Inclusive Playgrounds in the Seattle Area

Amazing sensory playgrounds, free and open to the public

For kids on the autism spectrum or with other disabilities, a trip to the neighborhood playground can be overwhelming, socially confusing and even unsafe. Newer playground designs are pivoting toward meeting the needs of all children, and this has spawned great play places, usually referred to as “inclusive” or “sensory” playgrounds.

What makes a play space a “sensory playground”? In short, it’s an inclusive place for kids to play. The space may be fully accessible for kids who use wheelchairs; it may also be fenced off to contain kids who could wander or bolt. These playgrounds typically offer sensory options for kids who seek them, such as wind chimes, sand to dig in, nubby surfaces, mazes to explore, mirrors, kaleidoscopes and bouncy swings.

First stop: Pathways Park

Editor’s note: A version of this article was originally published several years ago. It was most recently updated in June 2024 by ParentMap’s family fun editor Meredith Charaba, with the addition of two new playgrounds. ParentMap authors Natasha Dillinger, JiaYing Grygiel and Kate Missine contributed to this article.

Pathways Park, Seattle

There is something for everyone at Seattle’s largest playground, making it my new favorite in the city. Pathways Park opened in June 2024 after a complete renovation. Local mom Paige Reischl originally conceived of the park more than seven years ago. She wanted to create a park designed to be welcoming to all, in honor of her son Eli.

We spent an entire day here and still felt like we could come back and discover something new. A tall log climbing structure is the first place to play, followed by a ground-level merry-go-round, custom carved basalt water table and sand pit. Three swings give parkgoers the choice between swinging solo or with friends, while a nearby gazebo offers shade on those sunny summer days.

But my daughter spent most of her time at the park on the hillside, where a wide polished concrete slide can fit multiple kids whooshing down at a time. A roller slide gives a different sensory experience, while the cave can be used for climbing (or a sheltered break from all the action). The park gets its name from the parallel pathways that run throughout — one smooth and flat, and the other with various challenges.

Pathways Park is fully accessible and entirely welcoming to everyone, while maintaining the natural elements that make the park beautiful. Keep an eye out for unique art sculptures, from a giant frog peeking over a lily pad to a bat hanging upside down in a talking pole.

The park also has all-gender, single-use restrooms with both baby- and adult-size changing tables.

Find it: 5201 Sand Point Wy. N.E., Seattle

– Meredith Charaba

Next stop: Averill Field Playground

Averill Field Playground, Snohomish

I was absolutely thrilled to hear that Snohomish was getting its first inclusive and accessible playground. My daughter and I counted down to its opening and headed there for a visit, where we were happy to see the whole community playing.

The first structure on the playground is just the right size for the younger crowd, and ramps allow kids of all abilities to explore it. There’s a bright red train (where my daughter couldn’t resist letting out a gleeful “choo, choo!”), a puzzle, two slides, and other ways to climb or hop off the structure.

Nearby, there’s a ground-level merry-go-round, bright green drums, benches and spinning swings. But the centerpiece of the park is a climber’s paradise: A geometric structure with rope ladders reaching up to a tunnel slide. Parents can watch kids climb and race around from the benches, or they can easily join them for a ride on the swing set.

Find it: 400 2nd St., Snohomish

– Meredith Charaba

Next stop: Seattle Children’s PlayGarden

Seattle Children’s PlayGarden

Seattle Children’s PlayGarden is a fully accessible public park where kids can play safely. There’s tons to explore: the playground; the garden, bursting with veggies and flowers; the big rubber mountain; a quintet of musical instruments; a wild trail area; and the coop with chickens, ducks and bunnies.

The PlayGarden has been around for several years, but it added improved features in a 2018 overhaul. There’s a new swing set, with a seat shaped like a big saucer, big enough for a whole gaggle of kids to sprawl out on. Instead of the traditional merry-go-round, there’s a spinning disk tilted at a slight angle. While many playgrounds feature a big structure at the center, with a slide or two and various climbing routes to get to the top, the structures here are low and wide, so it’s easy to lift a child from a wheelchair for a ride.

Important note: This playground is open to all, but can sometimes get crowded with lots of kids. If your children are not in need of an accessible playground, consider visiting another spot if the PlayGarden is busy.

Find it: 1745 24th Ave. S., Seattle

– JiaYing Grygiel

Next stop: Forest Park

Forest Park Playground, Everett

Playgrounds often touted as built for “all abilities” include one or two small elements for kids with disabilities. Forest Park, however, could practically serve as a catalog for the options available in inclusive play spaces. A wheelchair-accessible ramp leads to a Sway Fun glider (similar to a seesaw) and roller slide, perfect for a gradual descent to a soft turf play surface that cushions any falls.

For the swing fans in all of us, two bucket-seat swings sit alongside the more traditional types. A forest-themed space attaches to the ramp-accessible play structure. Past the two-story spinning global motion climber, there is a bug-themed play structure best suited to the 2–5 age range. A cozy dome that looks very much like a ladybug provides a fun hiding spot, as well as a possible shelter for kids on the autism spectrum who need a quiet place to regroup.

Find it: 205 Park Road, Everett

– Natasha Dillinger

Next stop: Mika’s Playground

Mika’s Playground, Edmonds

The 8-acre site in downtown Edmonds includes a skate park, athletic fields and courts for all kinds of sports. The piѐce de résistance of the park is Mika’s Inclusive Playground, a play space for kids of all abilities, dedicated to a local boy.

