About Clarke and Groveland Beach Parks

Tucked into two Mercer Island neighborhoods, Clarke and Groveland Beach Parks are much-loved public waterfronts. This post provides an overview of each park.

Clarke Beach Park

Once home to the Girl Scouts' Camp Tarywood, Clarke Beach is a 9-acre park located at East Mercer Way and SE 77^th Place. The park was acquired by the City in 1969-1970 using Washington State marine recreation funds and was developed in 1971. Clarke Beach features fishing and swimming piers, an enclosed swimming area, restrooms (open in summer), picnic tables, paved walkways, open space/natural areas, and wildlife habitat. Park-goers use the parking lot off East Mercer Way and descend a steep, paved trail to access the beach.

Despite boasting the most shoreline of Mercer Island’s public beaches, Clarke Beach is the Island’s quietest waterfront. The beach loses sun earlier than the Island’s west-side parks, and visitors are more likely to see dog walkers than sunbathers and swimmers.

In recent years, volunteer forest stewards have hosted regular events to restore natural areas at Clarke. Work includes removing ivy and blackberry and replacing it with native trees and shrubs.

Groveland Beach Park

Groveland Beach is a 3-acre park located at SE 58^th Street and 80^th Avenue SE. The City acquired the property, which was originally a summer camp for religious groups, in 1965 and developed the beach park in 1967. It features a concrete bulkhead, swimming beach, pier, and sand volleyball court as well as restrooms (open in summer), picnic tables, and a playground. Like at Clarke Beach, the paved path from the parking lot to the beach is very steep.

As Mercer Island’s only west-side beach, Groveland sees high visitation in the summer months, including during the annual Seafair summer festival.