The Wetlands 06/10/2008 and Critical Ordinances and Environmental Impact Statement analysis are now located on the Neighbors of Seahurst Park site, clicking the menu items will redirect you there.

If you're curious about the new building under construction above the shore in the north end of the park, that's the future home of the Environmental Science Center. As of January 2010 construction of the building shell is essentially complete. Next comes the inside. They are continuing to raise funds for the project. See their website for updated information and progress reports.

May 29, 2009: Another photo album is finally uploaded. This one has photos I took in the park during the snow falls in December 2008. Snowfall in Seahurst Park.

January 4, 2009: I've finally managed to put a photo album together. This one is of sunsets in Seahurst Park. It's linked from the Photo Gallery.

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, they came out very nicely.

Help protect 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.

Moonlight Beach Walks in Seahurst Park. Twice a year, normally in December and January, Beach Naturalists from the Environmental Science Center, People for Puget Sound, and the Seattle Aquarium. will on hand to give talks, 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. See the Environmental Science Center's website for more information.

DO NO HARM

1. Be extra careful where you step so you don't step on animals or their homes.

2. When you want to look more closely at a creature, bend over and look rather than picking it up. Leave animals where you find them. Don't move them to a new home!

3. Touch plants and animals gently with one wet finger. Animals living on the beach and in the water are cold and wet, your fingers are warm and dry. Simply touching a plant or animal may be enough to injure or kill it.

4. If you want to look under a rock, be gentle. Turning over a rock can be like someone turning on a bright light in your bedroom in the middle of the night. Lift it slowly and gently. When you're done the rock needs to be gently returned to its original position.

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.