happyly approved

Fritz Hedges Waterway Park

1117 Northeast Boat Street, Seattle, WA 98105, USA

Daily 4 a.m. -- 11:30 p.m.

$$

water-activities, outdoor-adventures

Newly Opened Waterway Park on Portage Bay Is A Quiet Spot to Have a Picnic and  Boat-watch

 

This waterway park on Portage Bay just opened in the Fall of 2020 and if you’re making the rounds of Seattle parks, you should add this little guy to the list. It’s not a big park. There is no playground, there are no swings. But, there is a large rock beach that has rocks just waiting to be chucked into Portage Bay. Different types of boats go floating by. The houseboats that line the opposite shore are interesting to look at. The terraced open lawn space is fun for the kids to run through and change levels on.

Bring lunch or a snack! There is a small, fenced pier with bright yellow chairs facing the water. More yellow chairs are clustered into small groups up near the sidewalk. There are also fake rocks arranged as seating with them. If you find yourself hungry when you’re there, an adjacent Mexican restaurant, Agua Verde Café, has delicious tacos.

Parking is metered street parking.

Tips:

  • The park provides water access for hand-carried boats. If you can hand carry it to the water, you can launch it here (so bring your kayak!)
  • Some trivia: the park was named after Fredrick "Fritz" Hedges a long-term Seattle Parks and Recreation professional. An old mill that formerly occupied the site was demolished and the timbers were reused throughout the park.
  • Watch out for goose poop!
  • As always during COVID times, wear your mask and check the park's website for restrictions.

Features

Good for All Ages Green Space Stroller-friendly Scenic Views Picnic Tables Water Views
Thoughtfully captured by:
Jessica Ziparo
Jessica Ziparo is from Westhampton Beach, NY. She earned her BA from James Madison University in Virginia, where she majored in history. From there, she went to Harvard Law School, earning her JD. After working as an environmental attorney for three years, Jessica returned to the east coast to earn her PhD in history from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She has taught history at Salem State University, expository writing at Harvard, and English literature at Pritzker College Prep, a charter high school in Chicago. She is the author of, This Grand Experiment: When Women Entered the Federal Workforce in Civil War-Era Washington, D.C. (2017). Jessica loves to travel and explore. She has lived in Australia twice, journeyed solo to Kenya and Tanzania to go on a safari, spent six weeks on her own trekking around Thailand, and has backpacked around Europe with friends three times. She found bungee jumping scarier than skydiving and now regrets running with the bulls. Nowadays, Jessica lives in Seattle with her husband, Labrador Lincoln, and two sons Zane (almost 5) and Niall (almost 2). During COVID times, Jessica has expanded her exploring throughout the city and beyond to keep the kids outside, active, and safe. She is excited to become a happyly ambassador and have greater purpose for roaming the PNW.
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