Jack Block Park

Love this place!!! I go here a lot just to find my piece of mind. Beautiful view and clean. Take my young kids there to goof around on their scooters. We grab lunch and take it there to eat.

At first, I gave this a one-​star review to keep everyone away.
I added a star for Best View of Seattle, and then another for Hidden Park Hipsters Would Love, all the way down to the fake-​out entrance — it’s like Mother Nature’s Speakeasy (so grab your flask and twirl that mustache, fellas).
A fourth star was added because it was empty, and I could imagine being a crusty old billionaire megalomaniac who bought and built the park just for me and my third trophy wife who’s name I can’t remember.
The last time I was there, an exercise boot camp was training by the water. The fifth star came from the relief I felt from not having to participate.
If Tom Hardy proposed to me, I’d want it to be here.

THE VIEW.
Love this viewpoint, if it be those rare sunny but cold winter days or those extremely hot kind of summer days/​nights — this spot overlooking my (other) city takes my breath away. And when I see friends post pictures on IG of this viewpoint, it makes me miss what once was and what was and somewhat still considered «home»
“Make out point” or «crying session» we all done it here! Why not. Viewpoints always have an emotional connection with the human race. What a great place to marvel at the city with the lights reflecting on the water inbetween. It’s a visual-​orgasm that makes Seattle simply beautiful in her own ways.
Home
Is
Where
The
Heart
Is
Until the next review…

I love this park. I love the view. However, it is VERY isolated. It’s a rather long drive from Harbor Avenue. And for most of it, train tracks and a rail yard lie between the park and the main road. The other side of the park is coastline. Sounds idyllic, right? Unfortunately, this isolated location draws a strange crowd. Sure, there are people walking their dogs and cyclists enjoying the view. But there are also sketchy characters doing sketchy things. Even that didn’t keep me from enjoying this park. What happened last Thursday is why I’m giving this park 1 star. I’m hoping to save anyone from having an experience similar to or worse than mine. Below is the information I gave the police:
10am Thursday, July 3, 2014
My 4 ½ year old son and I decided to explore Jack Block Park. It’s one of his favorite parks: water, trains, paths to bike, etc. (We usually go with my hubby on the weekends)
I parked my car next to a white hatchback in the first parking area by the bathrooms and gravel «play» area. The park was empty save one man walking from the bathrooms toward the gravel play area. He was a white male, around 50yrs old, 5’11″, with short, messy, mostly gray hair, a stubbly, unshaven jawline, & wearing a well worn, red and gray? plaid shirt. He was smoking a cigarette in his right hand, and a plastic juice bottle in his left.
As he walked away from the bathrooms, he watched us get out of the car. Our eyes met. His face was stony. He didn’t look away. He continued along the lower path that winds between the gravel play area on the left and a hill on the right. The small path ends at a couple picnic tables nestled behind some bushes at the far end of the gravel play area. There he stood, behind the bushes, smoking and watching us. My son ran into the gravel area to climb on the huge buoys. I took a few pictures of my kiddo playing. I saw the man still standing behind the bushes, staring at us.
My son began to walk deeper in to the gravel play area, closer to the man. The man proceeded to walk backwards up the grassy hill that separates the play area and the parking lot. He stared at us the entire time, expressionless. He reached the top, stopped, and stared. Trying to figure the guy out, I took a few moments to really look at him. He backed around a bush at the top of the hill, and just stared at me.
At this point, I was convinced this man was behaving in a suspicious way that felt aggressive, even though he was silent and stoic. I took my son’s hand hand and rushed to our car. When we rounded the hill to the parking area, the man had just descended the stairs that lead from the top of the hill to the parking area. He was 30 feet away from our car, staring into my eyes, and walking toward us. Clearly, he had rushed down the stairs in order to arrive in the parking area when we did. He would have had to run to make it down as fast as he did. His stare didn’t waver as he speedily walked toward us. I made my son get in the driver’s door. My kiddo sat in his car seat. I started the car, slammed it into reverse, and drove away. The man was less than 10 feet from my car when I drove away. He stopped walking, and watched us drive away.
My son kept saying «you forgot to buckle my harness». When we reached Harbor Avenue, I buckled my son in his car seat. I honestly don’t know what would have happened if I had taken the time to buckle my son in. All I know is when I assessed the danger of driving with him unrestrained vs. having that man reach our car… I shudder just thinking about it. Nightmarish.
I’m not saying don’t go this park. I just want people who go to the park to enjoy it safely. We’ll still go, but probably as a family and on the weekends when it’s busier.

This little gem sits off the side of the road as you are approaching Alki… often missed by people, it has nice walking paths and bridges and seems to be a favorite for walks with the locals.
I have been to this park twice, and was not crowded either time. The views of downtown Seattle are super nice. Bathroom facilities are clean and available in two locations of the park.

I’ve lived in Seattle my entire life and I just discovered this park yesterday during a fitness class meetup with Fitness Revolution (Jill). This park offers a unique and alternative look to the Seattle skyline as well as historic roots near the harbor island area. From the mini hill to the wide open sun deck area, this park is actually quite nice and spacious for running and bicycling as well as just strolling through. The entrance to this park is the tricky part and many drive right on by on the way to alki beach park. Once you find the entrance, the parking lot is a few windy twists and turns in. It’s actually just south of Salty’s when traveling N on Harbor ave. An awesome alternative and much less crowded than Alki up ahead.