This playground features a large and welcoming basket swing hung on posts resembling driftwood — it’s perfect for several friends who want to swing together, or for one child to lean back and enjoy the sensation of flying high in the air. An expression swing and belt swing offer more swinging opportunities. A zero-barrier integration carousel has space for two wheelchairs and several friends to spin together — twirl with the help of an adult pushing from outside the carousel or spin the center post for self-propelled pirouettes.

Find it: 598 Edmonds St., Edmonds

– Natasha Dillinger

Next stop: Meadow Crest Playground

Meadow Crest Playground, Renton

Colorful, inclusive Meadow Crest Playground features several elements to engage children and their five senses. Splash with abandon at an interactive water table, tap out a tune on the oversized musical instruments, and then climb atop a giant caterpillar in the foam-floored play area.

Note: The park is closed to the public until 4:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday, during the school year when it is reserved for exclusive use by the adjacent preschool. It’s open to the public all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, during holidays, school breaks and summer (and after 4:30 p.m. Monday–Thursday).

Find it: 3000 N.E. 16th St., Renton

– Lauren Braden

Next stop: Hazel Miller Playground

Hazel Miller Playground at Ballinger Park, Mountlake Terrace

Do your kids love trains? Insects? Water? Climbing? They’ll find something to love at Ballinger Park’s Hazel Miller Universally Accessible Playground. Scale the ramps to get to the train-themed climber — pick up pretend tickets from the booth and don’t forget to toot the horn! After kids finish their railroad “journey” aboard the play train, they can slip down the cowcatcher and make their way to a pond-themed area. This play scene also features a cattail spinner and a self-propelled merry-go-round. Another aquatic-themed space hosts a swing bank with two belted seats and a friendship swing.

Find it: 23000 Lakeview Drive, Mountlake Terrace

– Natasha Dillinger

Next stop: Meadowdale Playfields

Meadowdale Playfields, Lynnwood

Meadowdale Playfields recently unveiled a new accessible play area. This playground has cushy poured-rubber surfacing that matches the soothing blue color scheme of the play equipment; it also provides a safe surface for mobility devices or toddling legs.

Unlike many playgrounds that are segregated by age or ability, this playground features one central structure for all, with some natural delineation for different age groups. In addition, the playground features many swing types, an inclusive whirl, various slides, wobble steps, musical sensory elements and more.

Find it: 16700 66th Ave. W., Lynnwood

– Natasha Dillinger

Next stop: Inspiration Playground

Inspiration Playground at Downtown Park, Bellevue

Theme-park-like fun awaits kids of all abilities at Bellevue Downtown Park’s Inspiration Playground. Designed by Colorado-based firm Design Concepts Landscape Architecture as a large-scale, multisensory play space to engage children of various abilities, the playground’s features also provide opportunities for bonding among friends, families and caregivers.

Various climbing structures engage all ages and levels of ability, among them a whimsical twisted vine climber and a bridge-connected “Roots and Rock” climbing wall. Swings of all sorts are plentiful: There are wheelchair-accessible saucer-style and adaptive swing seats as well as tot-and-parent swings. Even the sideline benches are suspended on swing chains, letting caregivers in on the fun. Kids love the bouncers and egg-chair-style spinners; a four-person, wheelchair-friendly seesaw; and a cool ramp-accessible glider that makes for a gently swaying ride. Other engaging features include gigantic musical instruments, a slide built into the hillside and a fantastical twisted Wisdom Tree at the playground’s center.

Find it: 10201 N.E. 4th St., Bellevue

– Kate Missine

Next stop: Seaview Park

Seaview Park, Edmonds

At Seaview Park, there are two play structures: a fort designed for kids ages 2–5, and a giant rope gym for kids ages 5–12. Parents of runners will appreciate the chain-link fence that wraps around three-quarters of the playground. Not so scenic, but very practical.

The playground sits on a hill, which kids love rolling down (or sledding down in winter). Parents will be happy there’s a parking lot at the park’s entrance, and restrooms adjacent to the playground. The park also has pickleball and tennis courts. In addition, there’s a big grassy field, ringed with mature trees, next to the playground.

Find it: 8030 185th St. S.W., Edmonds

– JiaYing Grygiel

Next stop: Miner’s Corner

Miner’s Corner Park, Bothell

Miner’s Corner is a fantastic, universally accessible park that immerses kids in a natural landscape. Paved pathways meander through wooded wetlands and alongside a pond. (Note: Some kids on the autism spectrum feel drawn to water so keep a close eye on them here.) The playground features a 10-foot-tall lookout tower that is wheelchair-accessible.

Find it: 22903 45th Ave. S.E., Bothell

– Lauren Braden

Next stop: Owen’s Playground

Owen’s Playground at Rotary Park, Bainbridge Island

All kids deserve the right to play together, and inclusive Owen’s Playground makes it all possible with adaptive swings and seesaws, smooth and wide paths for wheelchairs, boulders to scramble up and wide slides to glide down. Animal sculptures, a sandbox with water features and a wheelchair-accessible sensory garden offer children tactile experiences. This unique playground is dedicated to the life of a local child, Owen Marshall, whose parents, Stacy and Kelsey Marshall, advocated for its design and creation after their son passed away from complications related to cerebral palsy.

Find it: 969 Weaver Rd. N.W., Bainbridge Island

– Lauren Braden