How do you get to West Point Lighthouse on the second Saturday in November without breaking any rules?
You walk. For most visitors, the trails are the only legal way down to the water at Discovery Park from November 2, 2026 until the Visitor Center reopens, which Seattle Parks currently targets for summer 2027. The free beach shuttle runs its last loops on Sunday, November 1. After that, the shoreline belongs to people willing to take on a few hundred feet of descent and the climb back up.
None of this is permanent. It does make this winter different from a normal one, and the trail most people would pick is the one Seattle Parks plans to start rebuilding next spring.
Two Weekends of Shuttle Left
As of this Thursday, the shuttle has two four-day stretches left: October 22 through 25, and October 29 through November 1. It runs Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., looping between the East, North and South Beach parking lots and reaching each stop about every 45 minutes. The last departure from the beach is at 4:45 p.m.
The service started on June 20, 2026. It was first announced as a summer service ending in early September, and Seattle Parks later extended it into fall. It runs in cooperation with the Associated Recreation Council and the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, and it is paid for by donations accepted through ARC.
The shuttle's own rules mean some visitors were never riding it. People, children, babies, strollers and service animals can board. Pets, coolers, surf and paddleboards, and other bulky items cannot. If you walk a dog at South Beach, you have been taking the trail all season, and you will keep taking it.
Why the Closed Visitor Center Decides Who Can Park at the Beach
The shuttle has been the workaround for a closed Visitor Center. Seattle Parks says a water main broke at the Discovery Park Visitor Center in early 2025. The flooding damaged the basement's mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems badly enough that they have to be fully replaced, along with interior restoration and drainage work. A feasibility study ran in summer 2025, and the repairs have since been folded into a larger decarbonization project.
Beach parking permits came from that Visitor Center. With it closed, Seattle Parks states the result plainly on its Discovery Park page:
We are unable to issue beach parking permits while the Visitor Center is closed. Parking at the beach level without a permit or ADA placard is not allowed and may result in citation or towing.
The shuttle covered that gap from June through October. Seattle Parks' shuttle page doesn't describe any replacement after November 1. The rest of the park stays open as usual, so the upper lots, the meadow and the Loop Trail work the same as always. Only the shoreline turns into a hike.
Three Ways Down, and What Each Asks of You in Winter
Friends of Discovery Park maintains the trail marker system and publishes the numbers that matter for planning a beach day.
| Trail | Starts at | Length | Vertical | Travel time | Winter notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loop Trail | Starting point for the other major trails | 2.8 miles | 220 feet | 1 to 1.5 hours | No stairs; crushed rock or dirt; some steep, uneven sections |
| South Beach Trail | Loop Trail marker 12 | 0.7 miles | 280 feet | 15 to 25 minutes | Five staircases, some in poor condition; sections muddy in winter |
| North Beach Trail | Marker 17, about 500 yards north of the Loop Trail | 1.2 miles | 190 feet | 25 to 35 minutes | Steepest grades in the park on its upper portion; three sets of stairs; some sections muddy year-round |
| Hidden Valley Trail | Loop Trail marker 17 | 0.8 miles | 190 feet | 15 to 20 minutes | Ends just uphill from the lighthouse and South Beach; long wooden staircase; restroom at the lower end |
The South Beach Trail is the quick option. It drops 280 feet in seven-tenths of a mile through mixed forest and comes out at Discovery Park Boulevard, a short walk from the beach. Friends of Discovery Park calls it the most popular route to the lighthouse and South Beach. With the shuttle gone, the downside is the climb back. All 280 feet come at the end of your outing, up five staircases, some of which are in poor condition, on a trail that turns muddy in winter.
The North Beach Trail takes longer and gives you more in return. Its steepest pitch is the upper section near the start, so you take the hardest part while you're fresh. Near the bottom it levels onto a crushed-rock terrace about 20 feet above the water, 6 to 8 feet wide and running parallel to Puget Sound. At low tide you can walk the beach from there to the lighthouse and keep going to South Beach, and Friends of Discovery Park notes that sea lions and seals are worth watching for.
That low-tide link between the two beaches is what makes the walk-only season manageable. Going down the North Beach Trail, walking the shore past West Point, and climbing out on the South Beach Trail gives you a one-way route through the lower park with no backtracking. It also means you climb 280 feet on stairs at the end of the day, so the direction you choose comes down to which part you'd rather leave for last. None of the three beach trails is ADA compliant, and the Loop Trail isn't either, though it has no stairs and works with a stroller.
The Popular Route Is Next in Line for Construction
This winter may be the last season on the South Beach Trail's current stairs. Seattle Parks' South Beach Trail project reached 90 percent design in June 2026, was set to go out to bid in summer 2026, and is planned to start construction in spring 2027. The scope covers rebuilding erosion-damaged stairs, rerouting steep sections, improving accessibility and adding viewpoints.
Friends of Discovery Park has followed the project for years. Its project history cites eroded staircases and slope instability as the reasons for the work, and records that in January 2026 Seattle Parks described the project as fully funded. Seattle Parks' project page doesn't yet say whether construction will close the trail, or for how long.
That leaves a short window. Between November and spring, the most popular beach route is open and unchanged. If spring construction limits access to it, the two trails that start at marker 17, North Beach and Hidden Valley, become the main ways to the water. A few winter walks from marker 17 now will make those routes familiar before you have to use them.
Arriving Without a Car
The park's parking rules don't affect visitors who arrive by bus. King County Metro Route 33 enters Discovery Park at its northeast corner and serves the North Lot near the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. Metro's current Route 33 schedule runs August 29, 2026 through March 26, 2027 and covers Discovery Park, Magnolia, Seattle Center and downtown. Seattle Parks lists the North Lot at Illinois Avenue and Texas Way.
Starting from the North Lot, a winter beach day using the trails above looks like this:
- Ride Route 33 to the North Lot near Daybreak Star, or park in the North Lot.
- Join the Loop Trail and head to marker 17, where the North Beach Trail begins.
- Take the North Beach Trail down past its three sets of stairs to the flat terrace above the Sound.
- At low tide, walk the beach to West Point Lighthouse and on to South Beach.
- Climb the South Beach Trail to marker 12 and follow the Loop Trail back toward your starting lot.
Check the tide before step four. The beach connection only works at low tide, and in winter there are only so many afternoon hours. If the tide doesn't cooperate, the North Beach Trail terrace and the lighthouse approach still make a worthwhile out-and-back.
The Season Back in the Village
The walk-only months line up with a busy stretch in Magnolia Village. Magnolia Village Trick or Treat runs Saturday, October 31, from 4 to 6 p.m., with W McGraw Street closed between 32nd and 34th avenues W. That is also the second-to-last day of the shuttle. The Magnolia Farmers Market's regular season has ended, and it has two more dates on the calendar: a Fall Harvest Market on November 21 and a Holiday Market on December 5, both from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at W McGraw Street and 33rd Avenue W.
A new stop for after a cold walk may be coming too. Little Boat Bagels is planned for 3213 W McGraw St., the former Slice Box Pizza space, serving sourdough bagels and Danish-inspired open-faced sandwiches. Owner Aaron Emas told It's a Shanda he expected to open by the end of November, depending on permits, and Hoodline also reported the plan. Until the doors actually open, treat it as a plan, not a place to go.
The shuttle's last run from the beach is at 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, November 1. After that, getting to the beach takes either marker 12 or marker 17.
If you own near Discovery Park, how easy it is to reach the water through the seasons is part of what your home offers, and Lisa Turnure follows these Magnolia details as closely as the comps. To get Magnolia listings as Lisa shares them, choose Receive Exclusive Listings.
