Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Samantha Gunter of Monroe introduces her 14-month-old son, Gavin, to the joys of beachcombing at Alki.
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Digg it'Nother typical spring day at Alki Beach, the most happening spot in Seattle for outdoor recreation.
With more than four miles of paved path, volleyball courts, fire pits, barbecue grills, picnic tables and a fishing pier along the sandy/gravelly shore of Puget Sound and Elliott Bay, this place generates people at play like the pilings at the Seacrest Pier collect barnacles.
But that might not be the most special thing about Alki Beach.
What gives this tide-washed strip of bayside urban bliss its ambience are the incredible views.
There are no better looks from land of the Seattle waterfront and skyline than from the Harbor Avenue side west of Duwamish Head. On a clear day, there are no better views in Seattle of the Olympic Mountains than from along the Alki Avenue side west of the head. And just about anytime winds aren't howling and rain isn't sheeting off the salt chuck, there are few better spots to watch people than Alki.
(Note: This article incorrectly described Alki's location when originally published.)
"It's always a delight. There's always something to watch, whether it's ships, seals swimming by or people enjoying the park," says Cindy Gruber, an Alki resident who spends time bicycling, walking and looking. "In summer it gets very busy, but that's when it's best to watch people. Up at the volleyball courts, it rocks. But that's OK. The police watch it and that's a good place for it. It's a blast."
Duwamish Head splits this beach strip, with 2.5-mile Alki Beach Park on the west side and Don Armeni Park and Seacrest Boathouse and Pier on the east side. Technically, only the shore east of Duwamish Head is Alki Beach. Popularly, however, all the public lands on either side of the head are known as Alki, and they are laced by wide, paved paths that, with the knockout view, provide a premier promenade for jogging, walking, skating and cycling.
On a recent sunny spring-break day, Willy Agrcia of Burien brought his kids Albert, Alan and Annabel for a bike ride.
"It's nice. The bike trail is wide," Agrcia said. Added Albert: "It's long and it's better than the park."
Path-oriented pursuits are probably the most popular, but Alki Beach supports a dizzying array of activities. Beach volleyball is huge spring and summer, with several established courts. Fishing is open year-round for those casting off the Seacrest Pier. Anglers catch squid in fall and winter (at night), pile perch year-round and, beginning in late July or early August, some very large chinook salmon.
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| Jack Beslanwitch and his wife, Fran, of Rainier Beach, are mapping a patch of the sea bottom near Salty's restaurant. Beslanwitch has been diving near Alki for the past three years. SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER |
Diving also is popular, usually near the pier but in other spots as well, and the depths offshore are known as one of the best places on the planet for divers to see massive sixgill sharks. These critters grow more than 12 feet long, but are not aggressive toward divers.
"The place is accessible, visibility is usually good -- although it wasn't today -- and there is the chance of seeing a sixgill," Alan "Elk" Hunter, a diver from Tacoma, said recently after emerging. On that day Hunter, a shipwreck specialist, said he had seen only a bunch of old bottles and some perch. The sixgills, usually seen on night dives, have eluded him in about a dozen descents off Alki.
Not far away, at the site of a former amusement park called Luna Park, Jennifer Turner of Columbia Beach waited for the waves to wash in a deceased purple sea star, which she planned to dry and use in a decoration.
"I'm a caregiver for a lady in the (nearby) condos," she said. "I come down here every day on my break and look for seashells. It's neat to watch the tide go out. There's a lot of activity. It's a wonderful place. I'm always watching people jogging and riding."
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| From left, Josh and Seth Peterson, Travis and Chris Gramann and Sammy Peterson work on the moat around their sand castle at Alki Beach. The Peterson brothers are from Kennewick; the Gramanns from SeaTac. SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER |
Beachcombing is a big activity, particularly during extreme minus tides in spring and summer when huge ebbs reveal acres of tidelands. People come to see marine life, and some use metal detectors to search out coins and jewelry lost from Luna Park, which was set on piers at Duwamish Head but burned down in 1931. Extreme upcoming lows (minus 3 feet or more) will occur May 16-18, June 13-16 and July 12-14.
History buffs also know Alki as the birthplace of Seattle. An historical marker at the site notes that on Nov. 13, 1851, a pioneer party disembarked from the schooner Exact. Chief Seattle and his band helped the settlers build a cabin to shelter them from the typically wet winter weather.
They no doubt warmed themselves with blazing fires, and today you can still enjoy crackling flames at Alki. The Parks Department requires that you bring your own wood and use one of six metal fire pits (first come, first served).
Most of the beach is lined by concrete bulkhead, which is, of course, not a natural shoreline. But a portion of the bulkhead is lower than the rest, and here a narrow sandy strip slopes up from the seawall and levels out.
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| Pebble talk: Camille de Klerk, 15, and her boyfriend, Kai Metsker, 16, chat on the beach at Alki. SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER |
In warm summer weather, this area is jammed with buff studs and sun babes and -- flex, flex -- the volleyball courts here stay busy.
Another thing that makes Alki an attractive recreation destination is the long row of coffee shops and restaurants -- Alki Cafe, Lighthouse Grill, Spuds and many others -- across the ave from the beach. They are lunchtime destinations for cyclists and strollers and their city-by-the-bay ambience helps create a sense of community.
"It feels like a neighborhood," says Gruber, who weeds a patch of park landscape near her condo as a participant in the city's "adopt-a-spot" program. "It's easy to meet people."
Alki does not suit all tastes.
Traffic along the ave can be intense on weekends or any sunny day, despite an anti-cruising ordinance.
It can be a bit noisy.
Alki Beach is not a pristine place.
It's not the best place to take your pet. Dogs on leashes are fine, but the word at Alki is that the rules are enforced and if you get caught with "Sasha" roaming, you'll pay a big fat fine. Ditto on droppings; scoop them or get dumped on.
If mass humanity creeps you out, visit on a weekday.
Still, all things considered, it's one of Seattle's special places, with plenty to do, plenty to see.
IF YOU GO
P-I reporter Greg Johnston can be reached at 206-448-8014 or gregjohnston@seattlepi.com.
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