I had never know about this park until about a week ago when we went by it on a bike ride from seattle to alki. This park is great. The views of industry around Harbor Island are awesome and it’s tough to beat the view of the downtown skyline from this location. Nicely maintained and not busy.

It’s a park it’s an industrial area it’s two treats in one. The park meanders around the edge of the sound on one side and around Terminal 5 on the other. One way you see the beautiful views on the other you get to see the nitty gritty aspect of Seattle’s shipping industry. Seals, water, ferries on one side Trains, loaders and containers on the other.
The walking trail is nice and loopy with a few little hills, perfect for energetic kids or dogs. One of my favorite places to go on a crisp, clear fall or winter day.

What a hidden gem of a park! Don’t miss the entrance of Harbor Dr. in Alki as it is easily passed up with an unassuming yet creative structure welcoming you. You then meander down a private road next to train tracks and shipping containers and then boom, there you are right on the harbor with unique views of Alki, the Space Needle and Seattle. Make sure you make it up to the view tower as well!

One more park and than I was going to be done with parks and viewpoints with ma and pa. I’d drive by Jack Block Park hundreds of times. I’ve always wanted to stop but it just looked to ‘scary’ for me to go by myself so I figured bring my elderly parents to protect me!
I found out that Jack Block Park is a Port of Seattle Park, which by the way there are 19 of.
Jack Block Park provided yet another view of Seattle and let you get up close and personal with the port with it’s location at terminal 5 on Harbor Ave SW. They have picnic tables, restrooms, plenty of parking and an area for the kids to play. The coolest thing for me were the big balls they fascinated me for some reason apparently I like really big stripped balls. The second coolest thing was all the blackberry bushes. I saw some, decided to brave it and tried one and they were delicious. I picked a few more and let my mom and dad try them and suddenly my father is climbing in the bushes picking all the ripe blackberries he could find. It was fun and tasty to boot and not something my parents would have ever experienced if I hadn’t decided to stop in here.
Besides the big balls and fresh blackberries there’s also a 45 foot high Observation Tower that I didn’t visit but next time I’m totally going to find the Observation Tower and see what kind of view I can get from there.

Okay– its those nineties movies again. I love going to places that are adjacent to BIG MACHINERY and sweeping beautiful views.
But the big concrete stairs, the mutli-​tiered viewing decks. All the ominous fencing… the governmental shrubbery. The lone bathroom building and about one and half parking spaces– big cargo train emergency stop section– is not YOUR imagination going crazy? Huh?! This place in intellectual DRAMA. What’s up with all of these weird factors?
It has industrial, governmental, and contamination buffers. Poison fish, big ol’ harbor Island close by and the ports. This place is BRAIN CANDY.
BRAIN CANDY. :D Who doesn’t get excited by all the debris in and around the convoluted little labyrinth of chain link that leads you to… your final destination?
Next time I bring writing materials and DEMAND to be left here for at LEAST an hour.

This place is extremly easy to miss. There is a long obscure fenced road to get to this park but worth it once you get though that. Very Industrial looking. It looks like it would be a great scene for a movie where the Triads could wage war with Jet Li. With harbor island surrounding the park and Seattle skyline in the background its very interesting how they decided to just put a park there. It seems like a very good quiet place if you wanna get away from the alki crowd but still have the views of the water and the city.

Jack Block (not to be confused with scary-​funny actor Jack Black) Park is awesome. It’s a little-​known escape right off the maddening traffic which is Beach Drive (on days like today). JB park has a nice sandy play area for the kids, as well as well manicured paths, lawns landscaping for all. The waterside/​pier portion of the park offers spectacular views of Alki, the Sound, Downtown and a great deal of the port. Be sure to check out the cool patinaed, pear-​shaped birdhouses hanging from varies beams and posts.
One thing about JB Park — don’t expect to fish/​clam or to even have shore/​beach access. While it is beautiful and beautifully upkept, this park sits close to the mouth of the Duwamish and heavily contaminated.
4 Stars — a peaceful getaway with spectacular views.
p. s. Does the capitalized A in the title/​heading above bother anyone else?

This is one cool park. Designated as Public Shoreline Access and maintained by the Port of Seattle, it doesn’t seem to appear on any Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation lists.
I like «industrial’ views along with my water & mountains, and Jack Block Park is a great place to mix it up. Its a little difficult to find. I’ve seen it listed with 2 different addresses, which doesn’t help either. Along with Harbor Ave. SW, its also described as being at 3443 W. Marginal Way S.W. You can find it by driving up Harbor Ave., not too far West from Luna Park. There’s a gateway leading into a parking lot and 15 acres of piers, playgrounds and viewing platform.
I really like this place at night too. (It closes at 9 and I have raced back to my car, thinking they might lock the gates on me.) The adjacent port parking lot is strangely lit with amber lights, the high cranes on the Duwamish are to the South East, the City is spread out in front of you and there’s a straight shot up Eliot Bay. This place is photo-​op central. I’ve watched Blue Herons hanging out on the piers, and all sorts of strange craft loading and unloading nearby.
In the daytime, there are things for kids to climb on, the terrific viewing platform and a few tables for picnickers.
Here’s a link to a virtual tour that gives you a great idea of what to expect.
This is also a fabulous spot to bring visiting guests for a view of Seattle they probably won’t get anywhere else.