8 Places We Can't Wait to Swim While We're Back on the Eastside
A few of our favorite swim spots on the Eastside (Seattle) from when we lived in Redmond and that we love to revisit on our return trips in our camper.
July 26th, 2026
A few of our favorite swim spots on the Eastside (Seattle) from when we lived in Redmond and that we love to revisit on our return trips in our camper.
July 26th, 2026
One of our favorite parts of living in Redmond, WA was our proximity to Idylwood. We lived 5 minutes from Idylwood Beach Park and visited at least 3 times a week all summer long.
It has a sandy beach, a gradual slope and is shallow for quite a ways out so it's perfect for young kids. Our kids learned to swim here, our youngest running down the the beach and throwing himself face first in the water until he could swim. Beyond the water, there's a big grassy lawn shaded by trees, several picnic tables, plenty of room to spread a blanket, and a playground.
A few things worth knowing before you go: parking can be tricky on weekday evenings and weekends since it's a popular spot and the lot fills early on warm days, so we often head straight to the overflow lot. It is also a bit of a trek from the parking lot to the beach so a beach wagon is highly recommended if you have one. And bring your own shade, since the lawn has tree cover but not much right at the water's edge.
This one's a bit of a departure from the rest — it's not a lake beach, and it's not technically "in" the core Eastside cities, but it's close enough (about 20–30 minutes past Redmond) that we count it as one of ours. McCormick Park sits on the Snoqualmie River and is one of the best river swimming spots we know.
The gentle current makes it a good spot for kids still building water confidence. The Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail runs right through the park, so it can be easily be paired with a family bike ride. Duvall also runs a free summer concert series at the park on Wednesday evenings, so if the timing lines up, it's swim first, dinner on a blanket, music after.
Worth flagging: because it's a river and not a staffed swim-beach, water levels and current can shift with the season, so it's worth a quick check before you go, especially early or late summer.
This one always feels like a bit of a secret, even though it's right in downtown Bellevue. The park sits down in a ravine-like setting on Lake Washington — you park up top and walk down to the water. After a full renovation, it's grown from a small pocket park into a proper 10-acre waterfront destination with a curved pedestrian pier, a beach house with restrooms and showers, and a beautiful playground.
There's a sandy beach and swim area, a fishing dock, and kayak rentals if anyone wants to get out on the water rather than just in it. Parking is limited and especially busy on summer weekends.
This is our pick when we want the beach day to come with a hike attached. O.O. Denny sits on 46 wooded acres on Lake Washington's northeast shore, and is really two parks in one: a lakeside area for swimming and picnicking, and, across the street, a forested trail system through old-growth trees, including a 600-year-old cedar that never fails to impress the kids.
Before or after swimming, we cross over and let the kids run the trail loop under some of the tallest Douglas firs in the Seattle area. Though the trail is relatively short, it is steep in sections and not stroller friendly. On a clear day, the Mount Rainier views from the shoreline are some of the best on the lake, and the whole park has a quieter, more laid-back feel than the busier beaches down the road.
The beach itself is more grass-and-retaining-wall or rocky ground than sandy beach in places, worth knowing if your kids are expecting a sand-castle kind of beach.
This huge, beautiful beach at the southern end of Lake Sammamish also has one of our very favorite playgrounds in the area, featuring a very cool zipline.
The state park actually has two main areas. Sunset Beach is the bigger, busier of the two, with a roped-off swim area and the best playground in the park right behind it, plus a seasonal café for snacks and ice cream. Tibbetts Beach is smaller and calmer, geared more toward paddling, with kayak and paddleboard rentals right there. Trails wind through wetlands and forest past salmon-bearing creeks and a great blue heron rookery, so bring your binoculars.
A few things to plan around: you'll need a Discover Pass for parking and dogs are welcome on leash but not permitted in the swim areas.
Cottage Lake is much smaller than Lake Washington or Lake Sammamish which means it is also a lot warmer in the summertime. We love jumping off the dock here and the kids are excited to fish here this summer. There's also a playground, short trails around the park, a covered picnic pavilion, and plenty of open space to run around.
We love this swimming spot because you have to hike through the forest to get there. The trail is steep so pack as light as you can to be ready for the hike back up. There are several unique swimming spots along the shore line with lots of shade and the possibility of finding a rope swing hanging from a tree.
There is also a fantastic "wooden castle" playground at the top near the parking area. And note that you need a Discover Pass for the parking lot.
We love combining this river spot with a day of berry picking or a bike ride along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Like McCormick, this one isn't truly "Eastside" and is a river, not a lake. The river beach here is the real draw: a long, sandy stretch of shoreline with slow-moving water that's great for swimming, floating, and tubing. We also love exploring the trails and the suspension bridge, which takes you to the quieter side of the river if you want a more secluded place to swim.
A quick note before you head out: water quality can shift lake to lake and week to week, so it's always worth a quick check with King County's swimming beach water quality page before you swim, especially after a hot stretch or heavy rain.