South tip of Magnolia to north side of Discovery Park...on the beach

At long last, the lunar tide cycle has shifted so that deep low tides are once again occurring on weekends during the day. We have a phenomenal -3.9 ft low tide on Sunday June 14 at 10:45am. That means the tide is 3.9 ft lower than the average low tide point. 3.9 ft further down is *a lot* further out. Let's walk the beach from the south end of Magnolia all the way to the last exit point from the Discovery Park north beach. The tide will be below -1 ft from a little after 8am to about 12:45pm, and the distance on the beach is about 3.8 miles, so we should easily beat the tide.

Let's meet at the picnic shelter at Magnolia Park, near the restroom, at 8:15am. There is a beach access point nearby, somewhat hidden, but official. From there, we'll walk west and then north, along the Magnolia shoreline. We'll see Fourmile Rock (which is shaped like a giant egg, standing on its end), completely uncovered by water. We'll see the weird clay cliffs along the Magnolia bluff. We'll get squirted by geoduck clams. There will be many anemones, but all closed up, protecting themselves from lack of water. We've seen moon snails...and many moon snail egg cases. We'll hope for our trademark orange and purple starfish, but sadly, these are now rare, due to starfish wasting disease. (The Seattle Transit HIkers headline image is from a past beach walk.)

For a lunch stop, let's try to get all the way around to the last exit point from the north beach, where there is a nice little cove and shade from the sun.

After the beach, we'll head up into Discovery Park. "Up" is not figurative -- this path has multiple staircases. Then we can sample some trails in Discovery Park, and come out in the north parking lot.

From there, folks can either catch the #33 Metro bus back to Magnolia Park, or continue on for an extra treat...

From the north parking lot, it is only a short distance to Commodore Park, where the baby herons at the heron rookery will be clamoring for mom and dad to Bring Food. And since we're right nearby, we can pop over to the Ballard Locks. If we get there in time, there is a free band concert, by the Around the Sound Community Band, at 2pm. And then we can return to the north parking lot, to catch the #33 back to the starting point, or bus riders can head home directly from the Locks.

Links:

Starting point: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/710769782#map=18/47.633521/-122.398038

South Magnolia access to beach: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/389987728#map=18/47.632653/-122.398065

Route from starting point to beach access (note the stairs down to 32nd Ave W are *underneath* the W Howe St bridge, on the north side of Howe, just east of the intersection with W Blaine St): https://maps.app.goo.gl/5PfyubRrv6WD62nM8

Exit point from Discovery Park north beach: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/267902421#map=18/47.667681/-122.421784)

Route from north beach exit point to the north parking lot bus stop, and to the Ballard Locks: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4ykLoCpdJJwUHM457

Tide chart: https://www.dairiki.org/tides/daily.php/sea/2026-06-14

Concerts at Ballard Locks: https://www.myballard.com/2026/06/02/free-summer-concerts-return-to-the-ballard-locks/

Logistics

Meet near the picnic shelter at Magnolia Park at 8:15am. There is a restroom nearby. We want to get to the beach access as soon as we can, so we won't linger here.

"Magnolia Park" is NOT the same place as "Magnolia Playfield Park".

If you are late arriving, follow the "Route from starting point to beach access" linked above. At the beach, head west (right) and follow the beach. I will be wearing an orange shirt and khaki hat, so will be hard to miss.

Likewise, if we get split up along the walk, follow the "Route from north beach exit point to north parking lot bus stop". If you decide to stay on the beach longer, and the tide starts coming in, you can take the north beach trail instead of walking along the north beach.

Bring lunch, snacks, plenty of water. Forecast is sunny, with temperatures in the mid 70s deg F, so it will be warm. There isn't shade on the beach -- a hat and sunglasses are strongly recommended.

There are some places with slippery rocks and barnacles -- wear shoes that will protect your feet -- no flip-flops. And we'll be going up trails at the end. You may get your feet wet -- there are streamlets draining the beach as the tide goes out.

Bus riders: Buses that have stops near the starting point are #31, #33, #24. Use your favorite trip planning app, but note that it if you are in Ballard near the Locks, your best route may just be walking to the #33 stop in the Discovery Park north parking lot, and catching the #33 there. Bus riders have the option of heading home from the end point, without returning to Magnolia Park.

Drivers: There is a parking lot at Magnolia Park, on Magnolia Blvd W just south of W Howe St, but be sure to look for any parking time limit. If there is one, then you can instead park in the residential area east of the park. At the end, you can catch the #33 bus, or just walk back along streets -- this is about 2.5 miles.

The event end time is approximate, and assumes folks stay for the band concert at the Locks, then catch a bus back to the start.

Use comments to coordinate.