Matthews Beach Park
Stay Out Of The Water
Updated June 24, 2025.
Stay out of the water at these swim beaches: Madison Park, Madrona Park, Matthews Beach, Mt Baker Beach, and West Green Lake Beach. High bacteria counts were detected at all locations during routine testing.
King County Public Health monitors water quality at all freshwater swim beaches in King County during peak swimming season. Sign up for updates on their page.
Amenities
Picnic Sites Swimming Beaches Trails Hand Carry Boat Launches Play Area Views Grills Drinking fountains Restrooms Basketball CourtsImages
About
Matthews Beach is Seattle's largest freshwater bathing beach. The park is named for pioneer John G. Matthews, who had his homestead on the site in the 1880's. The park is an ideal stopping place for bicyclers on the Burke-Gilman Tail- in fact, the outline of the original cove is suggested by the Burke-Gilman Trail, which was once the tracks of the Northern Pacific Railroad. In the 1940's, the area south of the main beach was the site of Pan American World Airways' offices, and the dock for Pan American's "Clipper Ships"- the world's first amphibious commercial air transports over the ocean. The City purchased the first ten acres of Matthews Beach in 1951. (Excerpted from Brandt Morgan's Enjoying Seattle's Parks.) 100' of sandbar shoreline north of where Thornton Creek meets Lake Washington allows for a hand carry boat launch.
Swimming Beach
See this year's schedule on the swimming beach page
Have your picnic here!
This park has reservable picnic areas. Visit our picnic reservations page for more information on how to have your event here.