Lowman Beach Park, West Seattle

Lowman Beach Park has one of the first swings I came across when I first moved to Seattle for college way back when. Tucked away along Beach Drive, just after the uphill turnoff for Lincoln Park, this park is also connected to Lincoln Park (and my favorite swinging experience) and Alki via the bike/trail route that encircles West Seattle.

Location: 7017 Beach Dr. SW
Number of swings: 1 regular, 1 baby
Ground material: Wood chips
Chain length: Short.


Yet another amazing place in Seattle to swing and watch the sunset. And water. I always find myself called towards waters wherever I am. The chain on this single regular swing is short, although quite high off the ground, allowing my super-long legs to dangle. Not the most invigorating swinging experience, but a nice place to sit and peer out to the shore.


I caught the sunset on this day. It was glorious. I also found the adjacent trees inviting.

How to get there: Bus route #37 stops along Beach Dr., right next to the park.

OUT-OF-TOWN SWINGS: Don Morse Memorial Park, Chelan, WA

Don Morse Memorial Park, also known as the "City Park," is the main park in the small town of Chelan, WA, where I spent my childhood, ages 3-18. Right now I happen to be visiting family for the holidays, and I thought I'd document some swings from my hometown. Apparently Google Maps calls it "Lakeshore Park," which is the name of the adjacent RV camping park. Notice how there isn't much snow here right now... so odd.

Location: Highway 150 & W Nixon Ave, Chelan, WA 98816.
Number of swings: 4 regular, 4 baby buckets
Ground material: Wood chips
Chain length: Medium, Medium-long.


As you can see, these swings seem to be a variety of heights off the ground. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not, but I like the variety. The swing lowest to the ground is a good compromise of medium-long length: long enough to reach nice heights, but short enough for the chains to stay tight and not buckle so much on the return swing. The higher-off-the-ground swings are actually high enough to allow my feet to dangle and not smack the ground at any point of the swinging experience.


These are not the swings I swung on in childhood; this playground has undergone quite a few transformations over the past 20 years or so. Back in elementary school, I lived across the street from this park on Gibson Ave., and the swings had super long chains; these are the swings that set into motion the exciting life of a "Seattle Swinger." A giant robot slide also once lived here; it was eventually deemed unsafe and removed from the park. Those swings were probably what sparked the swing-o-philia of my adulthood, and I greatly prefer [the memory of] them to the swings that currently stand. However, the current swings are still atop a hill, presenting a beautiful lake and mountain view for the swinger.


How to get there: First get to Chelan. Link Transit bus routes #21, 31 and trolley route #34 stop along Chelan-Manson Highway (SR-150) next to the park, but most people in Chelan would probably drive. Or you could even walk, this town is really small.

LOCAL LINKS:
*City of Chelan webpage on Don Morse Memorial Park
*GoLakeChelan, a community blog

Seward Park

Seward Park, located in the neighborhood of the same name, can easily be considered one of the best parks in Seattle. The park contains old-growth forest, lake shoreline and views of Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier on clear days. And I saw an eagle there during my last visit, so it got me really excited about the place. There are two playgrounds, a lower playground near the park entrance/lake shore and an upper playground in the interior of the park.

Location: 5895 Lake Washington Blvd S
Number of swings: 1 regular, 1 baby seat, 1 baby bucket (lower playground); 4 regular, 2 baby buckets (upper playground).
Ground material: Wood chips at both playgrounds.
Chain length: Medium-long (lower playground); Long (upper playground).


The lower playground is located near the lake shore at the entrance to the park. It's a smaller swingset with only a single regular swing, a baby seat and 2 baby buckets. The baby seat is big enough for an adult to sit in, but it's not quite the same. This part of the park is amazing; there are amazing views of Mt. Rainier and Lake Washington as you swing.



The upper playground has a bigger swing set: 4 regular swings and 2 baby buckets. It's at the top of the hill after you enter the park and go up into the peninsula. It is surrounded by trees and your swinging view is of a grassy clearing and the meandering trail that enters the forested area. The swings are a little low to the ground, but the seats are of the wider variety, giving one a more comfortable swinging experience.

How to get there: Bus route #39 stops at the park entrance.

Lincoln Park (lower playground), West Seattle

This post is about (the lower playground of) Lincoln Park in West Seattle. (The street-level "upper playgrounds" are in another post.)

THESE ARE THE BEST SWINGS IN SEATTLE. Ok, not the best swings, but the best SWINGING EXPERIENCE. And I believe one would have quite the challenge finding someone who disagrees. If you disagree, you are wrong.

Location: Lincoln Park, which spans a portion of Fauntleroy Way SW in West Seattle.
Number of swings: 3 regular, 1 baby bucket.
Ground material: Wood chips.
Chain length: Medium


Seriously. Look at that. You can swing and watch the ferries come in and out on their way to Vashon and Southworth. Sniff that Puget Sound air. Go ahead, take a stroll next to the water when you're done swinging. These swings have always played a very important part in my love affair with Seattle. They aren't the best swings, but they are standard good swings, and there is no other place you can have that view while swinging in Seattle.

