Owen Beach
Tacoma, WA
Owen Beach sits inside Point Defiance Park on Puget Sound, recently rebuilt with a new pavilion, a whale sculpture play area, and improved stairs down to the water. The water here runs cold, often under 50 degrees even in summer, so this reads as a wading and beachcombing beach rather than a swimming one, though the Washington Department of Ecology tests it weekly through the summer as an officially recognized swimming beach.
An iconic, well loved Tacoma beach with real recent upgrades and history, docked only for water too cold for real swimming.
How we score beachesCome for the walk and the whale sculpture play area rather than a swim; the cold water keeps most visitors on the sand or in the shallows.
Large free parking area; a seasonal kayak rental and snack bar are on site.
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