Meadowdale Beach Park (2024)

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Feature Overview

Park at the top of the park and stroll through the park's corridor on a 1.25-mile (one way) nature trail down to the beach. Experience the sounds of the adjacent tumbling Lund's Gulch Creek as it weaves its way through the giant trees of the old forest. The creek, which is home to various aquatic life, including freshwater fish and migrating salmon, forms a small marine estuary as it empties into Puget Sound. View various bird species in their natural habitat on a hike through the forest. Or comb the beaches and enjoy the breathtaking views of the distant Olympic Mountains. Meadowdale Beach Park is a beautiful 108-acre park and was designated a "hike-in" only park by the public when it was built (there is a lower ADA parking lot with code access). The restoration project has been awarded six awards:

• 2023 American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) - Engineering Excellence Award (Anchor QEA)
• 2023 National Recreation and Parks Association - Innovation in Conservation Award (Snohomish County Parks & Recreation)
• 2023 Puget Sound Regional Council - Vision 2050 Award (Snohomish County Parks & Recreation)
• 2023 Construction Management Association of America - Project Achievement Award (Anchor QEA)
• 2024 ACEC Local Engineering Excellence Gold Award - Environmental (Anchor QEA)
• 2024 American Society of Landscape Architects, Washington Chapter (WASLA) Award of Excellence in the General Design-Public Ownership category (Anchor QEA)

See our land acknowledgment here. The gulch area passed through several owners before it became a park. John Lund first homesteaded the site in 1878. The site was eventually acquired by the Meadowdale Country Club. The well-tended private park featured a clubhouse, manicured lawns, an Olympic-size swimming pool with bath houses, and a fish hatchery. The club closed in the late 1960s, partially due to access road failure. Snohomish County Parks acquired the land in 1968 to develop a public park with beach access. A fire destroyed the already vandalized clubhouse in 1970. The county filled in the swimming pool because of the safety hazard. In 1979, the park was closed for public access and use until a safe public and emergency vehicle access road was built. The park was reopened in 1988. The park was closed again in 1996 due to excessive storm damage and re-opened the following year after repairs were finished. The Meadowdale Beach Park and Estuary Restoration Project (completed in 2023) restored a historic (pre-railroad) 1.3-acre estuary that provides essential rearing habitat for ESA-listed Chinook (threatened), Chum, and Coho salmon as well as Cutthroat trout; and restored nearshore processes key to Puget Sound recovery.

• Picnic shelter:At the end of your hike, relax in the park's beautiful picnic shelter, which is available for free on a first-come, first-served basis. There are multiple picnic tables throughout the park.
• Water trail camping: Camping on the beach may be permitted for campers entering and exiting the park under wind or human-powered watercraft. Click here for details and restrictions.
• Beach access mat: There is a beach access mat installed seasonally from May 1 to September 30. Beach access mats are made of a synthetic mesh that provides a firmer surface for those who need it to cross the sand, such as people who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids. It is approximately 50’ long x 5’ wide.
• Foot wash station: There is a foot wash station near the beach.

A gated (and locked) road to the lower portion of the park is used for maintenance and the residence access. It is closed to the general public.Exceptions for access may be granted for persons authorized to park in ADA stalls and for sanctioned school field trips.

Placard/Plate Holders

There are seven parking stalls at the base and all are designated Disabled Parking Only. People possessing placards, plates, or stickers that authorize them to legally park in these stalls may request the gate code by either completing theonline applicationor filling out and mailing-in the paperapplication form. BE ADVISED: Phone-in requests will not be issued the code.

Schools

A temporary code may be issued for the purpose of dropping-off and picking-up students and chaperones on sanctioned school field trips. Vans and mini-buses, with ADA plates or placard, may park in stalls if they are available. BE ADVISED: There is insufficient space for full-sized buses to turn-around at the bottom. To apply for the code, complete the onlineSchool Access Request Form.

To minimize traffic on this steep, narrow, and winding road, which is frequented by pedestrians, policy is strictly followed. Codes will not be issued without a completed form. Forms are processed M-F during business hours.NOTE: If gate does not open upon entering code, please allow 90 seconds before making a second attempt. Visitors that cannot obtain the code are encouraged to visit Picnic Point Park, which has closer-in parking.

• Tulalip Monitoring Camera #1 - The camera is set up to monitor the long-term effects of the project on the estuary’s health and the movement of the beach from tidal and creek influences.
• Tulalip Monitoring Camera #2 - Thanks to the Tulalip Tribes for these cameras for the long term monitoring effort.
• SWM GIS Storymap
• Meadowdale Beach Park & Estuary Restoration Project Timelapse (August-November 2022)
• Watch the story of the Meadowdale Beach and Estuary Restoration Project here.
• 360 degree (interactive) photo from trail
• Parks Homepage
• ADA Access

Updated 2/1/24