Park is currently approximately 178 acres after the City of Burien was able to acquire additional property from the Brown family in September of 2007. There are a few more parcels that the City hopes to add to the Park.

There is over a mile of shoreline in Seahurst Park, which has been protected by a seawall for many years. As part of a Shoreline Habitat Rehabilitation program the seawall is being removed and a natural style of beach is replacing it. One of the primary purposes of the work is to enhance habitat for migrating salmon by providing more shelter and food. The southern third of the project is nearly complete, the schedule for the next phase depends on funding.

See our FAQ page for a lot of information about using the park and about what is going on there.

The northeast corner of Seahurst Park contains what appears to be a large, undocumented, and undisturbed wetland which filters and regulates the water coming off the higher ground east of the park. The wetlands are the sole source of water for North Creek, which feeds into the Sound and also supplies water to the Salmon hatchery at the Marine Technology Center run by the Highline School District. These wetlands (and therefore a large area of the park) could be in danger from a proposed development on the eastern boundary of the Park.

Neighbors of Seahurst Park have a Wetlands page with more information about the wetlands and the danger that they face. This unique wetland is at risk, and if it's damaged or destroyed it will not recover in our lifetimes, perhaps never, depending on what happens to it. There is also a comparison of the Burien Municipal Code (that should apply to this project) and the developers plans, which are based on outdated, inadequate regulations from early 1990. The potential for damage is immense. This Google Map shows some highlights of the wetlands. This map is different than the one linked to above.

Neighbors of Seahurst Park are collecting signatures on a petition requesting that the City Of Burien arrange to have the Wetlands properly delineated so that they can make a knowledgeable decision on what it would take to protect them. If you're interested in helping, please contact the Neighbors of Seahurst Park.