Marymoor Park, located in Redmond, Washington, is one of the largest and most popular parks in the Seattle metropolitan area. Spanning over 640 acres, this massive park contains a wide variety of amenities and facilities for visitors to enjoy. One of the most frequently asked questions about Marymoor Park is whether or not the park contains benches, seats, or other sitting areas for people to use.
Quick Answer
Yes, Marymoor Park does have seats and benches available throughout the park grounds. The park contains over 1 mile of paved walking trails that are lined with numerous benches and sitting areas. In addition, the park has picnic shelters, sports fields, an off-leash dog area, a velodrome, and several playgrounds that all contain ample seating options.
Types of Seating in Marymoor Park
Marymoor Park contains a variety of different seating and bench options to accommodate visitors:
- Benches – Benches can be found lining the paved walking paths that wind through the park. These provide seating with nice views of the landscaped grounds.
- Bleacher Seating – The baseball fields, soccer fields, football stadium, and velodrome have bleacher-style seating available.
- Picnic Tables – The picnic shelters scattered through the park contain picnic tables with bench seating.
- Park Benches – Standard park benches are found throughout the open grassy areas and fields.
- Seat Walls – Low seat walls line portions of the walking paths and gathering areas.
Key Areas with Seating
Some of the key areas in Marymoor Park that contain plentiful seating include:
- Walking Paths – Over 1 mile of paved walking paths wind through the park with benches along the way.
- Picnic Shelters – The park has 10 picnic shelters, most with 4-6 picnic tables per shelter.
- Playgrounds – The Main Playground and East Playground have seating around the play equipment.
- Sports Fields – Bleacher seating surrounds the baseball, soccer, football, and velodrome fields.
- Dog Park – Benches line the inside of the 40 acre off-leash dog area.
Total Number of Seats
It is estimated that Marymoor Park contains over 1,000 total seats across the various benches, bleachers, picnic tables, and other seating installations throughout the expansive grounds. The abundance of seating provides plenty of spots for visitors to sit, relax, picnic, watch sports games, supervise their children at the playgrounds, or take a break while walking.
Prime Seating Areas
Some of the most popular and prime seating areas in Marymoor Park include:
- Picnic Area D – This picnic area contains a cluster of 5 picnic shelters with tables.
- Playground Benches – Benches encircling the Main Playground and East Playground.
- Velodrome Bleachers – Bleacher seating offering prime track views.
- Dog Park Benches – Benches in the Off-Leash Dog Area provide great views.
- Park Benches Along the Sammamish River – Benches line the walking trail along the river.
Accessibility of Seating
The vast majority of seating options in Marymoor Park are wheelchair and handicap accessible. The paved walking paths, picnic shelters, playgrounds, and other key areas with seating have easy accessibility for wheelchairs and those with mobility limitations. The bleacher seating at the sports fields tends to be less accessible, however.
Rules for Use
Marymoor Park’s seating is open for use by all visitors on a first come, first served basis. There are no fees, reservations, or time limits imposed on using benches, picnic tables, and bleachers in the park. Park rules prohibit reserving or saving seats for extended periods when others are waiting to use them.
Weather Protection
Most seating installations in Marymoor Park are uncovered and exposed to the elements. However, the picnic shelters do provide protection from sun, rain, and wind. Each picnic shelter has a roof covering the picnic tables underneath, although the shelters remain open on all sides.
Food and Drink Allowed
Food and drink are permitted throughout the park including at all seating areas. This makes the picnic tables and benches ideal spots for eating packed meals and snacks. The one exception is no food or drink is allowed in the Clise Auditorium when events and concerts are taking place.
Peak Use Times
Seating in Marymoor Park tends to be most heavily occupied during:
- Weekends – Especially on sunny weekend days
- Evenings – Use increases in the evening time after work hours and dinner time
- Event Days – Major events like concerts draw large crowds that utilize seating
- Summer Months – Warmer weather brings more people out to the park
Arriving early helps ensure availability of seating during peak times.
Nearby Amenities
Marymoor Park contains restroom facilities, drinking fountains, and concession stands located close to many of the prime seating areas. This makes it convenient for visitors to access amenities while seated. Key amenities near seating include:
- Restrooms – Located near Playground, Picnic Area D, Dog Park
- Drinking Fountains – Next to Velodrome, Playground, Picnic Shelters
- Concessions – Adjacent to Velodrome and Soccer Fields
The proximity of restrooms, water, and food/drinks helps create an optimal park experience for those utilizing the seating.
Future Plans
King County has future plans to add more seating and benches to Marymoor Park when funding permits. Some key seating expansion projects on the horizon:
- Exercise Stations – Outdoor exercise equipment circuits with benches planned
- Lake Sammamish Viewpoints – New lake view benches and lookouts
- Extended Walking Trails – Expanded trails with benches through natural areas
These seating enhancements will increase relaxation spots and trailside resting areas throughout the park.
Conclusion
In summary, Marymoor Park contains abundant and varied seating options to accommodate large crowds. Over 1,000 total seats are dispersed throughout the 640 acre park in the form of benches, bleachers, picnic tables, seat walls, and more. Seating is focused in key gathering areas like the playgrounds, picnic shelters, sports fields, and walking trails. Most seating is wheelchair accessible and open for public use on a first come basis. Nearby amenities provide convenience for visitors. Ongoing expansion plans will increase future seating capacity to keep pace with growing attendance.