I love this place.

How to get there: Bus route #54 stops along Fauntleroy Way SW.

University Playground, U-District

This is another park I spent a lot of time in as an undergrad. The chains are very long, there aren't very many small children present, and the nearest late-night falafel is within a 15-minute walk.

Location: 7th Ave NE & NE 50th St.
Number of swings: 4 regular, 2 baby
Ground material: Wood chips
Chain length: Long.



This is a great place for late-night swinging. You can also scope out the street scene once you get going really high. If you bring friends who hate swings (and are super lame because of it), the tables in front of the swings have chess boards printed on them.

How to get there: #66 bus (Southbound) stops on Roosevelt St., Northbound stops on 12th.

David Rodgers Park, Queen Anne

I approached David Rodgers Park on Queen Anne on foot. This involved multiple uphill climbs, but the large green square on the map was enticing.

Location: 3rd Ave W & W Raye St.
Number of swings: 2 baby, go down the hill a bit to find the 4 regular.
Ground material: Sand. Rubber for the babies.
Chain length: Long.

On first look, I saw only the baby swings. And they looked nice, but I was disappointed.


As I made my way to a grassy knoll, these 4 swings appeared out of nowhere. How had I missed them on my trek up the hill?


These swings are wonderful. There's so much green space to peer out to, so many places for a little picnic, and the seclusion of the spot is pleasing.

How to get there: Bus #13 stops at the park. Routes #3 and 4 stop nearby on 1st.

Leschi Park, Leschi

UPDATE: These swings have been replaced (4/9/11)

I completed some important swing research recently; it took me through the Central District and towards the lake shore, and I stumbled across Leschi Park (in addition to many other amazing parks that you will see in future posts). Leschi Park is amazing. I had never been to it, as my previous Seattle life lent itself mostly to explorations in the NE section of the city. Leschi Park is adjacent to Frink Park and Lake Washington, and there are lots of beautiful trails in both parks to experience inside-the-forest fantasies and catch some lake views.

These swings are amazing. I love them.

Location: Leschi Park, Leschi neighborhood, on Lake Washington Blvd. Approximately at the corner of E. Yesler Way and 32nd Ave S.
Number of swings: 3 regular, 1 baby bucket
Ground material: Sand

The chains of these swings are long, although not quite as long as the swings at Cowen Park on Ravenna. This seems to be an older swing set, a look into a playground of Seattle's past. Be careful jumping off from high though, at the edges of the sand there is concrete buried approximately 1 inch down. It hurts to land on. Trust me.

When you swing up high, you can see glimpses of Lake Washington through the trees.


How to get there: #27 Bus takes you right to the park.

Favo(u)rite Swings

This is a new blog, but my swinging activities in Seattle are not new. Rather than post every great swing in one day, I plan to try and not update all at once. It keeps it fun to have a little something to look forward to.

But, that means a lot of GREAT SWINGS will go unmentioned until a proper post is made!

So here are a few of my favorite swings:

---Lincoln Park, West Seattle. The swings on the south end that peer over to the Fauntleroy-Vashon Ferry. Go in the evening if you want to avoid crowds of children competing for what I like to call "the joy."
---Ober Park, Vashon Island. Best swings I have ever found in... um... life?
---Gilman Playground, Ballard. These 2 swings used to have 1 rubber seat and 1 hard plastic seat, and it was the best of both worlds. They're both flexible now, but still provide an awesome swinging experience.

OK enough spilled secrets.
Happy swinging!


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EDIT: Recent inspection of swings at Gilman Playground has revealed a change in swing seat architecture, and statements have been revised accordingly (09/20/09)

Rogers Playground, Eastlake

Rogers Playground in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle contains some great swings.

Location of park: Eastlake Ave. E. & E. Roanoke St.
Number of swings: 4 regular, 2 baby
Ground material: Wood chips


The great thing about these swings is that their chains are about medium length (shorter than the swings at the park on 8th Ave NE and NE 50th St. in the U-District, but longer than the swings at the south end of Lincoln Park in West Seattle), and they are covered with yellow grip! I can swing really hard on these and my hands stay comfortable.

While you swing, you can enjoy the view of the adjacent tennis courts. Or you can swing the other way and look at a tree with a school in the background. The view is pretty standard playground, nothing stunning like the view of Puget Sound from the Lincoln Park swings, but it's not as bad as staring at an empty wall.

How to get there:
Drive: you can park along the streets that border the park.
Bus: #66X, 70, 71 72, 73, 83 stop along Eastlake Ave. #25 stops along Roanoke St. #49 stops along Broadway at Roanoke St.