Meadowdale Beach Park – Surprising forest and beach hike in Lynnwood
Looking for a hike that feels like a real hike away from it all, but in Lynnwood? Meadowdale Beach Park is it. At 2.5 miles round trip (including going to the beach) with about 400 feet of elevation gain on the return trip up to the parking area, this is a perfect trail for a workout and beach exploration and a surprisingly away from it all feeling in this suburban area.
Meadowdale Beach Park is the homeland of the Snohomish, Suquamish and other Coast Salish People.
Parking Pass: None – parking fills quickly on summer weekends – do not park on the signed tow away zones in the surrounding neighborhood. Community Transit route 119 will also take you about half a mile away.
Dog Friendly: Yes. Dogs must be on leash
Cell phone coverage: Mostly good with a few dead spots
Restrooms: Portapottie in the parking lot
Accessibility and Mobility: This trail is steep in places and has stairs. It is quite wide but is not wheelchair accessible. Those with ADA parking passes can apply for an access code to park at the beach and there is also a wheelchair mat to access the first part of the beach.
Related: What to wear for a hike in the Pacific Northwest, What to bring for a hike in the Pacific Northwest
Where is Meadowdale Beach Park?
Meadowdale Beach Park is located in Lynnwood at 6026 156th St SW. It’s a dead end in a neighborhood, make sure to mind the many no parking signs in the neighborhood and don’t park illegally!
Community Transit route 119 stops about half a mile away on 56th.
From I-5 or I-405, take State Route 525 (Mukilteo Speedway) to Highway 99 South at a weird interchange (your phone will guide you through it, trust the process), then go right on 148th St SW, left on 56th and right on 156th which dead ends at the parking area.
When is the best time to hike at Meadowdale Beach Park?
This hike gets very busy on sunny weekends, if you can swing it on a weekday or early or late in the day parking will be much easier.
In summer, this is a wonderful early morning hike and on rainy days it’s a lot less busy, but still delightful.
Trail Description
An important element of this hike is that it is downhill first – pay attention on the way down to make sure you’re ok with the effort going back up!
You’ll start on a wide and curvy part of the trail which starts to descend while staying wide and then has some stairs to help with erosion on the descent. Most of the downhill is in the first half (which means the last half on the return).
You’ll be in a shady forest until you cross a creek before getting to the beach. Those with ADA parking passes can arrange in advance to park here close to the beach. Stay left at the bridge over the creek – going right is a dead end but it does have a nice picnic table.
New construction restored this estuary area and makes for much easier walking protected from the train tracks which you cross under on the trail.
Once under the tracks, you’ll be out at the beach. You can wander along the beach for quite a ways, especially if the tide is out.
Enjoy views over to Whidbey Island and the Olympics on clear days and enjoy a rest, snack or lunch on one of the giant driftwood logs before heading back the way you came.
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