Pritchard Island Beach
Seattle, Washington · on Lake Washington · Loth131
Verified · 5 independent sources · top-verified
- WATER
- lake
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- Free
- SEASON
- Best in summer
About Pritchard Island Beach
Pritchard Island Beach is a city-owned, 19-acre park on the west shore of Lake Washington in Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood, just north of Beer Sheva Park. It is one of Seattle Parks & Recreation's official lifeguarded summer swimming beaches, a neighborhood swimming hole with a designated swim area marked by a floating raft.
The park sits on a former island (Pritchard Island) that became a peninsula in 1917 when the Lake Washington Ship Canal project lowered the lake roughly 9 feet. Large cottonwood trees line the shore, and swimmers have views across the lake to Seward Park to the north and Mercer Island to the east. A separate four-plus-acre wetland (Pritchard/Loon Wetland) with a gravel path, native plantings, muskrats, herons, and chorus frogs adjoins the beach just to the south, accessible from the parking lot.
Swimming at Pritchard Island Beach
This is an official, seasonally lifeguarded Lake Washington swim beach with a floating swim raft (no diving board) marking the designated swimming area. Seattle Parks describes it as a 'fine, quiet' beach, quieter than the neighboring Beer Sheva/Atlantic City beach since there is no boat ramp traffic here. It suits casual lake swimming and families given the free lifeguard program and youth swim lessons offered on-site during the season.
How to get to this swimming hole
Address per Seattle Parks is 8400 55th Ave S, Seattle, WA, in the Rainier Beach neighborhood, immediately north of Beer Sheva Park.
Parking: Onsite parking lot at the park, which Seattle Parks notes 'can be congested' during busy times.
The walk in
No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. Drive-up city park; the beach/swim raft is reached by a short walk (well under 5 minutes) directly from the onsite parking lot across the grass/beach frontage. A separate short gravel nature path leads into the adjacent Pritchard/Loon Wetland, but that is optional and not required to reach the water.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
Good for kids
Official Seattle Parks lifeguarded swim beach with a calm, non-flowing lake shoreline, a floating swim raft (no diving board), and on-site free youth swim lessons (ages 6-16) during the June 27-Aug 23 2026 season. Quieter than the adjoining Beer Sheva/Atlantic City Park beach since Pritchard has no boat-ramp traffic. Caveat: lifeguards are only on duty during the designated summer season (weekdays 12-7pm, weekends 11am-7pm) and standard freshwater bacterial-risk advisories apply, so care is warranted outside those hours/season.
Parking
Free
Onsite parking lot within the 19-acre park; Seattle Parks notes it 'can be congested' during busy summer periods. No fee is mentioned on official pages, consistent with other free Seattle Parks beach lots, but no explicit 'free' statement was found this session.
Restrooms
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible bathhouse on site (also reservable as an indoor event space) per Seattle Parks; exact restroom hours/seasonal access not separately specified.
Hours
Park hours 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily; lifeguarded swim season for 2026 runs June 27-Aug 23 (weekdays 12-7pm, weekends 11am-7pm).
On the water
Restrictions: No boat ramp at Pritchard Island Beach itself; the nearest public launch is the Atlantic City Boat Ramp at the immediately adjacent Beer Sheva Park (formerly Atlantic City Park). Seattle Parks describes Pritchard as a quieter alternative to Beer Sheva precisely because it lacks boat-ramp traffic.
No official source found confirming hand-carried kayak/paddleboard launching is sanctioned within the designated, lifeguarded swim zone at Pritchard; given the floating swim raft and lifeguard program, paddlecraft use directly off this beach is not established one way or the other, so 'allowed' is left empty rather than guessed.
Backstory
The site was known as Young's Island (1883) and then Pritchard Island (1900) before the 1917 Lake Washington Ship Canal project lowered the lake level about 9 feet, turning the island into a peninsula.
Pritchard Island Beach: FAQ
Does Pritchard Island Beach charge a fee?
Free. Seattle Parks & Recreation offers free swimming and free youth swim lessons (ages 6-16) at its lifeguarded beaches, including Pritchard Island Beach, from late June through late August.
Is Pritchard Island Beach kid friendly?
Official Seattle Parks lifeguarded swim beach with a calm, non-flowing lake shoreline, a floating swim raft (no diving board), and on-site free youth swim lessons (ages 6-16) during the June 27-Aug 23 2026 season. Quieter than the adjoining Beer Sheva/Atlantic City Park beach since Pritchard has no boat-ramp traffic. Caveat: lifeguards are only on duty during the designated summer season (weekdays 12-7pm, weekends 11am-7pm) and standard freshwater bacterial-risk advisories apply, so care is warranted outside those hours/season.
Do I need to hike to reach Pritchard Island Beach?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Pritchard Island Beach?
Onsite parking lot within the 19-acre park; Seattle Parks notes it 'can be congested' during busy summer periods. No fee is mentioned on official pages, consistent with other free Seattle Parks beach lots, but no explicit 'free' statement was found this session.
When is the best time to visit Pritchard Island Beach?
Summer; official lifeguard season for 2026 is June 27 through August 23. King County water-quality testing runs mid-May through mid-September.
What are the rules at Pritchard Island Beach?
Park hours are 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Lifeguards are on duty only during the designated 2026 season (June 27-Aug 23, no late-season extension unlike some other city beaches); general lifeguard hours across the program are weekdays 12-7pm and weekends 11am-7pm. Seattle Parks warns that swimming in natural water carries bacterial-infection risk, advises showering before/after swimming and not drinking the lake water, and will close the beach temporarily if King County water-quality testing shows high bacteria or toxic algae.
What water body is Pritchard Island Beach on?
Pritchard Island Beach is on Lake Washington, a natural lake verified in USGS hydrography data.
