Happy Trails to You: Edgewater Beach

Editor’s Note: Originally Published October 18, 2018.

If you like walking or running, one invaluable resource is a paved loop route you can train on. It's much easier to go further each time when you can increase the number of laps you do rather than figure out places to walk which are increasingly further away. You can surely find a track at a nearby schoolyard, but wouldn't you rather enjoy the views at a beach?

I learned about Edgewater Beach via MyEverettNews back in April 2015, when it opened again to cars for the first time in ten years. Formerly a row of huge fuel tanks, the site was quirky and fascinating. I saw otters scurry into hidey-holes in huge mounds of busted concrete and rebar. Twisted piles of rusted tank walls formed fairy gardens and dangerous-looking flowers.

Gnarled rusty tank scraps // Christopher Bragg

The walls and fences around the remaining tank floors formed a perfect walking loop, almost exactly a mile. Plus there was a shortcut from one side to the other, so no matter how far you felt like going, it was easily done. I enjoyed playing "avoid all contact", switching directions or cutting across whenever I saw anyone off in the distance.

The construction staging area for the new ferry terminal took away about a third of the loop, but the crew has been really amazing about leaving as much to enjoy as possible. In an earlier phase, they cut a large section of the wall to allow passage at what became the new southernmost point.

Certain new walkways started to hold too much rainwater, so they brought in gravel to create dry paths. And during the noisiest phase of construction, the crew hung a big bag of ear plugs on the fence for people to take.

Because it's so close, I often also go over to Mukilteo Lighthouse Park for a big loop along the beach and around the parking lot.

Mukilteo Lighthouse // Christopher Bragg

If the tide is low, I go as far south as I can along Mukilteo Beach. One time I managed to go a mile and a half further than the high-tide beach border and was able to see the houses at Nakeeta Beach Walk.

The homes at Nakeeta Beach // Christopher Bragg

If I need to cool off during the summer, I head west to the lowest entrance to Japanese Gulch. This interpretive section between the waterfront and West Mukilteo Boulevard is a quarter-mile trail with educational signs throughout. It's also where I once turned a corner and nearly stepped on an owl before it flew to a nearby branch and glared at me until I left.

There's always something to see at Edgewater Beach. Seagulls dropping crabs and clams to smash them open on rocks below, corgis swimming further out than you could ever imagine their little legs could take them, and some of the best sunrises you can find in Everett.

It's also a nice place to go SCUBA diving or eat a sandwich.

Edgewater Beach is open from dawn to dusk year-round. If you arrive before the parking lot is open, more free parking is available across the street near the Japanese Gulch Trail, or further South at Barbara Brennen Dobro Memorial Park. Don't park along the railroad tracks on Mukilteo Lane, and always be careful when crossing. Seriously, I've seen some close calls.

Christopher Bragg works from home in Everett and loves walking, swimming, and cats. You can find him all over town, but only if you keep weird hours and avoid crowds like he does.

More Places to Explore