Haines Wharf Park is the newest park in Edmonds, Washington!
Here is a video clip I made of the kids playing.....
Haines Wharf Park in Edmonds Washington is the most amazing pocket park. There are a lot of features and wow factor packed into this little park. The views of the Puget Sound and Olympic mountains are stunning. On the street above the park there is an overlook to view the sunset and a nearby interpretive sign to learn the names of the mountain peaks on the Olympic range.
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| view of Olympic Mountains and sign explaining the peaks, looking west |
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| view of park and wharf from above, looking west |
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| aerial image of park June 2010 before completion |
The park takes creative advantage of the elevation change using the retaining rocks as a bouldering wall for kids, with a rewarding slide that’s more than 21′ linear feet. Also on the higher elevation is a nice picnic area. The playground equipment is Kompan (a Danish company with US headquarters in Tacoma) and as usual its a big hit with the kids. The grass area in the middle will be a good place to throw a frisbee (but not too far). I can imagine a group of people practicing yoga or Tai chi on the grass, with the leaders on the three large flat rocks.
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| kompan play equipment |
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| boulder wall and slide looking northeast |
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| slide and boulder wall looking southeast |
There is plenty of seating all over the park and it will be heavily used as people enjoy the fantastic views. There are bathrooms (porta-potty style) and a drinking fountain. Car parking is limited, but what would you expect for a neighborhood pocket park. The plantings I observed (while chasing kids) were Lavender, which is a good option for the west-facing slope. Come mid-summer the color will be strong and beautiful.
The access to the beach and coast is restricted by a fence due to the train tracks (for safety). The park opened late fall 2010, but is now ready for play. It was named after the Haines family who operated the wharf from the 1930′s through the 1970′s. Congratulations to Edmonds City and all those involved in the design and installation. The design and construction observation was provided by
Susan Black Associates. The firm noted
“it will take a couple of years to get the plant material established to get the full impact of the design. It was not an easy project due to the poor soils, steep and unstable slopes and difficult hydrology” Charles Warsinske, ASLA.
These photos were taken December 2010 and it will be nice to see the plants grow and fill in during 2011 and 2012.
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| view of park from above, looking northwest | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| park sign |
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