Lincoln Park

From Forest to Beach to Saltwater Pool

Lincoln Park in West Seattle is like no other.  It’s large and rustic and has a high bluff with hiking trails down to a long, narrow beach that juts out to a point where a salt water swimming pool sits with amazing views of the Puget Sound.  Yeah.  It’s that kind of park.  Where kids squeal on a small do-it-yourself zipline on the playground, beneath old growth trees where barred owls are known to hang out. Where you can throw rocks at waves, hunt for shells, BBQ in the meadow, hike through a forest and for a couple more weeks, you can slide through a giant tube slide at Colman Pool.

The heated, saltwater Colman Pool began as a tide-fed swimming hole in 1929, and was periodically hosed out by the fire department to rid it of accumulating mud and debris. By 1941 it had found funding and was turned into the concrete pool that sits there today.  The unique Colman Pool enjoys a spectacular view from its prime location on the beach where salt water is pumped directly from the Puget Sound and heated, which is honestly quite necessary unless you are below the age of 10 and don’t mind having blue lips while you swim. It also features a diving board and a giant tube slide.

There are a couple more weekends to experience Colman Pool this year!  It will be open the weekends of September 8-9 and 15-16 and then will shutter for the year.  You can’t park right next to the pool which is part of its appeal.  The southern most parking lot is pretty close and has a paved road or gravel path to walk along to the pool.

Luckily the rest of the park has just as much draw and continues to be a place to escape the sights and sounds of the city and experience the shore all year long.

Address: 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, 98136 (Map It)