Seattle beach hours set

Seattle Parks will switch Alki Beach, Golden Gardens, Don Armeni Boat Ramp, and Eddie Vine Boat Ramp to summer hours on Friday, May 1. (parkways.seattle.gov) From May 1 through September 30, Alki Beach and Golden Gardens will be open from 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Outside that period, both parks will run from 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (parkways.seattle.gov) Don Armeni and Eddie Vine will also run from 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. during the summer season. After September 30, both boat ramps return to 24-hour access. (parkways.seattle.gov) Beach fires will start later than the park-hour change. Seattle Parks said designated fire pits at Alki and Golden Gardens will open Friday, May 22, and run seven days a week through Tuesday, September 1. (parkways.seattle.gov) The rules are tighter than a general beach bonfire. Fires are allowed only in installed fire containers, on a first-come, first-served basis, and visitors cannot bring their own fire pits or propane rings. (parkways.seattle.gov) Seattle Parks said fire pits at both beaches will be unlocked by 5:30 p.m., and every fire must be out by 10 p.m. Staff will be on site to help extinguish fires before parking-lot gates lock and the parks close at 10:30 p.m. (parkways.seattle.gov) The city made the summer window longer this year. West Seattle Blog reported in March that Seattle’s Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners was told the “summer” season would move to May 1 through September 30, instead of starting around Memorial Day and ending around Labor Day. (westseattleblog.com) That shift builds on a 2025 policy change that made the earlier 10:30 p.m. summer closing time permanent at Alki and Golden Gardens after pilot programs, community feedback, and an April 10, 2025 public hearing. (parkways.seattle.gov) Seattle Parks tied the seasonal schedule to staffing and safety resources in its 2026 notice. The agency also repeated rules against alcohol, smoking, loud amplified music, and fires during air-pollution alerts. (parkways.seattle.gov) For beachgoers, the practical date is May 1 for earlier closing hours and May 22 for legal fires in the city’s pits. After that, the nightly deadline is the same at both beaches: flames out by 10 p.m., park closed by 10:30 p.m. (parkways.seattle.gov)