FAMILY TIME: There’s a New Beach in Town -- After a Very Long Wait

FOR THE PAST YEAR, the almost daily commentary from my backseat as we drove past was, “Nope, not finished yet.”

Some days, we’d count the workers (often, not a very difficult task). Other days, we’d point to tractors. One day, my daughter noticed the playground for the first time and shouted excitedly that they’d put in swings. I hated to point out that they had been hiding back there all along.

Then, suddenly, a couple weeks ago, things began to change quickly. Suddenly, there was a parking lot. A few days later, trees had been
planted. Landscaping appeared. Then, we noticed a worker tying a banner above the old Juanita Beach sign. The sign reads, “Park Now Open.”

Hooray! A new beach to add to our summer fun portfolio!

After more than a year, Juanita Beach re-opened last Friday after a modernization project that started before we moved to Kirkland. Clearly, we residents were ready. From the moment it opened, it seems, the parking lot has been busy with visitors itching to check out – and take advantage of – this renewed local gem.

We got there Friday, a couple hours after opening. Of course, we didn’t live here to see what it was like before. But we were impressed. The parking lot is spacious with lots of shade and the landscaping makes it feel like you’ve arrived somewhere special.

We loaded up our stroller, put the leash on the dog and started on a sidewalk on the east side of the park. The sidewalk led us past a large, grassy (or soon to be grassy) area that contains a tastefully landscaped drainage ditch. You could certainly do a lot of playing in the grass, although the ditch will limit those who want to play an all-out game of soccer or ultimate Frisbee. For large playing fields, you can head across the street to the north side of the park.

The sidewalk led us to the main promenade, a wide cement walkway reminiscent of a beach boardwalk separating the sandy beach from the grassy park. The beach looked lovely. While it isn’t any deeper than the other local beaches, it is much wider, providing what must be Kirkland’s largest sandy stretch of beach.

The beach, which spans the entire enormous swimming area, is also landscaped with trees and plantings, as well as some old logs that I’m guessing are strategically placed as habitat and to help with drainage. The sand is relatively rock-free. And the swimming area is huge, although I understand that a great deal of it is extremely shallow and can get, well, a bit weedy and unappealing by late summer.

We followed the promenade to the centerpiece of the park – a circular plaza that is both compass and, according to my preschooler, a giant stage. I can tell we will spend some time in this area performing (and in my case, watching) spontaneous shows. Perhaps there will even be some professional entertainment there in the future.

West of the compass, the promenade becomes a wooden boardwalk bridge that spans a drainage area, then continues on in cement. We took the walkway around the seeded grass areas (which are fenced off to allow the grass to grow) to the entrance of the newly mulched playground.

WE'VE BEEN eyeing the playground over the past year and it was great to finally give it a try. Judging from the peeling paint on the swing set poles, it’s the same one they had before. It looks like they’ve updated some of the chains on the swings and freshened the much and landscaping. But otherwise, this is not brand new.

It does, however, boast the most swings at any playground I’ve seen in a long time. And, for this me, it’s ideal because they intersperse big kid swings with baby swings, making it possible to push my two kiddos side-by-side at the same time. Brilliant. Other than the swings, there is a relatively small play structure featuring a tall, narrow (be warned if you tend to ride the slide with your wee one), winding slide. There is also a staircase that makes the slide accessible for little ones, one of those spinning monkey bar sets and a small climbing wall. We had fun.

On our way back, we decided to walk the dock. The dock is the shape of a giant U, fully enclosing the swimming area. Not only does it provide access to the deeper end of the swimming section, but it is a fishing dock that provides a nice, first-hand tour of Juanita Bay. We had fun looking at boats, ducks and houses as we rounded the dock.

Wear your shoes, though! The geese, which I understand can be an issue at most local waterfront parks, have had a year of uninterrupted fun on the dock and they’ve left souvenirs all over half of it.

As we walked back to the parking lot, we noted several picnic tables in the grass under the trees. Great news for those sunny days when you need a break from the sunny beach. In fact, the whole beach park has an ideal mix of sunny and shaded areas, room to run, room to walk, room to play and room to relax.

And, of course, they are not done. Part of the park is still closed. They are still working on the Juanita Creek renovation, which will include the creation of wetlands and marshes. Once completed, there will be a trail through the wetlands offering what I imagine will be a unique and beautiful addition to an already stunning beach park.

We will certainly be back many more times, whether to beat the heat on a sunny day, or to play in the sand, grass or playground on a chillier one. We hope to see you there, too.