Map › USA › Golden Gardens & Richmond Beach › Richmond Beach
Washington · Shoreline / Puget Sound · King County · Shoreline, Washington
Richmond Beach
also known as Richmond Beach Saltwater Park
Nearby Golden Gardens 8 km · Double Bluff 26 km · Jetty Island 30 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
Typical strength
It will often blow on a 10-20 kt forecast, and 15-25 kt is the ideal band. Gusty ahead of a large approaching system, and it can increase quickly once it is in.
Thermal or synoptic
frontal
The quiver, in words
Nothing published locally. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, derived from the 15-25 kt working band rather than measured here: 9-11 m for most sessions, 7-8 m at the top of a squally SW. Cold water and a deep-off-the-sand launch argue for going a size down rather than a size up.
Direction to shore
Side to side-onshore on S and SW, along a long beach, which is forgiving for anyone still learning to hold upwind. A hard SW turns it very onshore. North wind is shadowed here and does not work.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month48
- Feb, riders' month39
- Mar, riders' month47
- Apr66
- May35
- Jun39
- Jul35
- Aug42
- Sep37
- Oct, riders' month45
- Nov, riders' month44
- Dec, riders' month54
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 11Jan
- 11Feb
- 11Mar
- 12Apr
- 11May
- 11Jun
- 10Jul
- 11Aug
- 10Sep
- 11Oct
- 11Nov
- 12Dec
avg knots per month · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48% | 11.3 kt | SSE | 4.9°C |
| Feb | 39% | 10.9 kt | S | 5.1°C |
| Mar | 47% | 11.1 kt | S | 6.8°C |
| Apr | 66% | 12.3 kt | S | 8.3°C |
| May | 35% | 10.9 kt | N | 12.2°C |
| Jun | 39% | 10.6 kt | N | 14.9°C |
| Jul | 35% | 10.4 kt | N | 18.7°C |
| Aug | 42% | 10.6 kt | N | 18.9°C |
| Sep | 37% | 10.2 kt | N | 15.9°C |
| Oct | 45% | 11 kt | N | 12°C |
| Nov | 44% | 11.3 kt | SSE | 6.8°C |
| Dec | 54% | 11.8 kt | S | 5.9°C |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024
The water
Type
mixed
Standing depth
The beach is steep enough that it is too deep to stand as soon as you are in the water, and there is usually a shorebreak to body-drag through before you get going. There is no wading-out option here at any tide.
Tides
Mixed semidiurnal, two unequal highs and lows a day; the gauge 15 km south gives a mean range near 2.3 m and a great diurnal range near 3.5 m, indicative rather than measured at this beach.A tide below about 9 ft is the safe window, leaving sand between you and the obstacles; above that the pilings and rocks are under water and the beach is a strip. Higher tides can still be worked from the small sand hill just south of the foot path.
Temperature
11.7°C summer · 7.4°C winter
Currents
Tidal and worth watching. A strong ebb runs north and makes holding upwind hard work; a strong flood turns the chop into waves worth riding.
Your level
The record rates the levels and says nothing more about what this spot asks of a rider.
The scene
What riders come here for
How busy
Low to medium for kites, but the park itself is well used: walkers, dog owners and beach users, and an off-leash dog beach from November through April.
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Tight. The sandy hill south of the foot path takes a handful of kites laid out. Below about 9 ft of tide there is sand to spare; above that the usable strip narrows fast and the obstacles go under.
Somewhere else
Golden Gardens, 8 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Small beach, sand tangled with rocks, driftwood and large logs, with more room at low tide. The best rigging area is the small sandy hill just south of the foot path, which holds a handful of kites.Launch at the water's edge with the kite low and a hold-down on it, because the gusts arrive unannounced; up-and-over launches are the wrong move here. Body-drag out about a line length before riding away.Keep off the far north end of the park, especially at high tide, where the railroad runs close to the water; the tracks sit within a kite line of the high-tide shore both north and south of the launch. Riders coming down from spots to the north land here.Flush toilets in the parking lot and on the beach, and parking is never a problem.
Space
Tight. The sandy hill south of the foot path takes a handful of kites laid out. Below about 9 ft of tide there is sand to spare; above that the usable strip narrows fast and the obstacles go under.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ride the low tide: more beach, and the deadhead pilings and barnacle rocks are where you can see them.
- Keep off the far north end of the park at high tide, where the railroad runs close to the water.
- Watch the sky over the Sound; squalls here build with little warning.
- Use it as the landing end of a downwinder from the spots to the north rather than as a tight high-tide launch.
- Rig on the small sandy hill just south of the foot path and launch low at the water's edge with a hold-down. No up-and-over launches here.
- Body-drag out a line length before you ride away. It is too deep to stand the moment you are in, and cold enough to matter all year.
- Below about 9 ft of tide is the safe window. Above that the obstacles are under water and the sand runs out.
- November through April this is an off-leash dog beach, so keep your lines short on the ground.
Getting there
Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
Route
Shoreline sits about 9 miles north of downtown Seattle; Richmond Beach is the neighborhood on the city's northwest corner, on Puget Sound. By car, take I-5 to the 175th exit and follow Richmond Beach Road west, then a short walk down from the parking lot.There is a surplus of parking stalls, and flush toilets both in the lot and on the beach.
FAQ
When is the best time to kite Richmond Beach?
October through March, as one of Puget Sound's better winter launches.
Is it suitable for beginners?
No, it is considered an advanced launch due to a small beach, debris and submerged pilings.
What is the wind like?
South to southwest wind in the mid-10s to 20s knots is typical.
Are there rules to know about?
As of 2025, riders should avoid launching at the far north end at high tide, where railroad tracks sit close to the narrow beach.
Last updated: August 2026